A twenty-year woman Jane Doe has put Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on trial accusing him of two counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in arranging the marriage between her and her 19-year-old first cousin.
She asserted that she was compelled to marry her cousin when she was fourteen and phrased it as the ‘darkest time of my entire life.’ The wedding at a Nevada motel in 2001 was
‘one of the most painful things I’ve ever been through. I just want to move on with my life and forget it happened.’
According to the prosecutors, Doe, objected to the marriage and afterwards asked for release.
She said that she was not in favor of marriage with her new husband. She reluctantly gave her new husband a ‘peck’ before locking herself in a bathroom. She said, ‘I felt completely trapped and defeated.’
However, Jeffs’ legal representatives brought up photographs of his accuser and her ex-husband in which they appear to be a smiling, laughing couple. The lawyers also got her to acknowledge that Jeffs never explicitly ordered her to have sex with her new husband. Defense attorney Tara L. Isaacson also put forward few love letters exchanged by the couple.
Nevertheless, the woman confirmed that the letters written before she learned the identity of her partner.
The argument given by Jeffs’ people was that because of his strong religious convictions, he’s being victimized and that they would plan to call upon two witness, together with the woman’s current husband.
District Judge James Shumate said the preliminary hearing would resume on 14th of December.
