Warren Jeffs Kissing And Cuddling Underage Brides Pictures Introduced As Evidence (PHOTOS)

SAN ANGELO, Texas -- Shocking new photographs show polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs holding and kissing two different young girls in wedding-like photos. [scroll for more]

The images, dated July 2006 and January 2005, were entered into evidence last Friday by the defense in the custody battle over a 1-week-old baby, the Deseret News reported. The case was sparked by an April 3 raid of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound in Eldorado, Texas.

In one set of photos Jeffs appears with a girl named girl named Loretta under the label of "First Anniversary" with a date of Jan. 26, 2005. The second set show him and a girl named Merrianne and are dated July 27, 2006.

The Texas Child Protective Services lawyers would not reveal how they obtained the photos, but are using them to allege the culture at the compound is abusive, and forces young girls to become child brides, the Deseret News reported.

FOX News' Policy is Not to Identify Possible Underage Victims of Sexual Crimes.

Dan Jessop, the father of the baby at the center of this particular case, told reporters on Friday the photos are "shocking."

"You see far worse, immoral, disgusting, gross things than a girl kissing a man in the streets of your own community," said Jessop, according to the newspaper. "And you and I don't know if the state of Texas fabricated that."

******
The Deseret News and Dallas Morning News, both of which have more on the story, report that one of the girls in the photos was 12.

******
The Smoking Gun first had the Warren Jeffs kissing photos.

Comments

[deweshk]

Look at this picture! ! White men consistently f***ing kids and girl teens, then breaking the law and the American government looks on. Why? Because the "enjoyers" are a WHITE MEN. If this were a black sect/cult, their rear end would have been hauled to jail right now, and the ranch closed down. No Equality before the law. No.

[tschlak]

Ridiculous. You can cite more legitimate examples of racist prosecution than this.

The fact is the gov't goes after these people when it can. The problem is the sect members are so brainwashed into believing their Prophet is God's messenger, that psychologically it's nearly impossible for them to testify against him or anyone he says is following God's commands to marry, etc.

If the statutory rape victims don't testify against their "husbands", it's nearly impossible to prosecute. That's why they're attempting to chase the DNA evidence now but the members are giving conflicting answers to who's related to whom, so that makes cases even more difficult.

[colleen2]

"The fact is the gov't goes after these people when it can."

The 'gov't' (and particularly the 'gov't' of the vile state of Utah where the cultural rot of polygamy is so widespread and pervasive polygamist 'communities' use OUR federal tax dollars to maintain their lifestyle and known polygamists are elected to the state legislature) acts as if polygamy and forced marriages were legal. The 'gov't' has been enabling men like Jeff's and his many followers for decades, generations.

"If the statutory rape victims don't testify against their "husbands", it's nearly impossible to prosecute.

That's complete bullshit.

[JJK]

Um, Jeffs is in jail, the camp was raided and the children were removed, with all but 12 still in the care of the state.

[sharonh]

Yahweh ben Yahweh ring any bells?

[rextrek]

As a white man...I definitely agree with the above comment..IF this was a Cult/Religion run by Blacks....they'd be in Jail and CLOSED down by now....America...what a hypocritical nation if there ever was.

[sharonh]

Yahweh ben Yahweh.

[kiddub]

I'm sorry but I fail to see the connection here. IS one of these girls one of the girls that was at the centre of the abuse claims? Or are these just pictures of Warren Jeffs kissing underage girls? Obviously the latter is disgusting and he has been tried and convicted for these acts. But the latter has no bearing on the former, especially if the prosecution has failed to demonstrate any actual connection between the women in the photograph and the baby in question.

I am all for the conviction of pedophiles, but it has to be done by the rule of law, not publicity stunts and media releases. IF CPS and the state of Texas want to prosecute these individuals, they should do their homework, gain solid evidence and convict them.

