https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2008-07-21/647303/

FLDS Bride Says Attorney Should Shut Up

By Jordan Smith, July 21, 2008, 4:23pm, Newsdesk

A report filed in the San Angelo court of District Judge Barbara Walther says that evidence collected by Texas Child Protective Services proves that Teresa Jeffs, daughter of jailed polygamist prophet Warren Jeffs, was wed into "spiritual" marriage to an older, already married man when she was just 15, reports Utah's Deseret News.

According to the report, filed by Court Appointed Special Advocates (whose volunteers advocate for abused children in court proceedings), photographs, marriage records, letters, cards and a "dictation" from Warren Jeffs found by CPS at the Eldoardo compound of the Mormon breakaway sect the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, show that Teresa Jeffs was married to 34-year-old Raymond Jessop on July 26, 2006, just one day after she turned 15.

The CASA report was filed July 18, the daily reports, in connection with Teresa Jeffs' attempt to have the court replace her appointed attorney ad litem, Natalie Malonis, whom Jeffs has accused of not "obeying her wishes." The CASA report says that if the court replaces Malonis, Jeffs would remain in a "dangerous environment and subject her to sexual abuse." Jeffs, however, has adamantly denied being abused, reportedly telling Malonis in an email that she should "shut your mouth up and quit calling me a victim of sexual abuse," Jeffs wrote. "I am so sick of being called that when I am absolutely not a victim of sexual abuse and you have no evidence to prove that I have ever had sexual relations." The CASA report recommends that the judge not remove Malonis and instead encourage Jeffs to work with the attorney.

Jeffs has been subpoenaed by a Schleicher Co. grand jury empaneled earlier this summer to investigate possible criminal activity within the FLDS church. The grand jury has been out for the last month and is slated to resume its investigation this week.

In other FLDS news, according to the Wichita Falls Times Record, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott will be in Washington, D.C., this week for Congressional hearings related to the creation of a federal task force designed to help states investigate religious sects like the FLDS. Sounds like Thursday will be a hot day for C-SPAN fans!