Jeffs Convicted On 2 Counts of Sexual Assault of Child

According to CNN, a jury in San Angelo, Texas yesterday found FLDS leader Warren Jeffs guilty on two counts of sexual assault of a child.  The victims were 12 and 14 year old girls who were Jeffs' "spiritual wives".  The jury deliberated for less than 4 hours in reaching its verdict, after a trial in which Jeffs represented himself and invoked religious freedom as a defense. A second phase of the trial which began yesterday evening will determine Jeffs' sentence, which could be as much as life in prison. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that yesterday also the Principle Rights Coalition-- representing 5 polygamous churches-- denounced Jeffs' child abuse (full text of statement), saying in part:

As new evidence has surfaced in Texas detailing reprehensible acts of sexual abuse against children as young as twelve years old, we are alarmed that such depravity could have been perpetrated by anyone... We repudiate and denounce Warren Jeffs’ inappropriate actions in linking his despicable and unconscionable acts to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to Joseph Smith Jr. and Mormonism.