[ejay579]

Your confused. This is not a criminal matter. This is a child welfare matter. The welfare of the children is paramount. These parents have the keys to their children's freedom in their own pockets. All they have to do is cooperate. Mommy only needs to identify daddy and the matter is closed.

[OnTheOtherBeach]

Statutory rape IS a legal matter.

[kiddub]

1) Mommy will not identify daddy, as they view their living situation as a social norm, and a edict by God.
2) The current debate is about custody of the children while a criminal invesitgation takes place and charges are filed.
3) Pictures of Warren Jeffs kissing an underage girl are disgusting, but have nothing to do with this case. CPS must still prove that the children in question are being abused, despite their affiliation with this convicted sexual predator.

[sharonh]

This man is disgusting. Religious right does not trump the rape (marriage) of children. He should be in jail. The children should never have been removed from their mothers. It is not they who are to blame here, it is the man. Why is he not in jail?

[spyboyz]

These Mothers are part of a culture of abuse and are not protecting their children,because nobody protected them. and Warren Jeffs is currently in prison.

[JJK]

He is in jail.

[rextrek]

Ok..now whats worse according to some people...this OBVIOUS child abuse/molesting..whether they are indoctrinated/brainwashed or not. .......or 2 consenting same sex adults who've been together for 10 years..wanting to marry? Priorities people.... this is sick stuff.....but consenting same sex adults loving and wanting to commit to each other somehow deserves a Constitutional Ammendment preventing it?

[tschlak]

It's all in the eye of the beholder.

These people (the FLDS) and many other religions denounce same-sex relationships as being an abomination according to God because it says so in the bible, and should therefore also be illegal according to the laws of man.

The FLDS are just as certain it's God's will that men take multiple wives and take underage girls as wives, because they were told to do so by their prophet, who is God's voice on earth and is therefore justified.

[sharonh]

Child rape is not in the eye of the beholder. To equate that to denunciation of same-sex partnerships is wrong.

[hhkeller]

The court ordered all the kids back to the ranch.

[dzho]

Kiddie porn = images of a child in the act of being molested, which is what this is.

[JJK]

I don't know the standard of proof that is required to satisfy the findings of the Appeals Court, but I doubt that these photos, as stomach-turning as they may be to most of us, meet that standard. I hope that the Texas authorities are spending more time establishing hard DNA evidence of statutory rape than they are spending appealing that decision or releasing photos that buttress but do not establish their claims.

[awcbuddy8]

Why are you people complaining? They love each other. Shouldn't they be allowed to marry?

[Jinxykb]

Bush troll.

[richardgordon]

Yes. The look so deeply in love. Its a shame to break up a good marriage.

[SENCvoter]

Polygamy is illegal in the United States.

[tschlak]

Only if they attempt to have multiple, concurrent legal (state recognized) marriages. What the FLDS wisely does is have 1 legal marriage with the first wife, then all the rest are church marriages only and not legally recognized by the state. They just call them "wives" but they're not legally so.

[robynuva]

There is this little thing called "age of consent". It means that grown men are not allowed to molest children, even in the name of love or religion.

I am not a big LDS fan, but this compound didn't have a thing to do with religion. Religion was being used as an excuse for pedophelia, and this compound was a magnet to the truly sick.

Hey, if you want to marry any consenting adult, or many consenting adults, that's fine with me. The law will recongize only one (for tax and legal concerns). Have 6 husbands and three wives, I don't care. But leave children out of it.

[sharonh]

I know you're kidding.

[Lorifromky]

Pedophilia disguised as religion. These poor children don't stand a chance at these so-called compounds.

[SunnyDay]

Doesn't this just make every mother sick to look at these photos? It looks like a father-daughter photo. What is going to happen to these women when they realize that their childhood was taken away from them by this monster?

[HermioneGranger]

Maybe they are father and duaghter. You never know.

