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ELDORADO, Texas (AP) -- A prosecutor has told jurors that witnesses, documents and DNA will show that a 38-year-old member of a polygamist group sexually assaulted a teen half his age at a West Texas ranch.
Assistant Attorney General Eric Nichols gave his opening statements Wednesday in the trial of Raymond Jessop. He's charged with sexual assault of a child, which stems from his alleged marriage to a girl in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Jessop's attorney insists that prosecutors don't have evidence to show that a crime occurred in Texas. He urged jurors not to be distracted by the group's prairie-style clothing, braids or religious beliefs.
Jessop's is the first criminal trial stemming from last year's raid on the group's ranch.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
