1
00:00:14,264 --> 00:00:16,266
[dramatic music playing]
2
00:00:24,065 --> 00:00:25,608
[indistinct conversation]
3
00:00:31,364 --> 00:00:33,742
- [man] Are you, uh, Warren Jeffs?
- Yes.
4
00:00:33,825 --> 00:00:37,662
[man] All right, Mr. Jeffs.
Uh, you're being held as a fugitive
5
00:00:37,746 --> 00:00:41,416
and there are two fugitive holds for you,
one from Utah, one from Arizona.
6
00:00:41,499 --> 00:00:44,836
Uh, I'm gonna explain to you very quickly
what your rights are...
7
00:00:44,919 --> 00:00:48,506
[Alicia] I just remember
they gathered us all together and told us
8
00:00:48,590 --> 00:00:50,592
that the Prophet had just been arrested,
9
00:00:51,468 --> 00:00:54,012
and to pray for our Prophet's deliverance.
10
00:00:54,095 --> 00:00:55,638
[dramatic music continues]
11
00:00:56,598 --> 00:00:59,059
To pray that the gentile's eyes
would be closed.
12
00:01:01,144 --> 00:01:02,520
That they would let him go.
13
00:01:03,688 --> 00:01:05,523
But that's not at all what happened.
14
00:01:06,649 --> 00:01:08,651
[helicopter blades whirring]
15
00:01:11,362 --> 00:01:13,364
[dramatic music continues]
16
00:01:17,994 --> 00:01:19,913
[reporter] Polygamous leader
Warren Steed Jeffs,
17
00:01:19,996 --> 00:01:22,165
extradited via helicopter
18
00:01:22,248 --> 00:01:27,003
from the state of Nevada today,
touching down at Purgatory Jail.
19
00:01:27,087 --> 00:01:29,130
[eerie music playing]
20
00:01:31,007 --> 00:01:32,007
[door closing]
21
00:01:32,759 --> 00:01:34,177
[Warren] Write this down.
22
00:01:34,260 --> 00:01:35,260
[Nephi] Okay.
23
00:01:36,096 --> 00:01:38,306
[Warren] The Lord dictates these words
24
00:01:39,974 --> 00:01:41,476
to my mind and heart.
25
00:01:41,559 --> 00:01:43,561
[eerie music continues]
26
00:01:45,021 --> 00:01:46,523
Farewell forever...
27
00:01:49,025 --> 00:01:50,193
you who are worthy
28
00:01:51,528 --> 00:01:52,528
for Zion...
29
00:01:58,326 --> 00:02:00,203
[whimpering] ...for I will not be there.
30
00:02:02,580 --> 00:02:03,706
[Nephi] Yes, you will.
31
00:02:05,083 --> 00:02:08,586
["Feel More" by Michelle Gurevich playing]
32
00:02:08,670 --> 00:02:13,091
♪ I was born for the road ♪
33
00:02:18,388 --> 00:02:22,016
♪ Only after a storm ♪
34
00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,312
♪ Can you feel the sun ♪
35
00:02:28,439 --> 00:02:32,443
♪ Ooh, I wanna feel ♪
36
00:02:33,486 --> 00:02:35,446
♪ More ♪
37
00:02:38,199 --> 00:02:42,328
♪ Ecstasy
In the shadow of ecstasy ♪
38
00:02:42,412 --> 00:02:45,498
♪ In the shadow of ecstasy ♪
39
00:02:48,376 --> 00:02:52,505
♪ Ooh, I wanna feel ♪
40
00:02:53,256 --> 00:02:55,758
♪ More ♪
41
00:03:00,513 --> 00:03:01,931
[electronic music playing]
42
00:03:02,015 --> 00:03:04,934
[reporter] Warren Jeffs has gone
from commander of his own community
43
00:03:05,018 --> 00:03:08,855
to a life on the run
and now a life behind bars.
44
00:03:08,938 --> 00:03:12,734
But whether or not he stays behind bars
could all depend on what happens
45
00:03:12,817 --> 00:03:14,068
in a Utah courtroom.
46
00:03:14,652 --> 00:03:17,155
[reporter 2] Warren Jeffs allegedly
arranged for older men
47
00:03:17,238 --> 00:03:18,531
to marry underage girls.
48
00:03:18,615 --> 00:03:22,118
One of those girls is reportedly gonna
be the lead witness for the prosecution.
49
00:03:22,202 --> 00:03:24,370
We can't show you her face
or reveal her name.
50
00:03:24,454 --> 00:03:27,790
She's referred to only
as Jane Doe number four.
51
00:03:27,874 --> 00:03:28,917
[tense music playing]
52
00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,794
[Elissa] They filed everything
under pseudonyms
53
00:03:31,878 --> 00:03:34,214
so that my identity could be protected.
54
00:03:36,216 --> 00:03:39,219
As the trial drew closer and closer,
55
00:03:39,302 --> 00:03:41,554
I was completely overwhelmed.
56
00:03:43,473 --> 00:03:46,851
For months, I had been practicing
how to testify in court,
57
00:03:47,644 --> 00:03:50,688
and now we were at that moment
58
00:03:50,772 --> 00:03:52,523
where it becomes very real.
59
00:03:52,607 --> 00:03:55,485
- [tense music continues]
- [indistinct radio chatter]
60
00:03:58,279 --> 00:04:01,616
[Rebecca] I remember driving
to the courthouse with Elissa.
61
00:04:03,076 --> 00:04:05,745
They had black stuff
taped up in the windows
62
00:04:05,828 --> 00:04:07,205
so you couldn't see in.
63
00:04:08,915 --> 00:04:11,167
And they drove all over St. George
64
00:04:11,251 --> 00:04:13,461
to make sure nobody was following us.
65
00:04:13,544 --> 00:04:15,880
And then when we got to the courthouse,
66
00:04:15,964 --> 00:04:19,467
there were all of these TV crews, cameras,
67
00:04:19,550 --> 00:04:21,177
and an entire SWAT team.
68
00:04:23,721 --> 00:04:26,307
There were even snipers
up on the rocks above.
69
00:04:30,979 --> 00:04:33,564
There had been rumblings
that there were people
70
00:04:33,648 --> 00:04:34,774
that knew who we were
71
00:04:34,857 --> 00:04:37,527
and they were willing to do
whatever was necessary
72
00:04:37,610 --> 00:04:39,028
to protect the Prophet.
73
00:04:40,488 --> 00:04:42,532
[judge] Count one is a charge of rape
74
00:04:42,615 --> 00:04:44,993
as an accomplice, a first-degree felony,
75
00:04:45,076 --> 00:04:47,578
and count two is a charge of rape
76
00:04:47,662 --> 00:04:50,039
as an accomplice, a first-degree felony.
77
00:04:50,123 --> 00:04:52,125
[tense music playing]
78
00:04:53,334 --> 00:04:55,128
[Elissa] When Warren walked in,
79
00:04:55,211 --> 00:04:58,381
I looked directly at him
and he looked directly at me.
80
00:04:59,465 --> 00:05:01,509
We just sat and stared at one another.
81
00:05:01,592 --> 00:05:03,594
[tense music continues]
82
00:05:04,804 --> 00:05:08,349
There was still a part of me
that wanted to shrink under that stare,
83
00:05:08,433 --> 00:05:12,687
but I, you know, kept my shoulders back
and kept my gaze dead-on with him
84
00:05:12,770 --> 00:05:13,938
and waited for him
85
00:05:14,022 --> 00:05:16,190
to break eye contact and not me.
86
00:05:17,150 --> 00:05:18,943
[tense music continues]
87
00:05:19,027 --> 00:05:21,821
He finally shook his head
and dropped his gaze,
88
00:05:21,904 --> 00:05:24,282
and that was the moment when I realized
89
00:05:24,365 --> 00:05:27,201
this man no longer had power over me.
90
00:05:28,870 --> 00:05:31,622
[reporter] Does your client view this
as a religious persecution?
91
00:05:31,706 --> 00:05:32,874
[lawyer] Absolutely.
92
00:05:32,957 --> 00:05:35,835
[Brock] His defense team was saying
this was a religious persecution.
93
00:05:35,918 --> 00:05:38,212
We're gonna confront
the witnesses against us,
94
00:05:38,296 --> 00:05:41,466
and there will be
spirited cross-examination.
95
00:05:41,549 --> 00:05:44,469
[Brock] I wanted to make sure
we addressed it straight-on...
96
00:05:45,303 --> 00:05:46,512
May it please the Court?
97
00:05:46,596 --> 00:05:50,475
[Brock] ...and say, "Look,
we're not going after Warren Jeffs
98
00:05:50,558 --> 00:05:53,394
because we disagree
with his religious views."
99
00:05:53,478 --> 00:05:56,105
"We're going after Warren Jeffs because
100
00:05:56,189 --> 00:05:58,358
he facilitated the rape of a child."
