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Retired prosecutor calls Casey Anthony attorney 'smarmy' In new book, he claims defense encouraged her not to cooperate with investigators By MIKE SCHNEIDER updated 11/15/2011 12:20:05 AM ET ORLANDO, Fla. — A retired prosecutor from the Casey Anthony murder trial calls her lead attorney "smarmy" in a new book. He writes that even though the Florida mother acquitted of killing her 2-year-old daughter "may have deserved" the death penalty if convicted, he didn't think a jury would ever agree to the punishment. Jeff Ashton writes in Tuesday's "Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony," that he would have been happier if the...

Warren Jeffs' Wife Escapes Polygamist Community By JOHN QUINONES and KEVIN DOLAK | Good Morning America One of the wives of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, who is currently serving a life sentence for child sexual assault, has escaped the confines of the isolated Arizona community where his 85 other wives live. Arizona authorities have said that the 25-year-old woman who fled the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which was led by Jeffs, is now undergoing counseling and psychiatric care at a women's shelter. She was reportedly barefoot when she was found. The secluded community of the church...

OUR OPINION: Jeffs trial reveals gaps in government response to crimes Along with appalling evidence of Warren Jeffs' apparent repeated sexual abuse of children, the trial of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints leader revealed new areas that need to be addressed by state and federal lawmakers. Perhaps most frustrating has been the revelation that case workers have not been on the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Schleicher County in two years. That's despite the removal of more than 400 children from the ranch in 2008 in perhaps the largest child custody case in U.S. history....

Sect member loses appeal By Matthew Waller Updated Friday, August 26, 2011 SAN ANGELO, Texas — The latest round in the legal fight over the imprisonment of polygamist sect members went to the state, but the fight may not be over. The Texas Third Court of Appeals in an opinion issued Friday upheld the conviction of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints member Michael Emack on a charge of child sexual assault that came from evidence from the Yearning for Zion Ranch raid in April 2008. In the next few weeks, the case could go to the...

FLDS officials indicted # By Dave Hawkins Special to the Standard-Times # San Angelo Standard Times # Posted August 16, 2011 at 5:06 p.m. SAN ANGELO, Texas — While polygamous sect prophet Warren Jeffs settles into his life prison sentence in Texas for sexually assaulting two underage girls, law enforcement officials continue applying pressure against alleged corruption in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah, where the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is based. A 30-count criminal indictment returned by a Mohave County Superior Court Jury Aug. 4 in Kingman, Ariz., alleges misappropriation of public funds by Colorado...

FLDS Plans to Build Giant Monument of Warren Jeffs By R. Leigh Coleman | Christian Post Reporter A flock of devoted followers within the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints are shunning the fact their leader was sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting underage “wives.” The sect is reportedly making plans to construct a three-story statue in honor of the now convicted felon, which will tower over their isolated desert compound. FLDS members say they plan to erect a huge metal monument to reflect the likeness of their imprisoned leader, Warren Jeffs, an anonymous source tells The Daily...

JEFFS TRIAL: Juror: Sentence not a difficult decision * By Matthew Waller * San Angelo Standard Times * Posted August 10, 2011 at 4:26 p.m., updated August 10, 2011 at 8:16 p.m. SAN ANGELO, Texas — Mary Harris didn't want to talk about her experience as a juror when she got home. Her husband, Dan Harris, said that when she returned after the 13-day trial of Warren Jeffs, she didn't say a word about it. "She was out in the garden all day," he said. Nor did her daughter Nina Reid hear much about the jury experience, other than her...

RCMP prepare to visit U.S. as part of polygamy investigation The Canadian Press Date: Tuesday Aug. 9, 2011 8:24 PM ET VANCOUVER — The RCMP is preparing to head to Texas to look for more than two dozen brides from Bountiful, B.C., who were allegedly sent across the border as teens to marry older men, including a polygamous leader now facing a life sentence for sexually assaulting two teenage girls. The Mounties launched a new criminal investigation into Bountiful earlier this year after a constitutional case examining Canada's anti-polygamy law heard allegations of cross-border marriages in the 1990s and early...

Time for Jeffs' attorney to mitigate the penalty Lawyer: Religion to be defense * By Matthew Waller * San Angelo Standard Times * Posted August 7, 2011 at 9:56 p.m., updated August 7, 2011 at 10:43 p.m. SAN ANGELO, Texas — Warren Jeffs' trial could end this week, depending on what a defense attorney chooses to do for the punishment phase of the polygamous sect leader. The prosecution said it had about two solid days of testimony when the punishment phase of Jeffs' trial started late Thursday. Earlier that day, Jeffs, 55, the leader and "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church...

Former FLDS members testify through tears in Jeffs' trial * By Matthew Waller Scripps Newspapers * Abilene Reporter-News * Posted August 6, 2011 at 11:21 p.m. SAN ANGELO — Tears flowed from witnesses brought to testify against Warren Jeffs on Saturday. The 55-year-old leader of the polygamy-sanctioning Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints wasn't present when the man and woman struggled with emotions on the witness stand. After being convicted of two counts of sexual assault of a child Thursday, with girls 12 and 15 years old, Jeffs has chosen to remain out of the courtroom and...

