Court Asked to Unseal Jeffs Statements

A Utah judge has agreed to hear a request to unseal jailhouse statements made by Warren Jeffs, the leader of a polygamy sect.

The request was made by media outlets and a private investigator after Jeffs was convicted last month in St. George, Utah, on charges of being an accomplice to a rape involving a 14-year-old girl and a 19-year-old male member of the sect.

The Salt Lake Tribune said Friday that Fifth District Judge James Shumate set a Nov. 6 hearing date on the request.

Attorneys contended that the concerns about a fair trial that led to sealing of Jeffs’ statements were now moot.

The Tribune said the new book Escape, written by former sect member Carolyn Jessop, contains some material gathered from Jeffs while he was in custody. She told the newspaper it was written into the book prior to Shumate’s order to seal the statements.