101
00:05:59,067 --> 00:06:01,444
[man 2] Your Honor,
the State calls Elissa Wall.
102
00:06:01,527 --> 00:06:04,405
Miss Wall, if you would
come forward to the witness stand.
103
00:06:04,489 --> 00:06:06,491
[tense music continues]
104
00:06:14,540 --> 00:06:16,751
Please tell the jury what happened.
105
00:06:18,669 --> 00:06:20,797
[Elissa] When I was 14,
106
00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:22,590
I told Warren, I said,
107
00:06:22,673 --> 00:06:24,926
"I know you have told me to get married."
108
00:06:25,009 --> 00:06:28,930
"My heart is telling me that this is not
what's right for me right now."
109
00:06:29,013 --> 00:06:30,765
"It's telling me that it's wrong."
110
00:06:31,557 --> 00:06:35,269
And he came right out and said,
"Well, your heart is in the wrong place."
111
00:06:35,353 --> 00:06:36,646
"This is your duty."
112
00:06:38,523 --> 00:06:40,149
It was hard to
113
00:06:40,233 --> 00:06:42,944
allow myself to just be open
114
00:06:43,027 --> 00:06:46,322
and fully honest with the details of it
115
00:06:46,406 --> 00:06:47,907
knowing that every word
116
00:06:47,990 --> 00:06:50,243
that I was saying
was going to be scrutinized.
117
00:06:50,952 --> 00:06:52,370
Allen stood up and he...
118
00:06:53,454 --> 00:06:55,039
he started to undress me
119
00:06:55,123 --> 00:06:58,251
and he took off his underwear
and I just said... [sniffling]
120
00:06:59,544 --> 00:07:01,796
[sobbing] I said, "Please don't do this."
121
00:07:01,879 --> 00:07:03,548
"I don't know what you're doing."
122
00:07:03,631 --> 00:07:05,633
[tense music continues]
123
00:07:08,052 --> 00:07:09,429
[sobbing continues]
124
00:07:09,512 --> 00:07:12,890
I was crying and he said,
"This is what I'm supposed to do to you."
125
00:07:12,974 --> 00:07:15,935
"You are my wife
and this is what has to be done."
126
00:07:17,437 --> 00:07:20,356
Sorry, this is very hard for me to relive.
127
00:07:22,608 --> 00:07:24,235
Warren's defense team,
128
00:07:24,735 --> 00:07:27,321
their strategy, to me, felt as though
129
00:07:27,405 --> 00:07:30,408
it was to attack and discredit me.
130
00:07:30,992 --> 00:07:32,410
[Walter] There was no rape.
131
00:07:32,493 --> 00:07:34,245
There absolutely was no rape.
132
00:07:34,745 --> 00:07:37,832
Elissa's version is highly improbable.
133
00:07:37,915 --> 00:07:41,419
It happened because Elissa
wanted it to happen. It happened because...
134
00:07:41,502 --> 00:07:46,007
They tried to characterize her
as being a wanton person
135
00:07:46,090 --> 00:07:48,176
who invited this kind of behavior.
136
00:07:48,259 --> 00:07:51,721
You described
that you had to "sugar up" the situation
137
00:07:52,221 --> 00:07:54,807
in order to get things
that you wanted from Allen.
138
00:07:54,891 --> 00:07:56,601
Based upon your actions,
139
00:07:56,684 --> 00:07:59,937
Allen would have thought
you were just fine with sexual relations.
140
00:08:00,021 --> 00:08:01,021
Objection.
141
00:08:01,063 --> 00:08:03,357
After 20 years of being a prosecutor,
142
00:08:03,941 --> 00:08:06,861
it is my opinion that attacking the victim
143
00:08:06,944 --> 00:08:09,071
backfires almost every time,
144
00:08:09,155 --> 00:08:12,658
and so I don't think that that was
the right choice for them to make,
145
00:08:12,742 --> 00:08:13,618
but they did,
146
00:08:13,701 --> 00:08:17,330
and perhaps they did because
they didn't have much else to work with
147
00:08:18,122 --> 00:08:20,041
and the story that Elissa gave
148
00:08:20,541 --> 00:08:23,044
was incredibly powerful.
149
00:08:24,670 --> 00:08:26,672
[dramatic music playing]
150
00:08:26,756 --> 00:08:28,216
[birds chirping]
151
00:08:31,511 --> 00:08:33,596
[judge] Mr. Jeffs, would you please stand
152
00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:35,181
as the verdict is read?
153
00:08:36,349 --> 00:08:39,310
[woman] In the fifth judicial district
in the State of Utah...
154
00:08:39,393 --> 00:08:41,270
[Elissa] I remember sitting there
155
00:08:41,354 --> 00:08:43,147
and just trying to hold still.
156
00:08:43,231 --> 00:08:46,234
[woman] ...jury verdict,
case number 0615...
157
00:08:46,317 --> 00:08:48,986
[Elissa] Every part of me
had been put into question.
158
00:08:49,070 --> 00:08:51,155
[dramatic music continues]
159
00:08:52,532 --> 00:08:53,908
Everything that'd happened
160
00:08:53,991 --> 00:08:56,118
in my life up to this moment
was on the table.
161
00:08:58,871 --> 00:09:02,708
[woman] We the jury find
that the defendant, Warren Steed Jeffs,
162
00:09:02,792 --> 00:09:04,669
is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt
163
00:09:04,752 --> 00:09:07,004
of the crime of rape as an accomplice,
164
00:09:07,505 --> 00:09:10,800
dated this 25th day of September, 2007.
165
00:09:13,427 --> 00:09:17,431
[emotional music playing]
166
00:09:27,233 --> 00:09:29,735
[Elissa] In that moment
of a guilty verdict,
167
00:09:31,237 --> 00:09:33,447
I felt this intense release
168
00:09:33,948 --> 00:09:36,158
of emotion, and energy,
169
00:09:36,826 --> 00:09:38,077
and calm.
170
00:09:40,538 --> 00:09:45,126
I had done the right thing for myself
and I had done the very best that I could.
171
00:09:46,127 --> 00:09:49,130
I have very tender feelings
for the FLDS people.
172
00:09:49,630 --> 00:09:51,799
There is so much good in them.
173
00:09:52,300 --> 00:09:55,052
I pray they will
find the strength... [clears throat]
174
00:09:55,136 --> 00:09:58,806
...to step back and re-examine
what they have been told to believe.
175
00:09:58,889 --> 00:10:01,475
It hit me,
the realization of what this trial meant.
176
00:10:02,143 --> 00:10:04,979
This trial has not been
about religion or a vendetta...
177
00:10:05,062 --> 00:10:08,941
It was about all of the girls
where I came from and the men.
178
00:10:09,942 --> 00:10:11,319
It was about our culture.
179
00:10:12,028 --> 00:10:14,572
I hope that all FLDS girls and women
180
00:10:15,323 --> 00:10:18,284
will understand that
no matter what anyone may say,
181
00:10:18,367 --> 00:10:19,702
you are created equal.
182
00:10:19,785 --> 00:10:23,831
It was so much bigger
than just Warren and just me.
183
00:10:23,914 --> 00:10:27,001
[emotional music continues]
184
00:10:28,085 --> 00:10:30,838
[Rebecca] The irony and the beauty of it
185
00:10:30,921 --> 00:10:33,215
is that women
186
00:10:33,299 --> 00:10:36,135
in a society like the FLDS
are second-class citizens,
187
00:10:36,802 --> 00:10:40,431
and yet women
are the ones that stood up to that man.
188
00:10:42,266 --> 00:10:45,426
[reporter] Warren Jeffs is now awaiting
sentencing after being convicted Tuesday
189
00:10:45,478 --> 00:10:46,854
as an accomplice to rape.
190
00:10:47,647 --> 00:10:49,899
[Mike] Everybody was hoping
that this is it.
191
00:10:49,982 --> 00:10:52,109
They're gonna throw this guy away forever.
192
00:10:52,652 --> 00:10:55,071
But, you know,
the law doesn't work this way.
193
00:10:55,154 --> 00:10:59,742
The charge was basically
as a conspirator to this rape.
194
00:10:59,825 --> 00:11:03,579
And so, the law tells you
what you can sentence these guys to,
195
00:11:03,663 --> 00:11:06,624
so he was never up
for anything more than about ten years.
196
00:11:06,707 --> 00:11:08,793
That's better... That's better than nothing.
197
00:11:08,876 --> 00:11:10,544
[emotional music continues]
198
00:11:11,587 --> 00:11:15,591
[Elissa] For me, there was a relief.
The end had come finally.
199
00:11:16,634 --> 00:11:18,594
And now we would help
200
00:11:18,678 --> 00:11:20,346
all of these people be free.
201
00:11:22,223 --> 00:11:26,018
But we're talking about people that
have dedicated their lives to one man,
202
00:11:26,852 --> 00:11:29,939
and one woman who had accusations
203
00:11:30,022 --> 00:11:32,692
against him wasn't going to change
204
00:11:32,775 --> 00:11:34,235
a lifetime of belief.
