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Alex Cabrero ReportingFLDS church leader, and now federal fugitive, Warren Jeffs is in the national spotlight. Flip through the prime-time cable news shows last night and you'd find it was hard to avoid hearing Jeffs' name.
Utah attorney general Mark Shurtleff has been busy being interviewed for all these shows, from Larry King Live to Paula Zahn. He took some time for our Alex Cabrero this afternoon to talk about what all this national coverage means.
Hopefully for Shurtleff, it means he will be caught, and caught peacefully. For years now, Warren Jeff's was well known here in Utah and in Arizona, but his story wasn't as well known across the rest of the country until now.
Timothy Fuhrman: "We are here to announce the FBI has placed Warren Steed Jeffs on its Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list."
It's just a name on a list, but boy, does it mean a whole lot more.
Mark Shurtleff, Utah Attorney General: "Top Ten List is huge because it gets nationwide FBI involved."
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has been thinking about Jeffs for years. With Jeffs now on the Top 10 Most Wanted list, a lot of others are thinking about him too.
Mark Shurtleff: "Actually, I'm excited because of the fact the only way you bring somebody like this to justice is by getting his picture out, getting the word out."
It's exactly what Shurtleff has been doing. He appeared on several national news shows last night to talk about Jeffs' case. America's Most Wanted featured Jeffs this past weekend. And CNN was in Colorado City today doing stories on the FLDS church and why Jeffs has such a grip on his followers.
Mark Shurtleff: "He says God is fighting his battles. He's a coward, number one. And number two, he has so much enjoyed his power. He's had money, power, authority and all the sex he wants with whatever variation and variety."
Shurtleff also says being on the shows he's learned some feel this is a Utah thing, but now, with all the attention, he feels people outside of Utah are starting to get it.
Mark Shurtleff: "Most of the shows are now understanding this is a sect, this is a very amazing group of people and a leader who's a tyrant, a religious tyrant."
Tonight at 5:30, NBC Nightly News will be doing a report on Jeffs as well. Shurtleff thinks all the attention will eventually help to catch Jeffs.
