Stolen Innocence - Lisa Pulitzer [199]
In the end, Judge Shumate delivered the sentence he felt necessary and appropriate—two consecutive terms of five years to life in prison. This meant under Utah law that Warren would serve at least ten years and would be fined by the court. As the judge addressed Warren, I felt grateful to see him being held accountable for his actions. Judge Shumate called it “poetic justice” that Warren had been captured by authorities in the same state in which he had conducted my wedding ceremony with Allen.
“First cousins of any age cannot marry lawfully in the state of Utah,” the judge said, confirming that Warren undoubtedly knew this, intentionally breaking the law.
But true to character, Warren stood before the court that day seemingly unaffected. I don’t know what I expected, but it surprised me that such a loaded moment could unfold with so little reaction from him. The courtroom was eerily silent as Wally Bugden rose to request that his client be allowed to remain at the Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane for a week while he prepared an appeal. I was secretly glad when the judge refused and ordered that Warren be immediately transferred to the Utah State Prison in Draper, where he would undergo a five-week observation to determine his eventual placement.
It seemed that this would be the final moment in the struggle that had begun two years earlier, but this culminating event would not mark the end of the road for either Warren Jeffs or me. The prophet now faces similar criminal charges in Arizona. Jeffs has also been indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City on a single count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, stemming from his time on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. As for Allen, prosecutors in Washington County filed rape charges against him and his case is pending.
As of this writing, there is a hearing pending on April 24, 2008, to determine whether the juror substitution in The State of Utah vs. Warren Jeffs was appropriate. The defense is claiming that their insistence on adding an alternate juror to the original jury was such a bad mistake that Warren should be given a new trial. The prosecution will argue that by pressing for the alternate juror, the defense waved the possibility of a new trial. Of course, the thought of reopening these wounds on the witness stand is harrowing, but I know that I will be ready for the challenge should it present itself.
Life after the trial has not been perfect for any of us, especially my sister Teressa who is currently facing an incredibly distressing ordeal. In response to Teressa’s testimony against Warren, her ex-husband, who is still a member of the FLDS and lives in Bountiful, filed for sole custody of their three children. The most distressing element of Teressa’s battle for custody arose in January 2008, when we learned that my mother, my sister Sabrina and others still in the church had signed affidavits on Teressa’s ex-husband’s behalf. Their statements were hurtful and alleged and Teressa was a neglectful mother, who snuck out to drink and left the children in the care of others. While an affidavit from our mother was unexpected, and we still doubt that the words are even hers, Craig’s, stung the most. As fellow transplants in Canada for years, Teressa and Craig shared a very deep mutual understanding, and Teressa felt understandably betrayed.
The FLDS Church has been pitting family members against one another for a long time, but in recent years it has gotten worse than ever. Teressa is a prime example, and so are Lamont and myself. In December 2007, Lamont’s aunt passed away. Since losing his mother, Lamont had forged a strong bond with her sister and she had become like a mother to him. Her loss impacted him deeply and we wanted to attend her funeral in Short Creek. To our dismay, Lamont and I were promptly informed that if we were present, the service would be canceled and she would just be buried with no memorial