205
00:11:36,487 --> 00:11:37,487
[door closing]
206
00:11:40,157 --> 00:11:41,992
[clattering]
207
00:11:44,245 --> 00:11:45,746
[Warren] Wonderful to see you.
208
00:11:47,206 --> 00:11:49,083
[Roger] Warren Jeffs was convicted,
209
00:11:49,166 --> 00:11:52,712
but he was able
to maintain communication and control.
210
00:11:52,795 --> 00:11:53,963
[Warren] How do I look?
211
00:11:54,463 --> 00:11:56,507
[woman giggling] You look nice.
212
00:11:56,590 --> 00:11:57,425
[Warren] I do?
213
00:11:57,508 --> 00:11:58,843
[woman continues giggling]
214
00:11:59,677 --> 00:12:01,929
His sermons got leaked from prison.
215
00:12:02,012 --> 00:12:04,473
His instructions got leaked from prison.
216
00:12:04,557 --> 00:12:05,850
[ominous music playing]
217
00:12:05,933 --> 00:12:08,519
[woman 2] I have another new phone
218
00:12:08,602 --> 00:12:11,981
- that has a speaker on it. If I can...
- [Warren] Okay, that's fine.
219
00:12:12,064 --> 00:12:18,404
You can see Warren's visitors coming in,
and the minute he comes out,
220
00:12:18,487 --> 00:12:20,823
there's women there
that start taking notes,
221
00:12:20,906 --> 00:12:23,951
writing everything he says down
from the moment he starts talking.
222
00:12:25,161 --> 00:12:29,790
So, he has means
of getting information out of the prison.
223
00:12:29,874 --> 00:12:32,293
And we must look to the Heavenly Father...
224
00:12:32,376 --> 00:12:34,336
[Elissa] So you had thousands of people
225
00:12:34,420 --> 00:12:37,590
that were still hanging
on every single word.
226
00:12:38,257 --> 00:12:41,552
In part, it was because
of what I had done.
227
00:12:42,094 --> 00:12:44,013
It was because I had stepped forward.
228
00:12:44,847 --> 00:12:46,140
Warren used that
229
00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:49,435
as proof that, in the outside world,
230
00:12:49,518 --> 00:12:51,937
apostates are trying
to take down the priesthood.
231
00:12:52,438 --> 00:12:55,900
[Warren] The only ones that become gods
and goddesses in the celestial world
232
00:12:55,983 --> 00:12:58,235
are those that can be trusted.
233
00:12:59,111 --> 00:13:02,406
Imprisonment had enshrined him
as a martyr.
234
00:13:02,990 --> 00:13:05,367
- [woman 2] We love you.
- [Warren] I love all of you.
235
00:13:06,744 --> 00:13:10,039
♪ Sweet spirit of prayer ♪
236
00:13:10,539 --> 00:13:13,918
♪ Sweet spirit of prayer ♪
237
00:13:14,418 --> 00:13:18,380
♪ That calls me from ♪
238
00:13:18,464 --> 00:13:21,550
♪ A world of care ♪
239
00:13:22,551 --> 00:13:25,596
♪ Sweet spirit of prayer ♪
240
00:13:26,180 --> 00:13:29,934
♪ Sweet spirit of prayer ♪
241
00:13:30,017 --> 00:13:33,938
♪ That calls me from ♪
242
00:13:34,021 --> 00:13:37,149
♪ A world of care ♪
243
00:13:38,025 --> 00:13:41,737
[Lola] Even though Warren Jeffs was
in prison, he was still the Prophet.
244
00:13:41,821 --> 00:13:43,072
He ran everything.
245
00:13:43,906 --> 00:13:46,325
Every week, he would make a phone call
246
00:13:46,408 --> 00:13:49,829
and then they'd just rush to
the meeting house and put him on speaker,
247
00:13:49,912 --> 00:13:53,290
and everybody would gather
from wherever they were to listen to him.
248
00:13:53,374 --> 00:13:57,253
[Warren] Remember the blessings of Zion
are so far-reaching.
249
00:13:57,336 --> 00:13:59,088
[Lola] When we listened
to the phone calls,
250
00:13:59,171 --> 00:14:01,966
it wasn't like listening to Warren Jeffs.
251
00:14:03,008 --> 00:14:07,596
I think I associated his voice
on the phone more as like
252
00:14:09,014 --> 00:14:10,432
the voice of God.
253
00:14:10,516 --> 00:14:12,101
[dramatic music playing]
254
00:14:14,603 --> 00:14:15,896
[Mike] The FLDS compound
255
00:14:15,980 --> 00:14:19,525
outside of Eldorado, Texas
had grown significantly.
256
00:14:19,608 --> 00:14:21,819
[women singing]
257
00:14:21,902 --> 00:14:23,946
There's women, young women,
258
00:14:24,822 --> 00:14:27,408
and a whole passel of kids
living out there.
259
00:14:29,618 --> 00:14:33,622
And it became
more interesting and more of a concern
260
00:14:33,706 --> 00:14:34,915
for law enforcement.
261
00:14:37,001 --> 00:14:40,921
[man] Once Warren Jeffs was arrested,
we wanted to watch the community.
262
00:14:41,005 --> 00:14:44,758
You know, we're taking it very seriously.
We're looking into it, we're concerned.
263
00:14:46,010 --> 00:14:49,054
If there is a law violated
and it's brought to our attention,
264
00:14:49,138 --> 00:14:53,017
then most definitely, the sheriff's
department will take appropriate action.
265
00:14:53,642 --> 00:14:56,770
And then there's a phone call,
comes out of the blue,
266
00:14:56,854 --> 00:15:00,816
and it's the voice of a...
sounds like a young woman.
267
00:15:04,194 --> 00:15:06,697
I received a call
from Child Protective Services,
268
00:15:06,780 --> 00:15:10,159
and they had received a call
269
00:15:10,242 --> 00:15:11,994
from the crisis center
270
00:15:12,077 --> 00:15:15,039
about a girl living out at the YFZ Ranch.
271
00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,292
[Randy] She said she was 16 years old,
272
00:15:18,375 --> 00:15:21,295
that she was a mother at that point,
273
00:15:21,378 --> 00:15:24,256
and was pregnant again with another child,
274
00:15:24,340 --> 00:15:26,300
and she was being abused.
275
00:15:26,383 --> 00:15:28,385
[eerie music playing]
276
00:15:29,970 --> 00:15:34,475
[Dave] So, that's when we went ahead
to do a welfare check on this girl.
277
00:15:36,894 --> 00:15:38,979
We actually went out to the ranch,
278
00:15:39,855 --> 00:15:41,732
and Child Protective Services
279
00:15:42,232 --> 00:15:45,152
tried to ascertain
if the girl's actually on the property.
280
00:15:45,653 --> 00:15:49,740
But they were basically,
through the night, just holding us off.
281
00:15:49,823 --> 00:15:52,117
They would just bring them one person
282
00:15:52,201 --> 00:15:55,371
and then it'd be a long time
before they'd bring another person.
283
00:15:56,830 --> 00:16:00,250
While they were conducting interviews,
they noticed journals
284
00:16:00,334 --> 00:16:02,127
written by teenage girls.
285
00:16:03,420 --> 00:16:06,966
These girls were obviously
in school still, obviously young,
286
00:16:07,466 --> 00:16:09,593
and they were talking
about being pregnant.
287
00:16:09,677 --> 00:16:11,345
[eerie music continues]
288
00:16:11,428 --> 00:16:13,764
So that's when things started turning.
289
00:16:15,057 --> 00:16:17,518
[Randy] One of the strange things
about this story
290
00:16:17,601 --> 00:16:20,646
is that the Texas Rangers
eventually traced the phone call
291
00:16:20,729 --> 00:16:23,190
and figured out it was a lady in Colorado
292
00:16:23,273 --> 00:16:24,900
who was making a hoax call,
293
00:16:26,443 --> 00:16:28,570
but at that point, it didn't matter.
294
00:16:29,446 --> 00:16:32,157
CPS investigators had found evidence
295
00:16:32,241 --> 00:16:34,702
of underage girls who were pregnant.
296
00:16:36,412 --> 00:16:37,705
Under Texas law,
297
00:16:37,788 --> 00:16:40,249
that is evidence of a crime
in plain sight.
298
00:16:41,959 --> 00:16:45,587
[Dave] It started becoming
more of a crisis situation.
299
00:16:46,171 --> 00:16:48,882
We felt like the children out there
300
00:16:48,966 --> 00:16:51,301
on the property were in danger,
301
00:16:51,385 --> 00:16:55,139
and that's when it became
a very large operation.
302
00:16:55,806 --> 00:16:58,600
[birds chirping]
303
00:17:01,729 --> 00:17:03,897
- [knocking on door]
- [officer] Police, open up.
