Posted on 08/06/2011 7:48:37 AM PDT by MizSterious
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Warren Jeffs didn't want to be in the courtroom when the state presented evidence against him for the sentencing phase of his trial.
His former lead attorney returned to represent him while Jeffs was voluntarily absent.
So Jeffs, the leader and "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, didn't see the pictures of the temple beds.
Friday afternoon the state revealed pictures of beds in the temple building at the Yearning for Zion Ranch, the 1,700-acre property in Schleicher County raided in April 2008 amid allegations that sexual abuse of children was taking place.
A former FLDS member, Rebecca Musser, testified for the prosecution Friday that she had received training before the temple was built about how beds in it would be used for sexual matters. She said what she had been taught about the presence of witnesses and someone to record the events matched what she saw at the temple outside San Angelo.
"We would learn the best ways to conceive children," Musser said about what she was taught was to happen at the temple.
(Excerpt) Read more at gosanangelo.com ...
God bless these precious little kids who had their innocence stolen.
There’s another article telling how he raped his niece, too. She was only 7.
You know, I also feel very sorry for the jury, having to listen to this horror show. Prayers pu for that jury!
This is going to haunt some of the jurors. It has all of us upset, and we're not even in the courtroom.
It took too long for these people to get justice.
Fourth from the right front is the wily coyote Naomie. She looks different in the Easter egg outfit, doesn't she?
I would never have recognized her. This is all very sick...
This trial was the best thing that could have happened to inform a lot of us.
We now know she was right. Females were being groomed for sexual assault and male children were being groomed to be sexual predators. It was a gutsy call and I for one, as a Texan, am darned glad he made it. He could have knuckled under like AZ and UT but he didn't. (I don't think you'll find him in any polygamist safety net meeting, but that's just my opinion.)
Dr. Drew - who in my opinion is not well informed on this subject - started going off and calling for the FEDERAL government to do something. General Abbot's response was tongue in cheek when he mentioned Harry Reid. He saw right through Reid's antics and called him on it.
He also stated to expect more indictments. Juries and especially Grand Juries in Texas are secret by law. We have no way of knowing what the AG’s office is doing until we see and hear about the indictments.
Special Prosecutor Eric Nichols subpoenaed all of Warren's wives. We'll see if they answer them? Eric Nichols works for and under the direction of General Abbot.
Recognizing pregnant under age teens is something the Texas Rangers excel at. They also work for Greg Abbot.
What I took away from his statement last night was essentially - we're not done with them yet if they are breaking the law. He's a cool customer and a really good guy.
He echoed Gov. Perry's statement of - if you want to break the law - polygamy, assault etc., then maybe Texas isn't where you want to live.
BTW - unofficially I've heard that there have already been lost boys from the YFZ compound. Unlike some other states where they are left to live on the streets, starve and do - who knows what to survive - several of them have been quietly and unceremoniously adopted by Texas families. And, I bless them for that.
Thanks - that quote is stunning!
This is from the Tx AG website:
The Office of the Attorney General is committed to supporting local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors’ offices to fight crime in the state of Texas
This office can assist with criminal investigations and prosecution at the request of local officials. The OAG also coordinates and cooperates with interjurisdictional efforts involving local, state and federal criminal law enforcement agencies.
AND
The Office of the Attorney General participates in a broad range of activities to provide leadership and support to Texas prosecutors and law enforcement. Through investigation, prosecution, postconviction litigation, training and special initiatives, the OAG works to make the State of Texas a safer place in which to live.
A cooperative effort between OAG criminal investigators and local law enforcement agencies has yielded hundreds of arrests of child sex predators and dozens of convictions of child pornographers.
Attorney General investigators also work with local law enforcement and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to identify, locate, and arrest child sex offenders who violate the terms of their paroles and sex offenders who fail to register with law enforcement as required by law.
From me: I’m not saying Abbott is bad. In fact, he’s one of the best AGs we’ve ever had. I’m saying he doesn’t have the authority he seems to be implying that he has. In Texas, it’s the local sheriff and chief of police who has the authority to arrest and the local prosecuting attorney who has the power to prosecute. The TX AG has limited powers. It’s the way Texas is. The governor has very little authority, either. Sam Houston wanted a very weak government.
Abbott wasn’t kidding about Harry Reid. Reid brought up the FLDS and put it in the national spotlight ‘causing local law enforcement to start doing something. They requested the TX AG’s help, which they always do on cases where they have to be very careful on the points of the law.
