SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Should Warren Jeffs' conviction be overturned? That was the bottom line to the arguments presented Tuesday afternoon before the Utah Supreme Court.
In 2007, a St George jury convicted Jeffs of two counts of rape as an accomplice. The case revolved around the forced marriage of 14-year old Elissa Wall to her adult 1st cousin. Jurors found that not only did Jeffs force the girl into a "spiritual" marriage that she did not want, but then ignored her pleas to be let out of that marriage. Prosecutors successfully convinced them that Warren Jeffs held absolute power over the lives of his followers and could have saved her, but would not.
Elissa Wall, who is now an adult, was in court on Tuesday to hear the arguments. But she both entered and left through a private door and did not talk to reporters.
Before the justices, Jeffs' lead attorney, Wally Bugden, argued that perhaps his client could have been charged with performing an "illegal" marriage, but certainly not accomplice to rape. He claimed the state cobbled together a "mishmash" of laws that were never intended to be used the way they were used against Jeffs.
There is no time frame specified for the justices to deliberate the Jeffs' appeal. Their choices: Uphold the jury's verdict, Find some fault with it and order a new trial or Reverse the verdict.
Even if justices were to reverse the verdict, Jeffs would still not be a free man. After his Utah conviction, Jeffs was transferred to the Mohave County Jail in Kingman, Arizona where he remains awaiting trial. And, there are additional charges pending against him in Texas.