304
00:17:03,981 --> 00:17:04,981
[knocking continues]
305
00:17:05,024 --> 00:17:06,608
Police, open up.
306
00:17:06,692 --> 00:17:09,361
[woman] I was just standing there
when we got a knock.
307
00:17:09,445 --> 00:17:11,155
I think I was five at this time.
308
00:17:11,947 --> 00:17:14,908
- I didn't know what was going on.
- [suspenseful music playing]
309
00:17:14,992 --> 00:17:18,746
I didn't know those people really existed.
I didn't see gentiles.
310
00:17:19,413 --> 00:17:23,792
I mean, they were wearing black,
so I thought maybe they were devils.
311
00:17:23,876 --> 00:17:25,586
I was scared of them.
312
00:17:26,086 --> 00:17:27,921
[Lola] I was ten years old
313
00:17:28,005 --> 00:17:30,632
and I saw police trucks
314
00:17:30,716 --> 00:17:34,553
and just a lot of
strange people everywhere.
315
00:17:36,597 --> 00:17:39,224
[suspenseful music continues]
316
00:17:39,308 --> 00:17:41,226
[woman 2] We were surrounded.
317
00:17:41,310 --> 00:17:44,521
The ranch was surrounded by
police officers and SWAT team.
318
00:17:45,147 --> 00:17:47,483
[suspenseful music continues]
319
00:17:50,569 --> 00:17:53,614
[Lola] My dad, he bursts through the door
out of breath, and he's like,
320
00:17:53,697 --> 00:17:56,784
"Everybody gather in the living room
right now. We need to kneel and pray."
321
00:17:57,826 --> 00:17:59,161
[softly] So... [exhales]
322
00:18:01,580 --> 00:18:03,373
It's kind of emotional for me.
323
00:18:03,874 --> 00:18:06,001
[inhales and exhales deeply]
324
00:18:07,586 --> 00:18:10,172
[suspenseful music continues]
325
00:18:10,255 --> 00:18:13,550
One of the moms spotted out the window
that some buses were pulling up,
326
00:18:13,634 --> 00:18:15,803
so we knew that
they wanted to take us somewhere.
327
00:18:16,512 --> 00:18:19,056
[suspenseful music intensifies]
328
00:18:19,723 --> 00:18:24,228
The sheriff came and started trying
to coax everybody to get into the buses,
329
00:18:24,311 --> 00:18:25,521
and no one wanted to go.
330
00:18:26,355 --> 00:18:29,650
The judge has ordered us to be here,
331
00:18:29,733 --> 00:18:31,527
and so we're compelled to do it.
332
00:18:31,610 --> 00:18:33,612
- I still don't consent to it.
- I understand.
333
00:18:33,695 --> 00:18:37,032
So we're just trying to determine
if there's any kids that are
334
00:18:37,116 --> 00:18:39,910
in any kind of danger,
harm, or anything like that.
335
00:18:39,993 --> 00:18:42,793
- [woman 4] What's your concern?
- [woman 3] There's a lot of concerns,
336
00:18:42,830 --> 00:18:45,541
but that's what we need
to talk to the children about first.
337
00:18:45,624 --> 00:18:50,045
[woman 5] Can't you see they're happy,
and if you take them, they'll be unhappy?
338
00:18:50,129 --> 00:18:51,839
[woman 3] I know it seems drastic,
339
00:18:51,922 --> 00:18:55,050
but our job is to protect children
and we just have to be sure.
340
00:18:55,134 --> 00:18:57,719
- [woman 6] Are you taking babies?
- [woman 3] Yes.
341
00:18:57,803 --> 00:19:00,305
- [screaming]
- [suspenseful music intensifies]
342
00:19:01,723 --> 00:19:02,975
[women sobbing]
343
00:19:04,476 --> 00:19:07,229
[Randy] When the judge ordered those kids
to be taken off the ranch,
344
00:19:07,312 --> 00:19:09,439
no one knew there were that many of them.
345
00:19:10,482 --> 00:19:13,735
There were three, four,
five hundred kids out there,
346
00:19:13,819 --> 00:19:16,989
and suddenly,
Texas had a tiger by the tail.
347
00:19:17,072 --> 00:19:19,074
[suspenseful music continues]
348
00:19:19,658 --> 00:19:23,287
[Ruleecia] Next thing I remember
is being carried to a big bus.
349
00:19:23,370 --> 00:19:24,913
[man] It's this side.
350
00:19:24,997 --> 00:19:27,708
Is this bus full? Is it too full?
We need another bus?
351
00:19:27,791 --> 00:19:30,669
[Ruleecia] On the bus,
I remember little kids throwing up,
352
00:19:30,752 --> 00:19:32,504
wetting their pants,
353
00:19:32,588 --> 00:19:34,464
and just a lot of crying.
354
00:19:35,174 --> 00:19:36,592
I was scared out of my mind.
355
00:19:37,176 --> 00:19:38,385
[girl screams]
356
00:19:39,386 --> 00:19:41,226
[Connie] I didn't understand
what was going on.
357
00:19:42,681 --> 00:19:45,684
When I realized
I wasn't gonna get to see my mom,
358
00:19:45,767 --> 00:19:48,854
that's when it hit me
and that's when I started crying.
359
00:19:49,938 --> 00:19:51,940
[suspenseful music continues]
360
00:19:55,819 --> 00:19:58,197
[Lola] They took us
to this huge metal building.
361
00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:01,283
They pulled right up to the door
so you couldn't see outside.
362
00:20:01,366 --> 00:20:03,493
And then they just kind of funneled us in.
363
00:20:06,538 --> 00:20:07,915
An officer at every door.
364
00:20:07,998 --> 00:20:09,833
And if anybody tried to go out,
365
00:20:09,917 --> 00:20:12,961
they would yell, and you know,
just like, "Step back." [laughing]
366
00:20:13,045 --> 00:20:14,880
That was kind of intense, but...
367
00:20:15,881 --> 00:20:17,216
[inhales deeply, clicks tongue]
368
00:20:18,217 --> 00:20:21,553
These fairgrounds
where the 416 children are being kept
369
00:20:21,637 --> 00:20:23,680
are a long way from their home.
370
00:20:23,764 --> 00:20:26,141
We were given rare access to that home
371
00:20:26,225 --> 00:20:29,186
in a very remote place
called Eldorado, Texas.
372
00:20:29,269 --> 00:20:30,520
We met the mothers,
373
00:20:30,604 --> 00:20:32,898
women who are extremely upset.
374
00:20:32,981 --> 00:20:35,651
[sobbing] I just want my children back.
375
00:20:35,734 --> 00:20:36,944
[camera clicking]
376
00:20:37,945 --> 00:20:39,696
[intriguing music playing]
377
00:20:40,405 --> 00:20:45,452
From the beginning, the FLDS launched
a public relations campaign
378
00:20:46,578 --> 00:20:47,579
like no other.
379
00:20:47,663 --> 00:20:50,040
- [woman crying]
- [cameras clicking]
380
00:20:50,123 --> 00:20:52,960
[Angela] The story
that they were putting out was
381
00:20:53,043 --> 00:20:55,504
that the State was ripping apart families.
382
00:20:56,463 --> 00:20:58,882
That will strike a chord with any parent.
383
00:20:58,966 --> 00:21:02,386
[sobbing] My two-year-old son
was screaming,
384
00:21:02,469 --> 00:21:04,471
"Mother, don't let them take me."
385
00:21:04,554 --> 00:21:08,183
[Elissa] Up to this point,
Warren had never utilized the media,
386
00:21:09,309 --> 00:21:14,940
and he very strategically hand-picked
a few individuals to kind of head that up.
387
00:21:16,233 --> 00:21:19,361
The emotion that you
watch them experience was very real...
388
00:21:19,444 --> 00:21:20,696
Thank you for joining us.
389
00:21:20,779 --> 00:21:22,864
[Elissa] ...but Warren used the mothers...
390
00:21:22,948 --> 00:21:25,784
- [reporter] You been able to see them?
- I have not seen my sons.
391
00:21:25,867 --> 00:21:29,329
[Elissa] ...to garner a lot of sympathy
from the media.
392
00:21:29,413 --> 00:21:32,082
So no communication,
not even able to speak to them by phone
393
00:21:32,165 --> 00:21:33,365
to know they're okay? Nothing?
394
00:21:33,417 --> 00:21:34,417
Nothing.
395
00:21:34,793 --> 00:21:36,712
They may wear prairie dresses,
396
00:21:37,713 --> 00:21:40,340
but there's nothing backward
about the FLDS.
397
00:21:41,550 --> 00:21:43,218
They had a plan in place.
398
00:21:43,302 --> 00:21:46,805
What do you want people
to understand about your world?
399
00:21:47,306 --> 00:21:50,392
- [Lorene] The truth. [chuckles]
- [woman] We're happy. Just the truth.
400
00:21:50,475 --> 00:21:51,560
We are free,
401
00:21:51,643 --> 00:21:53,854
and we need our children returned.
