Samuel Shaffer pleaded guilty to child rape and child abuse in Iron County, Utah court on Wednesday
A self-styled prophet accused of secretly marrying young girls because of his beliefs in polygamy and the impending end of days has pleaded guilty to child rape and abuse charges, two months after Utah police raided his group’s remote desert compound.
Samuel Shaffer, 34, faces at least 25 years in prison after agreeing to the Wednesday plea deal in Iron County, where prosecutors said he abused an underage girl related to a group member.
Shaffer’s first-degree felony charge of rape of a child carries a sentence of 25 years to life in state prison while the second-degree felony count of child abuse carries a one to 15 year sentence. It will be up to a judge whether the sentences are served at the same time or back to back. Sentencing is scheduled for April 10.
Shaffer believes he is the prophet of the Knights of the Crystal Blade, a fundamentalist Mormon sect that he founded which practices polygamy and marrying child brides.
They were also convinced the end was nigh, and that a Muslim invasion of the United States was imminent, according to police.
The 34-year-old was arrested in December after a raid on the group’s makeshift compound It was discovered that Shaffer married the eight-year-old daughter of one of the group’s members, John Alvin Coltharp. Above, a child who was rescued from the property
It was discovered that Shaffer married the eight-year-old daughter of group member John Alvin Coltharp, and that Coltharp married one of Shaffer’s seven-year-old daughters in turn.
In addition to marrying each others daughters, both men were married to their OWN daughters – Coltharp to his four-year-old daughter and Shaffer to his five-year-old daughter.
They believed that this was fine and that they could only have sex with their kids if their daughters initiated.
It was discovered that Shaffer married the eight-year-old daughter of one of the group’s members, John Alvin Coltharp (pictured)
As part of his plea deal, Shaffer had to admit in court to sexually abusing his child bride from Coltharp.
Prosecutors say the plea deal is good because it means the victim won’t have to testify in court.
‘We’re ecstatic about this plea, not only to hold him accountable with a 25 to life sentence, but also to protect the child from being revictimized,’ Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett told The Spectrum.
Police first learned about the child abuse on December 1, when Coltharp’s ex-wife reported him to police for failing to turn over their four kids, who she won full custody of in November.
When he was arrested, he told police that his two daughters and two sons were with Shaffer, but would not say where.
Four days later, cops were led to the group’s makeshift compound in Iron County, where they found Coltharp’s two sons but neither of his two daughters.
They were told that the girls had spent the night in a tent with Shaffer recently, but that he had left on foot the day before.
A day later, Shaffer was found walking along a dirt road several miles from the compound.
As he was being taken into custody, Shaffer revealed where both his and Coltharp’s four daughters were hidden.
Coltharp’s four-year-old daughter and Shaffer’s five-year-old daughter were found in a 50-gallon water barrel on the compound. Coltharp’s eight-year-old daughter and Shaffer’s seven-year-old daughter were found in an abandoned mobile home nearby.
All four girls were hospitalized after being found for dehydration, with one being airlifted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Dramatic images obtained by CBS shows two of the girls being rescued. They were barefoot and wearing what looked like thin leggings.
Prosecutors say the elder girls were abused before being moved to the makeshift compound.
The girls were found in a makeshift compound in Iron County, Utah in December
Coltharp is being held in Sanpete County on charges of kidnapping and sodomy of a child. Shaffer also faces charges in that county, including child bigamy.
Polygamy and bigamy are illegal in the United States, although Utah, a state that is home to a large Mormon community, does not prosecute polygamists who are law-abiding, giving way to the ‘Sister Wives’ phenomenon which is seen in some parts of the state.
Shaffer could also face additional charges of child pornography if any is found on his computer, which was seized by law enforcement.
Shaffer’s attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Police say Shaffer was grooming Coltharp to take over as the cult’s ‘prophet’.
‘It was believed Samuel Shaffer was the Prophet of the Knights of the Crystal Blade. During an interview with Shaffer he stated he had turned over the position of Prophet to Johnathan Coltharp,’ Iron County Sheriff’s Officer Lt. Del Schlosser said.