WARREN JEFFS TRIAL: State shows bed photos; Jeffs leaves court during testimony Jeffs leaves court during testimony * By Matthew Waller * San Angelo Standard Times * Posted August 5, 2011 at 4:06 p.m., updated August 5, 2011 at 9:56 p.m. 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...

Sentencing phase begins after Warren Jeffs found guilty * By Matthew Waller and Kiah Collier Scripps Newspapers * Abilene Reporter-News * Posted August 4, 2011 at 10:41 p.m. SAN ANGELO — With two guilty verdicts in hand, the state of Texas is pressing ahead into the penalty phase of the Warren Jeffs trial in San Angelo. After a 10-woman, two-man Tom Green County jury found the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints guilty as charged of one count of sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child,...

Polygamy Meets Big Brother The West Texas jury deciding the fate of polygamy cult leader Warren Jeffs listened through headphones to 21 minutes of heavy breathing yesterday. Some in the room wept. Others held their hands over their mouths. The X-rated recording, a cornerstone of the state’s child-sex-assault case, allegedly chronicled Jeffs’ encounter with a 12-year-old girl, an episode that ended with the self-proclaimed prophet declaring, “In Jesus Christ, amen.” The jurors heard an almost inaudible voice. “Amen,” echoed the child. It got worse. According to prosecutors, Jeffs and his new “celestial wife” were not alone. A dozen of his...

Prosecution close to resting case against Jeffs AP By WILL WEISSERT - Associated Press SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) — Prosecutors are still questioning their final witness in the Texas trial of a polygamist leader accused of sexually assaulting two girls he took as brides during so-called spiritual marriages. Texas Ranger Nick Hanna was on the stand for a second day Wednesday, and prosecutors were close to resting their case against Warren Jeffs. The 55-year-old leads the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which believes polygamy brings exaltation in heaven.

Jury hears tapes of polygamist discussing sex APBy WILL WEISSERT - Associated Press San ANGELO, Texas (AP) — Prosecutors played two audio recordings Tuesday of a polygamist sect leader instructing his 14-year-old "spiritual wife" and several other young women on how to please him sexually, and thus win favor with God. Warren Jeffs, 55, is head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which believes polygamy brings exaltation in heaven. He is accused of sexually assaulting two girls, ages 12 and 15, he took as brides in what his church calls "spiritual marriages." A forensic analyst...

Whatever happens to Warren Jeff -- the media Is already guilty by Mike Watkiss azfamily.com Posted on July 31, 2011 at 4:53 PM Updated yesterday at 4:54 PM SAN ANGELO, Texas - The story of Warren Jeffs and polygamy in America did not start when Texas Rangers raided the YFZ Ranch and it will not end with Mr. Jeffs' trial here in San Angelo. The truth is, the history is long and the stories plentiful enough to fill-up libraries. But listening to many of the talking heads on the networks and cable shows these days, you would think that they...

Jeffs' rambling provides courtroom theater * By Kiah Collier * San Angelo Standard Times * Posted July 30, 2011 at 7:16 p.m. SAN ANGELO, Texas — We all expected Warren Jeffs' trial to be interesting. What we didn't expect was for it to get so interesting so fast. On Thursday, the first big bomb dropped. Jeffs fired his seasoned, high-profile defense team and delivered a mostly incoherent 30-minute speech in which he asked for more time to prepare the "pure defense" he said his attorneys could not provide. Jeffs firing his attorneys was surprising, but not necessarily an unexpected move:...

Canadians keep close eye on polygamist's trial Assault of minors — not polygamy — focus of trial, though bigamy case could follow By Thane Burnett ,QMI Agency First posted: Saturday, July 30, 2011 12:00:01 EDT AM Polygamy sect leader Warren Jeffs is now trying to get 10 more women to see things his way. They’re members of the Texas jury — along with two men — watching over his ongoing sexual assault trial. The case against the 55-year-old head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) — and tied to the polygamist community in Bountiful, B.C....

Judge says polygamist leader can represent himself WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Updated 04:34 p.m., Thursday, July 28, 2011 SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) — Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs dismissed his high-powered defense team and began representing himself Thursday in a last-ditch attempt to delay the start of his sexual assault trial. With opening statements set to begin, the 55-year-old ecclesiastical head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints said he had spent extensive time training his lawyers, but they weren't able to present "a pure defense." He then pleaded for more time to prepare the case...

Motion to be heard in Jeffs' trial July 27th, 2011 @ 7:28am By ksl.com SAN ANGELO, Texas -- A jury has been selected, but the trial of polygamist religious sect leader Warren Jeffs won't have opening statements without at least one more hearing. And, a Utah woman whose testimony was central in a previous case against Jeffs is saying his case in Texas will be shocking. Jeffs' defense has filed a motion to suppress evidence. They argue that the evidence seized during a raid on the Yearning for Zion ranch in Eldorado, Texas, was not properly obtained. However, the same...