402
00:21:53,937 --> 00:21:56,940
Our children are in great danger.
403
00:21:57,774 --> 00:22:01,320
[Rebecca] Oh, that princess
production voice. Oh, my gosh.
404
00:22:02,029 --> 00:22:04,239
It was this prim and proper,
405
00:22:04,323 --> 00:22:07,826
very high pitch, sweet, silky voice
406
00:22:07,909 --> 00:22:09,995
that said, "Yes, whatever you say."
407
00:22:10,078 --> 00:22:11,496
"Just keep sweet."
408
00:22:12,122 --> 00:22:13,122
It was fake.
409
00:22:14,541 --> 00:22:16,376
So, you've never, to your knowledge,
410
00:22:16,460 --> 00:22:19,254
seen a younger girl marry an older person?
411
00:22:19,838 --> 00:22:21,340
Not to our knowledge.
412
00:22:21,423 --> 00:22:27,220
I will never forget seeing Larry King,
and there were FLDS women
413
00:22:27,304 --> 00:22:29,431
that were being featured on the show.
414
00:22:30,307 --> 00:22:33,518
One of those women had been the midwife
415
00:22:33,602 --> 00:22:35,437
to one of the underage brides
416
00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,565
that the State went on
to prosecute a man for.
417
00:22:39,566 --> 00:22:41,777
To see her on Larry King
418
00:22:41,860 --> 00:22:43,945
and know of no underage brides...
419
00:22:44,029 --> 00:22:45,364
[eerie music playing]
420
00:22:45,447 --> 00:22:47,657
It was absolutely infuriating.
421
00:22:47,741 --> 00:22:50,118
[Larry] Marilyn, were you surprised
at the raid?
422
00:22:51,286 --> 00:22:52,120
[Marilyn] Yes...
423
00:22:52,204 --> 00:22:54,122
[Angela] One thing
that really frustrated me,
424
00:22:54,206 --> 00:22:57,250
we're seeing
all this disinformation going on,
425
00:22:57,334 --> 00:23:00,295
but there was no discussion
about how Warren Jeffs,
426
00:23:00,379 --> 00:23:02,506
how he had been ripping children
427
00:23:02,589 --> 00:23:06,134
from... from their parents
and giving them to other parents.
428
00:23:06,218 --> 00:23:09,429
We had had years of watching families
429
00:23:09,513 --> 00:23:13,433
be shredded and taken away, children being
taken away from their mothers,
430
00:23:13,517 --> 00:23:15,644
women being taken away from the husbands,
431
00:23:15,727 --> 00:23:18,271
and so it wasn't something that was new
432
00:23:18,355 --> 00:23:20,232
within the FLDS.
433
00:23:20,816 --> 00:23:21,650
[birds chirping]
434
00:23:21,733 --> 00:23:23,151
[crickets chirping]
435
00:23:23,235 --> 00:23:27,155
[slow piano playing]
436
00:23:27,239 --> 00:23:30,450
[Alicia] Ever since my girls
had been taken from me
437
00:23:30,534 --> 00:23:31,952
and sent to the ranch,
438
00:23:32,828 --> 00:23:34,579
I just felt like giving up.
439
00:23:34,663 --> 00:23:36,540
I just missed them intensely,
440
00:23:36,623 --> 00:23:39,960
and I would go lay by my daughter's crib
441
00:23:40,460 --> 00:23:42,838
on the floor just crying my eyes out.
442
00:23:44,423 --> 00:23:48,969
And then one day, my husband Seth said,
"The world, the gentiles,
443
00:23:49,052 --> 00:23:50,345
have raided the ranch,
444
00:23:50,429 --> 00:23:52,264
and the children were taken,
445
00:23:52,764 --> 00:23:54,558
and I need you to come right away."
446
00:23:56,059 --> 00:23:59,980
The church needed the natural mother
there to claim their own children.
447
00:24:00,063 --> 00:24:02,149
He just said,
"Come down and get these kids."
448
00:24:02,232 --> 00:24:05,694
"Come claim them."
And I honestly, I was really grateful
449
00:24:05,777 --> 00:24:08,363
that perhaps I could see
my children again.
450
00:24:09,489 --> 00:24:11,700
I hadn't seen them for almost a year.
451
00:24:12,576 --> 00:24:15,203
So I didn't see the raid as a bad thing.
452
00:24:16,163 --> 00:24:18,081
We drove all through the night.
453
00:24:19,124 --> 00:24:21,209
I had no idea where we were going.
454
00:24:22,502 --> 00:24:25,589
And the sun came up the next morning.
455
00:24:26,089 --> 00:24:29,593
And I started looking at signs
and I realized we were in Texas.
456
00:24:30,093 --> 00:24:32,846
[tense music playing]
457
00:24:32,929 --> 00:24:35,056
We went right to a lawyer's office.
458
00:24:35,140 --> 00:24:38,226
They hired really high... high paying,
459
00:24:38,310 --> 00:24:41,354
uppity-up lawyers, the Jeffs' men did.
460
00:24:41,438 --> 00:24:43,356
They made it very clear to me
461
00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,066
that I was supposed to lie.
462
00:24:45,650 --> 00:24:49,988
They were telling me what answers to give
and to never betray the Prophet,
463
00:24:50,864 --> 00:24:53,533
but I didn't know
what I was supposed to say
464
00:24:53,617 --> 00:24:56,119
because my girls had been taken
465
00:24:56,203 --> 00:24:58,622
to the ranch without my consent.
466
00:24:59,372 --> 00:25:02,209
So I was asking Seth,
"How am I supposed to answer them?"
467
00:25:02,292 --> 00:25:04,586
He says, "Well, just... just tell the story
468
00:25:04,669 --> 00:25:08,298
that you were mental and incapacitated
469
00:25:08,381 --> 00:25:10,300
and you let your children
470
00:25:10,383 --> 00:25:12,093
go to another state."
471
00:25:12,677 --> 00:25:15,430
And it wasn't true at all.
I never gave permission.
472
00:25:15,514 --> 00:25:16,515
And I lied.
473
00:25:18,099 --> 00:25:19,684
[reporter] Nearly 400 attorneys
474
00:25:19,768 --> 00:25:22,187
have joined
in a tedious child custody hearing.
475
00:25:22,270 --> 00:25:24,731
It's one of the first steps
in determining whether
476
00:25:24,814 --> 00:25:26,983
the 416 children of the sect
477
00:25:27,067 --> 00:25:28,527
will be put in foster homes
478
00:25:28,610 --> 00:25:30,570
or allowed to return to their families.
479
00:25:30,654 --> 00:25:32,656
[tense music continues]
480
00:25:33,865 --> 00:25:37,244
[Alicia] We got granted
an hour per week with each child.
481
00:25:41,122 --> 00:25:43,542
I walked in to see Ruleecia first.
482
00:25:43,625 --> 00:25:47,254
She looked up at me and she was like,
"Who are you?"
483
00:25:47,337 --> 00:25:50,924
And I walked in, and I went to hug her,
and she was really scared of me.
484
00:25:51,007 --> 00:25:54,094
[somber music playing]
485
00:25:54,177 --> 00:25:56,805
She looked tired the first time I saw her.
486
00:25:56,888 --> 00:26:00,600
She was really tired. She looked
heartbroken that I didn't remember her.
487
00:26:01,601 --> 00:26:03,395
She was kind. She was so kind.
488
00:26:03,895 --> 00:26:07,649
But I remember just being scared of her
because I didn't know her.
489
00:26:09,985 --> 00:26:12,821
She would just talk to us
490
00:26:12,904 --> 00:26:14,906
and hug us and stuff.
491
00:26:15,615 --> 00:26:18,368
It was weird for me
'cause I didn't know who my mom was.
492
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:20,579
[somber music continues]
493
00:26:20,662 --> 00:26:21,913
She kept coming back.
494
00:26:23,290 --> 00:26:26,876
I kept seeing her, and, every time,
I was told to call her "Mother."
495
00:26:27,794 --> 00:26:29,713
Not "Mother Alicia," but "Mother."
496
00:26:30,213 --> 00:26:33,258
And I was like, "Why?" [chuckling]
497
00:26:33,842 --> 00:26:35,468
We had lots of moms.
498
00:26:35,552 --> 00:26:37,470
I didn't know really what to think,
499
00:26:38,722 --> 00:26:39,848
and that scared me.
500
00:26:39,931 --> 00:26:41,933
[somber music continues]
501
00:26:48,273 --> 00:26:51,443
In the execution
of this sort of over-the-top,
502
00:26:51,943 --> 00:26:55,864
very aggressive police action,
you know, suddenly it pits
503
00:26:55,947 --> 00:26:58,033
heavily armed SWAT-dressed officers
504
00:26:58,116 --> 00:27:01,328
against prairie-dressed moms
and their little kids.
505
00:27:01,411 --> 00:27:03,038
The optics are not good.