Personally, I believe Harry Reid was simply trying to make sure we all know it’s not his church. Just following his marching orders from SLC.
problem is you’ve got to find someone who wants to leave and who will testify. We have to remember these women have a bunch of kids and I’m sure they’re wondering how they’re going to feed them. Moving out is the least of their concerns. And I don’t know what the answer is but I am extremely pleased that someone is prosecuting them. But Abbott can’t go in there and arrest people.
I’m going to agree with Pebcak here. Abbott is one of the heroes in this story, and from what he’s done so far, I trust him when he says what he will do next. He’s taken his time, gotten his ducks in a row, and helped to craft a credible and valid case against these cultists.
Dittos also on Dr. Drew. I’m glad he’s discovering the horrors of the fLDS, but he’s new to the scene, and while not really clueless, naive and not as well educated about it as some of the commentators on TRU and HLN. But I’m glad he’s covering it. The damage being done to people growing up in that environment could probably fill a whole library dedicated to mental health.
Perry—brave guy. He’s taking some heat from Mormons about his stance on this, but he’s supporting the state’s case anyway. Other states would, and have, shut it down long ago. AZ actually released Jeffs on a technicality; Utah regularly does. Colorado won’t even take it up.
I’m going to agree with Pebcak here. Abbott is one of the heroes in this story, and from what he’s done so far, I trust him when he says what he will do next. He’s taken his time, gotten his ducks in a row, and helped to craft a credible and valid case against these cultists.
Dittos also on Dr. Drew. I’m glad he’s discovering the horrors of the fLDS, but he’s new to the scene, and while not really clueless, naive and not as well educated about it as some of the commentators on TRU and HLN. But I’m glad he’s covering it. The damage being done to people growing up in that environment could probably fill a whole library dedicated to mental health.
Perry—brave guy. He’s taking some heat from Mormons about his stance on this, but he’s supporting the state’s case anyway. Other states would, and have, shut it down long ago. AZ actually released Jeffs on a technicality; Utah regularly does. Colorado won’t even take it up.
My apologies for the double post. Computer is glitching this morning...
Again, the Texas Atty Gen does not have the authority to do anything on his own. Look at the Texas AG website. The power of the Tx AG is a lot different from other states.
Abbott is a good guy but we can’t depend on him to put these people out of business. It is good that he’s getting it out there. Same for Dr. Drew. Sadly the main stream press isn’t covering it as much as they should.
Finally, sadly, nobody wants to talk about how the fLDS and the LDS share the same beliefs and came from the same “founder”. I personally know a girl in the LDS who was married off when she was 15 (with her mother’s consent) to a 23 year old man. The age was only recently raised to 16 (with parental consent) in the state of Texas.
That's been the excuse of why UT and AZ have not been prosecuting these criminal pedophiles.
The tape that sealed the deal for Warren Steed Jeffs - that of the rape of the 12 year old was found in the Cadillac Escalade in Nevada. Nevada, Utah and Arizona all had access to that information.
What they did not have was Gen. Abbot's resolve.
Did Schliecher County Sheriff David Doran send the Texas Rangers to Canada when they found the Canadian girl on the YFZ with no parents to match the DNA?
Those women aren't worried about feeding their children. Right about now they worried about dodging Abbot's subpoena's and if I don't miss my guess heading for Pringle, Mancos or Mexico.
For not having any prosecutorial powers he sure broke up their pinochle game.
Again, look at the website concerning “law enforcement”. The office has no prosecutorial power. The office is there to help police and courts.
“The office is there to help police and the courts.”
Ok, you made my point for me. And that’s exactly what Abbott is doing, whereas in other states, everyone from the governor on down was hoping this would all just go away. Abbott is doing everything in his power (which is considerable, even if he’s not the prosecutor) to see to it than some justice is done in Texas.
Won’t argue with you there.
Of course we KNOW why Utah won’t do anything. I may be wrong but I believe the courts could send state police in and take over local law enforcement. It happens when a local department is crooked as hell. But you’d have to find a judge in Utah that would do it.
I just watched SONS OF PERDITION. The cops are so deep into FLDS it’s sickening. It showed one little girl who’s brother helped her escape. You can hear her telling the deputy sheriff she doesn’t want to go back as he’s forcing her into the patrol unit.
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