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	Testimony in Sentencing for FLDS Member Fox 13 November 9, 2009 http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-sentencing-for-flds-member,0,855714.story ELDORADO, Texas - A jury that convicted a member of the Utah-based FLDS Church will begin deliberating his sentence. After a day-long hearing on Monday that included hours of testimony, a judge set closing arguments and deliberations on Tuesday in the case of Raymond Jessop. Jessop, 38, was convicted of child sex assault for fathering a child with a 16-year-old girl who was a polygamous wife. He faces up to 20 years in prison. The jury is deciding the sentence. On Monday, testimony included an FBI agent, a pair of Texas Rangers who testified about documents, and two former members of the polygamous church. Carolyn Jessop, who was once Raymond Jessop's step-mother by marriage to his father, testified about her experiences within the FLDS Church. "Polygamy was a saving principle of God," she said. "God's laws supersede the laws of man." Jessop chronicled her life in the FLDS Church in her best-selling book, "Escape." Her testimony included plenty of objections by lawyers for Jessop, particularly over her testimony regarding so-called "spiritual marriages," which include polygamous marriages. "Spiritual marriage is the only marriage that matters," Jessop said. Rebecca Musser, another ex-FLDS member who was one of FLDS leader Rulon Jeffs' 64 wives, was led through dozens of marriage records and other FLDS records seized in last year's raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch. Hundreds of boxes of documents were taken into evidence in the raid, when authorities responded to a call alleging abuse on the sprawling property just outside Eldorado. Hundreds of children were taken into state protective custody only to be returned weeks later when a pair of Texas courts ruled the state acted improperly, and there was no evidence the children were at immediate risk of harm. The call itself is believed to be a hoax, but a dozen men, including FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, were indicted by a grand jury here on charges linked to underage marriages. Raymond Jessop was the first to go to trial. Defense attorney on Monday particularly objected to the testimony of Dr. Larry Beall, a Salt Lake City psychologist who conducted a study on contemporary polygamy that was critical of the lifestyle. A trauma counselor, he said the alleged victim in this case was conditioned to a life of marriage as her only way to salvation. Defense attorneys attacked his credibility, pointing out that his paper included interviews mostly from ex-FLDS members. He conceded that he has not considered other professional studies that took into account positive aspects of polygamy. "There's lots of books with different perspectives," he told defense lawyers. Jessop's attorneys pointed out in court that he has been paid more than $44,500 for his expert assessments in the Jessop case, despite having never interviewed any of the people involved. After more than seven hours, defense attorneys called their own witnesses. They included members of the Eldorado community who have done business with Raymond Jessop. They spoke highly of their dealings and his character.
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