506
00:27:04,497 --> 00:27:06,916
You had people like Oprah Winfrey
507
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,127
and major networks talking about it.
508
00:27:09,210 --> 00:27:14,174
Have Texas state authorities
engaged in a massive act of kidnapping?
509
00:27:14,257 --> 00:27:15,634
[curious music playing]
510
00:27:15,717 --> 00:27:19,387
[Mike] And Texas higher-ups
were definitely sensitive
511
00:27:19,471 --> 00:27:21,931
to that kind of pressure,
didn't want to have to deal with it,
512
00:27:22,015 --> 00:27:24,559
and so it all sort of fell apart.
513
00:27:27,354 --> 00:27:30,315
[reporter 2] A decision has been made
in the custody dispute
514
00:27:30,398 --> 00:27:33,652
involving hundreds of children
taken from a polygamist compound.
515
00:27:34,486 --> 00:27:36,863
The Texas Supreme Court has ruled
516
00:27:36,946 --> 00:27:40,575
that all the children
should be returned to their parents.
517
00:27:40,659 --> 00:27:42,827
Texas CPS folded its tent.
518
00:27:43,828 --> 00:27:46,581
They couldn't handle the political heat
519
00:27:47,082 --> 00:27:49,125
from grabbing that many kids,
520
00:27:50,001 --> 00:27:54,339
and CPS just wiped their hands of it.
521
00:27:54,422 --> 00:27:56,424
[curious music continues]
522
00:27:57,759 --> 00:28:01,888
The decision to return the children,
it was crushing
523
00:28:02,806 --> 00:28:04,057
because, at that point,
524
00:28:04,140 --> 00:28:07,352
we had started to learn things
in our investigation.
525
00:28:08,728 --> 00:28:11,439
We knew that there was more going on,
526
00:28:11,523 --> 00:28:15,402
and that was very hard to take
for all of us.
527
00:28:19,489 --> 00:28:22,575
[Sam] The custody battle for the children,
that was one thing.
528
00:28:23,159 --> 00:28:26,121
But I was focused on the evidence
529
00:28:26,204 --> 00:28:29,207
that might be out there on the YFZ Ranch
530
00:28:30,458 --> 00:28:33,461
because Warren Jeffs was known to have
531
00:28:33,545 --> 00:28:36,297
you know, secret hiding places
and that kind of stuff.
532
00:28:36,381 --> 00:28:39,426
- [helicopter whirring]
- And the Texas authorities
533
00:28:39,509 --> 00:28:41,845
were just as interested as I was.
534
00:28:41,928 --> 00:28:46,141
[reporter 3] Sheriff David Doran confirmed
today he's been working with an informant,
535
00:28:46,224 --> 00:28:50,270
gathering information about
the inner workings of the FLDS church.
536
00:28:50,979 --> 00:28:53,106
I have a person
that I have been communicating with
537
00:28:53,189 --> 00:28:54,989
and I'm not going to go
any further than that.
538
00:28:55,775 --> 00:28:58,403
[reporter 3] The informant is
a former member of the church.
539
00:28:58,486 --> 00:29:00,655
Sheriff Doran wouldn't say
if the informant...
540
00:29:00,739 --> 00:29:04,075
Sheriff Doran contacted me and he said,
"We are in way over our head."
541
00:29:04,159 --> 00:29:06,870
"Is there any way that
you can come down here and help us?"
542
00:29:08,872 --> 00:29:12,876
He wanted to know
anything special he should be looking for.
543
00:29:12,959 --> 00:29:16,379
And I said, "Somewhere in this ranch,
there is going to be
544
00:29:16,463 --> 00:29:18,673
a treasure trove of records."
545
00:29:18,757 --> 00:29:21,301
- [sinister music playing]
- And I knew that because,
546
00:29:21,384 --> 00:29:23,636
in my life as Rulon Jeffs' wife,
547
00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:27,724
there was a secret room where
all of these church records were kept.
548
00:29:27,807 --> 00:29:30,143
Rebecca had called me and... and asked
549
00:29:30,226 --> 00:29:32,729
if I would be willing to go down with her.
550
00:29:33,730 --> 00:29:37,108
And so, we were flown down there
by the sheriff's office.
551
00:29:39,402 --> 00:29:41,237
[Rebecca] When we got into Texas,
552
00:29:41,738 --> 00:29:43,907
they took us directly to the ranch...
553
00:29:43,990 --> 00:29:46,618
[crickets chirping]
554
00:29:47,285 --> 00:29:50,830
...and it was surreal
seeing the temple under this light,
555
00:29:50,914 --> 00:29:52,916
so bright and glimmering.
556
00:29:52,999 --> 00:29:54,667
[sinister music continues]
557
00:29:55,460 --> 00:29:58,004
We had been taught that the temple was
558
00:29:58,087 --> 00:30:01,549
the most holy place on this Earth
that there could possibly be.
559
00:30:05,470 --> 00:30:07,597
There was a lot of mystery around it.
560
00:30:09,474 --> 00:30:11,893
What had actually happened in that temple
561
00:30:11,976 --> 00:30:13,436
was always kept secret.
562
00:30:15,230 --> 00:30:18,525
And so I was quite curious
563
00:30:18,608 --> 00:30:20,318
when we were given the opportunity
564
00:30:20,401 --> 00:30:22,904
to go in with some of the law enforcement.
565
00:30:24,405 --> 00:30:27,408
[Dave] Our first priority was
to search the temple complex.
566
00:30:29,035 --> 00:30:32,247
We did recognize
that this was sacred property to them,
567
00:30:32,330 --> 00:30:34,874
and we did not know
what lengths they would go to
568
00:30:34,958 --> 00:30:37,544
to defend that property
or keep us from entering it.
569
00:30:39,671 --> 00:30:43,675
There were a lot of FLDS men surrounding
the temple and they were watching us.
570
00:30:44,217 --> 00:30:45,844
They did not want us to go in.
571
00:30:46,970 --> 00:30:50,098
- And so it was a tense moment.
- [indistinct chatter over radio]
572
00:30:51,349 --> 00:30:53,351
[tense music playing]
573
00:30:54,561 --> 00:30:55,603
When we moved in,
574
00:30:57,188 --> 00:30:59,524
I noticed a guy fell to his knees
575
00:30:59,607 --> 00:31:01,234
and he just started crying.
576
00:31:03,027 --> 00:31:05,864
From what I was told,
he was praying for our destruction,
577
00:31:08,199 --> 00:31:10,577
that lightning would strike us
when we went in.
578
00:31:11,327 --> 00:31:12,996
But we were able to make entry.
579
00:31:13,538 --> 00:31:16,666
[camera clicking]
580
00:31:18,334 --> 00:31:21,337
[camera continues clicking]
581
00:31:24,382 --> 00:31:26,134
We found some winding stairs.
582
00:31:27,385 --> 00:31:31,514
[camera continues clicking]
583
00:31:32,432 --> 00:31:35,143
- And as you go up to the fourth floor...
- [camera clicks]
584
00:31:36,811 --> 00:31:39,314
...everything from the carpet,
to the drapes,
585
00:31:39,397 --> 00:31:41,566
to the walls, was just bright white.
586
00:31:41,649 --> 00:31:44,068
I mean, it was just almost glowing white.
587
00:31:44,152 --> 00:31:46,154
[eerie music playing]
588
00:31:47,780 --> 00:31:49,949
Working our way towards the back,
589
00:31:50,033 --> 00:31:52,702
there was an area that was an arched entry
590
00:31:52,785 --> 00:31:55,538
and it had real pretty curtains over it.
591
00:31:56,164 --> 00:32:00,126
As you go through there,
there is another inner room...
592
00:32:03,046 --> 00:32:05,465
and we discovered a, uh, a bed in there.
593
00:32:05,548 --> 00:32:07,675
[eerie music continues]
594
00:32:07,759 --> 00:32:11,346
[camera clicking]
595
00:32:12,847 --> 00:32:13,973
It was a tall bed.
596
00:32:14,057 --> 00:32:16,809
It was actually like an altar
where you'd carry a person
597
00:32:16,893 --> 00:32:18,269
and put them onto that bed,
598
00:32:18,353 --> 00:32:20,855
and it was about waist or above high,
599
00:32:21,397 --> 00:32:22,732
and it was very white.
600
00:32:22,815 --> 00:32:24,275
Just seeing that room,
601
00:32:24,776 --> 00:32:28,446
I realized something wasn't right with it.
602
00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:32,200
The way that it was laid out, you just...
You could feel it.
603
00:32:33,368 --> 00:32:35,370
[eerie music intensifies]
604
00:32:36,204 --> 00:32:40,208
We went down to the basement,
and towards the back of the basement area
605
00:32:40,291 --> 00:32:41,584
was a big vault.
606
00:32:43,127 --> 00:32:45,755
[Rebecca] They could not crack that vault.
