Elizabeth Smart's classmates decorated a fence by Bryant Intermediate. Their affectionate expression remains 2 1/2 months after she vanished. Chuck Wing, Deseret News
http://www.sltrib.com/08242002/utah/764746.htm
LDS Secrets Could Be Aired in Court
Saturday, August 24, 2002
BY KEVIN CANTERA
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
Nearly two decades after Elroy Tillman was sent to death row for murdering his ex-lover's boyfriend, his lawyers will seek testimony Friday that reveals secret details about an LDS temple ceremony.
Third District Judge Leslie Lewis scheduled next week's proceeding after an hourlong hearing Friday in which Tillman's lawyers and attorneys from the state argued whether new evidence should be admitted in the case.
Lawyers for Tillman said that defense counsel during his 1983 murder trial did not understand subtle religious references made by a prosecutor during the sentencing phase. They say Mormon jurors were influenced by the allusions when they condemned Tillman to die.
"When [Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Michael] Christensen talked about 'God shall not be mocked,' the defense lawyer could not know it was part of the LDS temple ritual," said Michael Sikora, one of Tillman's attorneys.
Assistant Utah Attorney General Erin Riley countered that two separate Tillman petitions for post-conviction relief already dealt with the questionable statements. Those petitions failed in state and federal court.
Lewis has yet to rule on Tillman's request for an evidentiary hearing, which also would examine whether prosecutors withheld transcripts of a police interview with Tillman's accomplice, Carla Sagers.
Sagers accompanied Tillman when he crept into a Salt Lake City home May 26, 1982, and used an ax to bludgeon Mark Schoenfeld, who was dating Tillman's ex-girlfriend. Sagers received immunity for her key testimony at trial.
Next week's hearing was scheduled to accommodate McCaye Christianson, another of Tillman's lawyers, who is planning a yearlong trip to Austria. A lifelong Mormon, Christianson noticed the alleged LDS references when she joined Tillman's defense team last year.
Testimony is expected from writer Tim Slover, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who has worked at Brigham Young University. Slover has said in an affidavit that Christensen made references to the Mormon temple endowment ceremony, which members believe is a necessary part of achieving eternal life.
Sikora asked that the hearing be closed to the news media because of church leaders' "sensitivity" over revealing details of the sacred ceremony. Lewis rejected that request.
Tillman's execution, once scheduled for June 24, 2001, has been stayed until all the legal issues have been resolved.
kcantera@sltrib.com
Hunger a Lingering Problem for Utah Poor
BY JACOB SANTINI
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
Katherine Scott, a spokeswoman for the Salvation Army, did not believe a recent Center on Hunger and Poverty study that said Utah had the fourth-highest rate of hunger nationally even as its economy boomed in the late 1990s.
So she checked annual figures to see how many people the Salvation Army had served at its downtown Salt Lake City food pantry, soup kitchen and clothing outlet.
Again, she could not believe what she found.
The number of families served in the first nine months of the organization's fiscal year, which ends Sept. 1, was 3,371. The entire year before, 1,267 families received assistance from the Salvation Army, Scott said.
Plus, the number of food orders given to families increased from 1,958 for all of 2001 to 2,653 individual orders in the first nine months of the fiscal year.
"We're getting more and more families," Scott said Wednesday.
The study by the Center on Hunger and Poverty, based at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, reported that 4.5 percent of Utahns suffer from hunger, while 12.5 percent of Utah families could be classified as "food insecure," meaning they were unsure of where their next meal would be coming from. The report was based on data compiled between 1998 and 2000 by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Advocates for Utah's hungry say the Brandeis study shows the working poor did not experience the benefits of an economy that boomed in the late 1990s. Emergency food providers are more concerned now that the state's economy is suffering.
More evidence? The thinning shelves of the Salvation Army's food pantry.
Peggy Swanson, the manager for Salvation Army family services, said Wednesday the pantry has enough supplies to last 36 more hours.
"I look at the families and my heart goes out," Swanson said. "I'm the one that has to tell them, 'I can't help you.' "
Even with low supplies, Swanson wasn't turning people away Wednesday. People like Demedrio, an immigrant from Mexico and father of six children.
In October, Demedrio lost one of his jobs, paying $10 an hour, and now the only work he has pays $7 an hour as a landscaper on Mondays and Tuesdays. He has visited the Salvation Army about every two or three months in the meantime, receiving enough food to last his family for two weeks.
"He's not a lazy man," Swanson said. "He works hard."
When Demedrio came to Utah two years ago, he quickly found two jobs that paid enough that he didn't need help. With one job, Demedrio said, "Not enough money."
He added: "I'm looking for a job."
The Utah Food Bank, which collects food donations and distributes the supplies throughout the state, also is short on food.
"It's not uncommon for the food bank to go through peaks and valleys of donations," said Jeff Golden, a spokesman for the food bank. "We're in a valley right now."
Over the past year, the food bank has seen a 10 percent increase in the number of families requesting help.
The next food bank food drive is in October, when the agency starts its holiday campaign.
Harmons grocery stores, in the meantime, are helping to collect food donations, Golden said.
The food bank is looking for donations of staples, such as peanut butter, canned foods and macaroni and cheese. It also will accept vegetables grown in backyard gardens.
We know that You are the sovereign God. You love Elizabeth infinitely more than any human is capable of loving her. We commit her to You with our complete trust, knowing that You take good care of Your own. Father, we long for the day when Elizabeth can return to her family, her friends, and her school. But Lord, if that is not Your will for her, then we know You have a far better plan that will be for her ultimate good. So we trust in You, Lord, and ask that what is hidden may be revealed. May Your angels surround Elizabeth and shield her brothers and sister as they return to their classes. Send wonderful friends to them, Father, and let there be peace within them. Hear our prayers for the law enforcement men and women, that Your wisdom may lead them to the answers to this heart-breaking mystery. We commit all of this to You, Father, knowing that You are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.