[KennyFox]

Christopher Hitchens is right -- God is not Great: Religion poisons everything. The Church of Latter Day Saints is Mormon, no? A religion created by a snake oil salesman, if there was not a better word to describe him. I grew up R. Catholic and left the church over the years; spent most of my time reading books about religious ideology and politics, etc and become completely turned off to guys like this after my cousins joined a John Hagee Christians United for Israel church in Rhode Island, and became Republican yes-men with fake blood as a screen saver. God is not Great. If he was, he certainly didnt care about the mental well being and the future of these young girls under the roof of a house claiming to be "holy" and "spiritual."

[seventhsonspeaks]

The pursuit of power corrupts the religious and the non-religious.

[raw915]

It is a criminal offense to not report child sexual abuse in Texas.

"Any sexual activity between an adult and a child constitutes child sexual abuse. Sexual abuse may also occur between children. This sexual activity can include such things as obscene phone calls, fondling, exposure, pornography, prostitution or rape. Specific legal definitions may be found in the Texas Penal Code Sections 21.11, 22.011 and 22.021."

Does marriage make such activities legal?

http://www.texaspolicecentral.com/childsex.html

[tschlak]

No, for 2 reasons.

They weren't at the age of consent so they could not legally consent to being molested. And the marriages weren't legally or officially recognized because by the time those perverts get to wives 2, 3, 4, 5, etc they don't bother with marriage certificates and therefore aren't aren't by definition "polygamy". But they see them as marriages in the eyes of God, so therefore it's OK to screw a minor.

[SouthpawSass]

It's disgraceful that any parent of any child would allow such a thing. Actually, any adult, regardless of maternal/paternal biology, who encouraged such acts by remaining silent, willing even, should not have access to minors. Child molestation has no business in any religious sect.

[PaulUK]

OK can I play devil's advocate here, what do these pictures actually show? That's right nothing much, I'm sure that if any of you have a look around your homes you will find some high school prom photos which look the same. Call me mister suspicious, but isn't it funny these photos get released just as there are serious questions being asked about the whole investigation. It seem unfortunate that in the US trials are carried out in the media and not the courts. In the event of a trial every potential jurior will be biased. I hate to say it that your prosecuting authorities have a terrible history of making sure everyone is denounced in the press before a trial has begun, what ever happened to "All persons are innocent until proven guilty"

[SouthpawSass]

Uh, if any man were to have his face that close to my daughter's, embracing her chin in his hand while his lips were on her mouth, I'd beat the f****** crap out of him...

Your defense of the photos is as sickening as the photos themselves.

[fincenMIB]

I'm with you South Paw, Harry hasn't a clue! But then I know "String Bean" better than Harry. I've had to pick up his messes.

The doctrine states a girl must be seal to a man, but Warren added variations and convincing his flock the world would end, 17 times already, he could snatch up some pretty young girls. It is was you think it is! Any one else who thinks otherwise has no first hand information!

Now this one gets all the apologist upset, but it really wasn't Flora Jessops fault!

Ex Child Bride Turned Advocate Flora Jessop on YFZ Raid



http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kCkgQsL7Yug

[HarryTheHat]

Well Paul, I'l answer a few of your points. It shows a middle-aged man kissing 12-year-olds on the mouth. If you saw a 40-year-old friend of yours kissing your 12-year-old daughter in that manner, what would your reaction be? An innocent kiss? No biggie?

The other thing to note is that these are wedding photos. Whether you give validity to the religion, service or legality of the wedding is up to you, but - correct me if I'm wrong - aren't weddings usually followed up fairly quickly by the couple consummating the marriage?

You're right only insofar as that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but the evidence that's starting to become public does not look good for the defense. Although I do find it strange that this kind of material is making its way into the public arena, therefore making it harder to find jurors who may not be prejudiced in any future trial.

[dzho]

All persons are innocent until we catch them in the act and take a friggin picture of them.

[AtlGuyNextDoor]

In the words of Samuel L. Jackson....

"That is some repugnant shit"

[WIpatriot]

LOL.

[conscioushope]

Oh, this is so sick.

I am sick at my stomach and in my heart.