PROVO, USA- A polygamist's frequent appearances on national television describing his life as head of a family of five wives and 29 children helped make a guilty verdict in his trial inevitable, jurors said Tuesday.
Tom Green was found guilty Friday of four counts of bigamy and one count of failure to pay child support. He faces up to 25 years in prison and $25,000 in fines when he is sentenced June 27.
On Tuesday, five of the eight jurors discussed their verdict; three were unavailable.
``I think it would have been very difficult, judging by the evidence and what the law was, to do anything other than what I did,'' juror Alyson Keiser said.
Green, 52, is the first Utah man to be found guilty of bigamy in nearly 50 years, and his case has drawn media attention around the world.
``For us, it didn't come into play whether we agreed with Tom Green or disagreed with Tom Green, whether we advocated or condemned his lifestyle,'' said Jeff Forsyth, one of three men on the jury. ``For us, it's a matter of the evidence that's presented to us, does it fall within the bounds of what the law will allow.''
Before the trial, Green had said he could not get a fair trial in Utah County, which is estimated to be 90 percent Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which brought plural marriage to Utah, now excommunicates polygamists, and Green said Mormon jurors would be biased against him.
But the jurors - who declined to reveal their religious affiliation - said religion was never discussed in the jury room.
``I think he chose to live what his god tells him instead of what the law tells him,'' Andrea Mitchell said. ``And he needs to somehow figure out how to work those together because you've got to live how the law says or you'll pay.''
The enormous family, which lives a hardscrabble life in a cluster of trailer homes in Utah's West Desert, will be left on its own if Green is sentenced to jail.
``I think that was probably the hardest thing,'' said Cecilee Nelson, the jury's forewoman. ``We had a lot of emotions in the room because of the family.''
Holly Mitchell added: ``It's their children that I really find my heart goes out to.''
The jury was introduced to the children through excerpts from their appearances on a half-dozen television shows, including ``Dateline'' and ``The Jerry Springer Show.''
Before the trial, prosecutor David Leavitt said he learned of Green only through his TV appearances, which convinced Leavitt he had a provable case. On Tuesday, the jurors said they would have had difficulty convicting Green without those shows.
``The video clips helped us a lot,'' Nelson said. ``The video clips were his testimony.''
The other crucial evidence, jurors said, was a judge's ruling that Green and his first polygamous wife were legally married under Utah's common law, even though they didn't have a valid marriage license.
To make its case, the state had to show that Green was married to one woman and cohabited with the others.
AP-NY-05-22-01 2144EDT
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press.