607
00:32:45,838 --> 00:32:48,549
So then, you hear all this jackhammering,
608
00:32:48,633 --> 00:32:52,553
just loud echoing
through the building for hours.
609
00:32:52,637 --> 00:32:56,891
[jackhammer whirring]
610
00:32:59,102 --> 00:33:02,230
And then, finally, was just deathly quiet.
611
00:33:03,147 --> 00:33:05,733
- [eerie music continues]
- They had broken through.
612
00:33:07,652 --> 00:33:09,904
That's where they found
all of the records.
613
00:33:12,865 --> 00:33:16,953
There were computers,
hard drives, flash drives.
614
00:33:17,036 --> 00:33:19,622
Terabyte after terabyte of information.
615
00:33:20,790 --> 00:33:23,710
Literally all
of Warren's secrets were there.
616
00:33:24,210 --> 00:33:27,046
Every kind of documentation
you could think of.
617
00:33:28,131 --> 00:33:31,426
And pictures. Pictures of girls.
618
00:33:32,176 --> 00:33:33,720
His so-called wives.
619
00:33:35,555 --> 00:33:37,181
Now the world could finally see
620
00:33:37,265 --> 00:33:40,018
how sick and devious this guy was.
621
00:33:40,101 --> 00:33:41,394
[eerie music continues]
622
00:33:42,061 --> 00:33:43,688
That Warren Jeffs is a monster.
623
00:33:55,616 --> 00:33:57,577
It was shocking on every level.
624
00:33:58,995 --> 00:34:00,413
[beeping]
625
00:34:00,496 --> 00:34:03,082
And then they found the recordings...
626
00:34:04,125 --> 00:34:05,626
[Warren] I am Father to you.
627
00:34:06,127 --> 00:34:07,211
[wives] Yes, you are.
628
00:34:08,504 --> 00:34:13,176
[Rebecca] ...of heavenly sessions
with Warren and some of his wives.
629
00:34:14,052 --> 00:34:15,511
[Warren] So listen carefully.
630
00:34:16,387 --> 00:34:19,557
[Rebecca] Warren, very casual, saying,
"Take off your robes."
631
00:34:19,640 --> 00:34:22,727
[Warren] Leaving your robes
where they are, come join hands.
632
00:34:23,269 --> 00:34:24,395
You don't smile?
633
00:34:24,479 --> 00:34:26,147
Means you don't wanna be here.
634
00:34:27,065 --> 00:34:28,065
You cool?
635
00:34:28,608 --> 00:34:32,320
And describing how
they were supposed to touch each other.
636
00:34:32,779 --> 00:34:34,614
[Warren] You have to know how to be
637
00:34:35,114 --> 00:34:36,324
excited sexually.
638
00:34:37,283 --> 00:34:39,535
And you have to be able
to assist each other.
639
00:34:40,495 --> 00:34:42,121
No one just stands around.
640
00:34:42,622 --> 00:34:45,124
Everyone assists.
641
00:34:45,625 --> 00:34:48,044
- [Rebecca] Then there was a recording...
- [beeping]
642
00:34:48,586 --> 00:34:49,586
[Warren] Sister...
643
00:34:50,088 --> 00:34:51,923
[Rebecca] ...of this 12-year-old girl,
644
00:34:52,715 --> 00:34:54,425
and I knew who she was.
645
00:34:55,176 --> 00:34:57,970
She's just like
this little sparrow of a girl.
646
00:34:58,471 --> 00:35:01,057
[Warren] With the authority
of the Holy Priesthood,
647
00:35:02,350 --> 00:35:04,435
and by the keys and powers thereof,
648
00:35:05,561 --> 00:35:07,897
in oneness with the priesthood
and the heavens,
649
00:35:09,398 --> 00:35:11,984
placing your hands upon your head.
650
00:35:13,820 --> 00:35:15,822
[eerie music continues]
651
00:35:17,949 --> 00:35:21,285
[Rebecca] "Temple bed instructions
from Warren S. Jeffs."
652
00:35:22,703 --> 00:35:26,040
"The bed will be a size
big enough for me to lay on."
653
00:35:26,124 --> 00:35:27,875
"It will be covered with a sheet,
654
00:35:27,959 --> 00:35:30,962
but it will have a plastic cover
to protect the mattress
655
00:35:31,045 --> 00:35:32,880
from what will happen on it."
656
00:35:39,345 --> 00:35:40,847
[Warren] Thinking of the Lord.
657
00:35:42,140 --> 00:35:44,142
[eerie music continues]
658
00:35:44,934 --> 00:35:46,144
I will never forget
659
00:35:47,770 --> 00:35:48,813
sitting there
660
00:35:49,564 --> 00:35:50,564
hearing Warren
661
00:35:52,150 --> 00:35:53,943
say this prayer.
662
00:35:54,443 --> 00:35:58,823
[Warren] You will now learn
the greater degrees of the spirit of God.
663
00:35:59,282 --> 00:36:03,786
And I heard the voices of some
of my sister wives there in that room...
664
00:36:04,287 --> 00:36:06,539
[Warren] In the name
of Jesus Christ, amen.
665
00:36:07,748 --> 00:36:08,748
[wives] Amen.
666
00:36:09,250 --> 00:36:12,044
[Rebecca] ...while Warren raped
this little girl.
667
00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:16,591
[Warren moaning]
668
00:36:17,758 --> 00:36:19,760
[sad music playing]
669
00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:38,800
[reporter 4] Authorities say
they have evidence from the ranch
670
00:36:38,863 --> 00:36:42,575
that Warren Jeffs not only presided
over marriages of girls under 18,
671
00:36:42,658 --> 00:36:45,036
but actually had
sexual relations with girls himself.
672
00:36:45,119 --> 00:36:47,955
[reporter 5] Polygamist leader
Warren Jeffs facing a new trial
673
00:36:48,039 --> 00:36:49,332
on sex crime charges.
674
00:36:49,415 --> 00:36:52,835
[reporter 6] Warren Jeffs extradited
from Utah to Texas
675
00:36:52,919 --> 00:36:55,713
to face a felony
child sexual assault charge.
676
00:36:55,796 --> 00:36:59,425
[cameras clicking]
677
00:36:59,508 --> 00:37:03,262
[reporter 7] Mr. Jeffs, do you think
you can get a fair trial here in Texas?
678
00:37:03,346 --> 00:37:05,973
[Mike] Warren had been given
ten years in Utah.
679
00:37:06,474 --> 00:37:09,060
But in Texas, they had the smoking gun
680
00:37:09,143 --> 00:37:11,187
that could put him away for life.
681
00:37:11,270 --> 00:37:13,272
[somber music playing]
682
00:37:17,068 --> 00:37:19,820
They played that tape
in front of those jurors...
683
00:37:25,243 --> 00:37:26,494
and there were, uh...
684
00:37:29,121 --> 00:37:32,124
there were ten women
on that jury and there were two men,
685
00:37:32,208 --> 00:37:35,211
and I've always maintained
it was a good thing for Warren Jeffs
686
00:37:35,294 --> 00:37:37,797
there were a bunch
of Texas Rangers in that courtroom,
687
00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:40,591
because after those ten women
heard the audiotape,
688
00:37:40,675 --> 00:37:44,762
they would've jumped over the railings
and killed Warren with their bare hands.
689
00:37:44,845 --> 00:37:46,889
- And that was that tape.
- [door closing]
690
00:37:48,641 --> 00:37:51,602
Mr. Jeffs was found guilty on both counts,
691
00:37:51,686 --> 00:37:53,896
raping a 15-year-old girl
692
00:37:53,980 --> 00:37:56,190
and then the rape of the 12-year-old.
693
00:37:57,775 --> 00:38:02,488
[reporter 8] And how many of these
so-called "sacred sessions" did you have
694
00:38:02,571 --> 00:38:05,157
before you were arrested in 2006?
695
00:38:07,159 --> 00:38:08,159
No answer.
696
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:11,372
[Angela] At the punishment phase
of the trial,
697
00:38:11,455 --> 00:38:13,332
we were able to put in other evidence,
698
00:38:13,416 --> 00:38:15,668
and some of the evidence
that was put in at that point
699
00:38:15,751 --> 00:38:17,545
was that Warren was involved
700
00:38:17,628 --> 00:38:21,090
in conducting the marriages
of 67 underage girls
701
00:38:21,173 --> 00:38:22,967
to FLDS men.
702
00:38:23,050 --> 00:38:24,802
[somber music continues]
703
00:38:26,137 --> 00:38:29,640
And Warren had himself 78 wives.
704
00:38:30,891 --> 00:38:33,019
Twenty-four of those wives were underage.
705
00:38:36,439 --> 00:38:40,109
[Mike] They threw the book at him,
gave him a hundred-plus years,
706
00:38:40,192 --> 00:38:41,986
and twenty-plus to that.
707
00:38:42,069 --> 00:38:44,989
They stacked as many as they could
on top of Warren's head.
