A good deal of the evidence from the trial of polygamist rapist Warren Jeffs has been released, ranging from photos of beds inside of a temple to numerous audio recordings, two of which have never been heard publicly before. All of it confirms the shudder-inducing tales from the jury, who sentenced Jeffs to life in prison on two counts of sexual assault. Evidence includes audio of Jeffs, who impregnated his 14-year-old wife, engaging in sexual activity with a 12-year-old girl.
Most of the audio recordings have been deemed too explicit and disturbing for public display, but on The Daily’s site, you can listen to the tamest ten minutes. In the recording, which features Jeffs on a conference call with 12 of his followers, the Fundamentalist LDS Church leader is heard in his deep-breathed, deadpanned voice urging the women to pray for him and “concentrate on the bond of oneness.”
“Hello, are you smiling?” he asks the women, whose chorus of, “Yes” marks their only response throughout the tape. Toward the end of the recording, he tells them: “I want you all to learn the heavenly, gentle touch, where, when you touch someone, the fire of the spirit of God is felt by that person, by that child, by the thing you’re handling.” If this is the mildest of the evidence, it’s easy to understand how the trial brought jurors to tears. [The Daily]
