Guide Note

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints leader Warren Jeffs was convicted of being an accomplice to rape after marrying 19-year-old Allen Steed and his 14-year-old first cousin Elissa Wall in 2001. Prosecutors filed charges of rape against Allen Steed the day after Jeffs' conviction based on Wall's claims that her former husband forced her to have sex with him.

Fast Facts

1. Steed was charged on September 26, 2007
2. Steed maintains that he did not force Elissa Wall to have sex with him
3. Steed's bail was set at $50,000
4. Steed and Wall divorced in 2004
5. Steed waived his right against self-incrimination upon taking the stand at Jeffs' trial
6. Steed could face life in prison if convicted of the charges

Elissa Wall's memoir of her life and marriage, entitled Stolen Innocence, was released on May 13, 2008. Steed's defense attorney, Jim Bradshaw, showed concern that the book could unfairly influence the jury in Steed's case. However, prosecutors in the case stated that Wall has a right to tell her story and they don't believe that the book will impede a fair trial.