708
00:38:45,072 --> 00:38:46,282
[somber music continues]
709
00:38:58,669 --> 00:38:59,920
- [woman] Hello.
- [Sam] Hi.
710
00:39:00,004 --> 00:39:04,258
I'm gonna have
a blackberry-boysenberry smoothie.
711
00:39:05,176 --> 00:39:07,345
- [woman] You want whip cream?
- [Sam] Sure.
712
00:39:08,512 --> 00:39:10,639
- You can keep the rest.
- [woman] Thank you.
713
00:39:11,182 --> 00:39:13,184
[sad piano playing]
714
00:39:23,569 --> 00:39:25,738
[crickets chirping]
715
00:39:26,238 --> 00:39:29,742
The last time I had intel on Warren,
716
00:39:30,242 --> 00:39:31,242
um...
717
00:39:31,577 --> 00:39:34,622
which has been probably over a year ago,
718
00:39:34,705 --> 00:39:37,500
he was still...
he was still running the church,
719
00:39:37,583 --> 00:39:39,668
and the people that believed in Warren
720
00:39:39,752 --> 00:39:40,920
still listened to him.
721
00:39:42,213 --> 00:39:45,466
They were cultivated from birth
to believe what they believe,
722
00:39:45,549 --> 00:39:49,553
and by far, the vast majority
of the FLDS people
723
00:39:49,637 --> 00:39:51,514
had no idea what was going on.
724
00:39:51,597 --> 00:39:53,766
[sad piano continues]
725
00:39:53,849 --> 00:39:56,936
Warren, he's been releasing revelations.
There's...
726
00:39:57,019 --> 00:39:59,522
I've got two books that are that thick,
727
00:39:59,605 --> 00:40:01,690
probably a thousand pages each,
728
00:40:01,774 --> 00:40:03,943
of revelations Warren's received
729
00:40:04,026 --> 00:40:06,654
in prison and filtered out.
730
00:40:07,238 --> 00:40:08,531
[ball bouncing]
731
00:40:08,614 --> 00:40:11,409
There are still thousands
732
00:40:11,492 --> 00:40:14,787
and thousands of FLDS members.
733
00:40:17,206 --> 00:40:19,750
Every single family within the FLDS,
734
00:40:20,626 --> 00:40:22,420
they all have family members
735
00:40:22,503 --> 00:40:24,171
that they haven't seen for years.
736
00:40:24,255 --> 00:40:26,006
[music intensifies]
737
00:40:26,090 --> 00:40:28,843
My mother, she's still in the FLDS,
738
00:40:28,926 --> 00:40:32,555
and she's still very much subscribes
to Warren as the Prophet,
739
00:40:33,931 --> 00:40:37,184
and I don't know if that
will ever change in this life for her.
740
00:40:37,268 --> 00:40:40,104
I mean, at this point,
I have no idea where my mother is.
741
00:40:41,105 --> 00:40:44,066
They've taken her
and they don't want anybody,
742
00:40:44,150 --> 00:40:47,653
any of her children that have
left the church, to know where she's at.
743
00:40:48,612 --> 00:40:50,656
[Producer] How many
of your kids are still in it?
744
00:40:50,739 --> 00:40:51,615
Eight.
745
00:40:51,699 --> 00:40:53,617
[sad music continues]
746
00:40:53,701 --> 00:40:54,785
[inhaling deeply]
747
00:40:57,037 --> 00:40:58,164
I know it's a lot.
748
00:40:58,998 --> 00:41:02,293
Three of us are out,
just me, Arta, and Edward.
749
00:41:02,376 --> 00:41:04,587
And the rest of everybody's still in.
750
00:41:06,672 --> 00:41:09,967
I... I could just drive to their house
and talk to them,
751
00:41:10,968 --> 00:41:12,803
but they won't talk to me, you know?
752
00:41:13,429 --> 00:41:15,639
[engine whirring]
753
00:41:15,723 --> 00:41:16,974
[calming music playing]
754
00:41:19,852 --> 00:41:23,814
[Elissa] Those of us that are coming
from the fallout of the FLDS,
755
00:41:23,898 --> 00:41:27,818
at some point, we have to move forward.
The next generation depends upon it.
756
00:41:27,902 --> 00:41:29,153
[engine whirring]
757
00:41:29,236 --> 00:41:31,363
But it's very complicated.
758
00:41:32,323 --> 00:41:34,658
So many of us are still functioning
759
00:41:35,659 --> 00:41:37,369
under the shadow of the past.
760
00:41:39,830 --> 00:41:42,082
I thought I was further along
than I was... [chuckling]
761
00:41:42,166 --> 00:41:44,418
...and you have moments where you're like,
762
00:41:44,502 --> 00:41:47,171
"I know nothing.
I know nothing." [chuckling]
763
00:41:49,548 --> 00:41:53,093
It is a big part of why
I moved back to the crick.
764
00:41:55,804 --> 00:41:57,723
- Heard you got a tattoo.
- [Ruby] I did.
765
00:41:57,806 --> 00:41:59,566
- [Elissa] Can I see it?
- [Ruby] Absolutely.
766
00:41:59,642 --> 00:42:00,726
[calming music continues]
767
00:42:00,809 --> 00:42:03,729
[indistinct conversation]
768
00:42:04,522 --> 00:42:06,315
[Elissa] I knew that it was time
769
00:42:06,398 --> 00:42:08,359
for confronting my own demons,
770
00:42:09,276 --> 00:42:12,655
and I realized that
we were bigger than Warren.
771
00:42:13,155 --> 00:42:16,325
Do you know how many times
you and I snuck out into these hills?
772
00:42:16,408 --> 00:42:17,243
[Ruby chuckling]
773
00:42:17,326 --> 00:42:20,246
[Elissa] Remember when we'd go into
the granaries and get stained in them?
774
00:42:20,329 --> 00:42:22,957
- [Ruby] Yes.
- You remember that day? Cheers to that.
775
00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:25,543
- Absolutely.
- [Elissa] ...old grandma sometimes.
776
00:42:25,626 --> 00:42:29,088
I'm like, "Those darn motor bikers."
777
00:42:33,008 --> 00:42:35,010
[emotional music playing]
778
00:42:39,473 --> 00:42:42,434
- [Alicia] Look, I got you guys some pizza.
- [child] Thank you.
779
00:42:42,518 --> 00:42:45,896
[Alicia] And it's all vegan,
gluten-free, on cauliflower crust.
780
00:42:46,647 --> 00:42:47,648
[door opening]
781
00:42:47,731 --> 00:42:49,858
[Ruleecia] What else could I eat? [sighs]
782
00:42:53,028 --> 00:42:55,489
[Alicia] After I found out
the truth about Warren,
783
00:42:56,448 --> 00:42:58,534
I realized that my whole life was a lie.
784
00:42:58,617 --> 00:43:02,830
Everything I was told to believe
or thought.
785
00:43:03,747 --> 00:43:07,585
I felt so betrayed and so angry...
786
00:43:07,668 --> 00:43:09,670
[emotional music continues]
787
00:43:11,130 --> 00:43:12,756
because I loved God,
788
00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:14,925
I loved this Prophet, so much,
789
00:43:15,426 --> 00:43:17,094
and I said in my mind,
790
00:43:17,177 --> 00:43:19,597
"I am never going back."
791
00:43:20,097 --> 00:43:23,183
That was the turning point.
Once I said that in my brain,
792
00:43:23,267 --> 00:43:25,185
I never questioned it again.
793
00:43:25,269 --> 00:43:28,939
And by damn, I was not
letting my children go back to that.
794
00:43:31,275 --> 00:43:34,486
So the next day,
my mother and my brother came and got us
795
00:43:34,570 --> 00:43:37,072
and brought this big trailer,
796
00:43:37,990 --> 00:43:39,366
packed it all up...
797
00:43:41,035 --> 00:43:42,035
...and left.
798
00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:48,250
And we were going along the mountains
799
00:43:48,334 --> 00:43:50,419
and I was following behind my brother,
800
00:43:51,587 --> 00:43:55,090
and all of a sudden,
the trailer doors just open wide up...
801
00:43:55,174 --> 00:43:57,176
[emotional music intensifies]
802
00:43:58,052 --> 00:44:00,679
and all my stuff just tumbling out.
803
00:44:02,723 --> 00:44:05,976
My dresses, all Warren's teachings,
804
00:44:06,060 --> 00:44:07,770
the long underwear.
805
00:44:07,853 --> 00:44:09,188
My whole life
806
00:44:09,271 --> 00:44:12,691
just was being ran over by semi-trucks.
807
00:44:14,193 --> 00:44:16,528
And I sat there
and watched them and I thought,
808
00:44:17,029 --> 00:44:21,075
"I have to start all over.
Brand new. Brand-spanking new."
809
00:44:22,910 --> 00:44:23,994
[chuckles]
810
00:44:25,871 --> 00:44:27,873
[music fades]
811
00:44:49,687 --> 00:44:51,689
[intriguing music playing]