Joshuah's House: jury verdict

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Polygamist sect leader found guilty

" ST. GEORGE, Utah (CNN) -- Polygamist sect leader Warren Steed Jeffs was found guilty Tuesday of being an accomplice to rape for using his religious authority to push a 14-year-old girl into a marriage she did not want.

FLDS leader Warren Jeffs and his defense team are stoic as the guilty verdict is read.

Jeffs stood with his hands folded and didn't appear to react as the verdict was read.

The counts carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. His sentencing date was not immediately set.

"This trial has not been about religion or a vendetta," said prosecutor Brock Belnap. "It is simply about child abuse."

He called the young woman, Elissa Wall, a hero for coming forward with her story."

Full Story Told on CNN

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Warren Jeffs Convicted

"ST. GEORGE, Utah (Reuters) - U.S. polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs was convicted on Tuesday of being an accomplice to rape for arranging a marriage between an unwilling 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old first cousin.

Jeffs faces five years to life in prison for each of the two felony charges of accomplice to rape. No date was set for sentencing.

The self-described "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints showed no expression as the verdict was read to a court packed with his supporters.

The trial has riveted Utah, the western state with a majority Mormon population. Jeffs' sect is not associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are called Mormons."

Full Sad Tale is Told Here

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Polygamist sect leader's jury starts over

"ST. GEORGE, Utah (CNN) -- Jurors in the trial of polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs started deliberating all over again Tuesday with a new panelist after signaling earlier that they were close to a verdict.

Warren Jeffs is accused of two counts of being an accomplice to the rape of a FLDS child bride.

One juror was removed for reasons that weren't explained. She was replaced by one of the alternates, also a woman, court officials said.

Deliberations have been brief but tumultuous. On Monday, after just one full day of discussions, jurors told Judge James Shumate they were deadlocked. They returned to the jury room after a few words of encouragement.

Before leaving for the evening, jurors told the judge they were close to a verdict but wanted to sleep on it. But before deliberations resumed Tuesday morning, court officials replaced the juror, saying only that there had been an "event."
"

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Juror in Warren Jeffs trial replaced

"ST. GEORGE, Utah — A juror in the trial of polygamous leader Warren Jeffs was replaced Tuesday and the panel was told to start deliberations from scratch, a day after it had announced it was close to a verdict.

Fifth District Judge James Shuter instructed the jury to begin deliberations again after excusing a female juror and replacing her with a female alternate in Jeffs' trial on two counts of rape as an accomplice.

The surprise announcement came on Tuesday, one day after the jury said it was deadlocked. After the judge told the panel to go back to work, jurors said they believed they were close to a verdict, but wanted to sleep on it."

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Jeffs being prosecuted for polygamist connections, defence argues

"But Jeffs’s attorney argued there was no rape. Walter Bugden said the only reason Jeffs is on trial is because he leads the largest polygamous group in North America, which the state of Utah does not approve of.

He noted that on the day the girl testified, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff was in the courtroom sitting with her lawyer.

Bugden said there was no way that Jeffs knowingly aided in the rape even if he directed them to “go forth and replenish the earth.”

"The state does not have the courage to charge Warren Jeffs with what Mr. Jeffs may be criminally responsible for," which is unlawful marriage and the marriage of an under-aged girl, said Jeffs’s lawyer

Instead, “the state dropped a nuclear bomb on the FLDS community and charged Warren Steed Jeffs with rape. There was no rape. There is no accomplice liability," he added."

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Jury in Warren Jeffs trial announces deadlock on one count; judge sends them back to work

"ST. GEORGE, Utah — Jurors in the trial of polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs announced Monday that they could not reach a unanimous decision on the issue of whether the so-called "prophet" influenced a 14-year-old bride to have sex with her husband against her will."

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Jeffs jurors say they are near a decision

" ST. GEORGE - Jurors deciding the fate of polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs deliberated for about 11 hours today without reaching a verdict, but said they are close to decisions on the two counts of rape as an accomplice.
Fifth District Judge James L. Shumate sent the five men and three women home at about 8:15 p.m., asking them to return to court at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The jurors had sent Shumate a note shortly after 3:30 p.m. today, saying they were deadlocked on the second count. "

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Jeffs Jury Deadlocked on One Count

ST. GEORGE, Utah -- Jurors neared a verdict before heading home Monday in the case against the leader of a polygamous sect who is accused of rape in the arranged marriage of a 14-year-old girl to her older cousin.

The jury had sent a note to the judge earlier indicating it had reached an impasse on one count against Warren Jeffs, president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Jeffs is charged with two counts of rape as an accomplice.

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Verdict Watch: Warren Jeffs Trial

"In the case of State of Utah v. Warren Steed Jeffs. At 8:10 p.m. (MST), Judge James Shumate called the jury back into the courtroom. The jury indicated they were close to a verdict, but wanted to sleep on it overnight. The judge released them for the evening. The jury will be back in session on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 9 a.m."

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Warren Jeffs: Jury hung on one count, decides on another

"ST. GEORGE — The jury in the Warren Jeffs trial has come to a decision on one count of the two charges against the polygamist leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but is hung on the second count."

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