Posted by:
Brother Of Jerry
(
)
Date: March 09, 2021 12:31AM
Excerpt from his NYTimes obituary:
Tom Green, who spent six years in prison in Utah after being convicted of polygamy and child rape in a case that garnered widespread attention, died on Feb. 28. He was 72.
His death was announced by his family, who did not say where he died or what the cause was.
Before his trial in 2001, Mr. Green appeared frequently with five wives on national television shows including “Jerry Springer” and “Dateline NBC,” arguing that his lifestyle was a constitutional right.
The appearances proved to be his undoing: He caught the attention of David O. Leavitt, a county prosecutor in Utah (and the brother of the state’s governor, Michael O. Leavitt). In a rare use of a state law, Mr. Leavitt charged Mr. Green with bigamy.
In court papers, Mr. Leavitt, a Mormon, contended that Mr. Green had been able to elude prosecution by marrying without state sanction. “Green has intentionally made very complex his legal relationships to his wives,” he wrote. But, he added, “Green’s scheme is a very public challenge to our marriage laws.”
Mr. Green was convicted on four counts of bigamy and one charge of criminal nonsupport for failure to take care of nine of his children. In 2002 he was convicted of child rape for having sex with his first wife when she was 13 and he was in his 30s.
He was the first man in more than 50 years to be prosecuted in Utah for having multiple wives.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/us/tom-green-dead.htmlMost of the rest of the obit is a thumbnail history of polygamy in Utah. It also reports he left 3 wives, 34 children and 54 grandchildren.