Ex-wife of Warren Jeffs plans to buy sect's mansion |

The Utah mansion where convicted pedophile and polygamous religious sect leader Warren Jeffs once lived is being purchased by one of his former wives, who hopes to turn it into a tourist attraction and home for people who have left the church.

The house and adjacent buildings are part of a walled compound that straddles two blocks in the town of Hildale, a twin border community with Colorado City, Arizona, where many members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints lived.

Jeffs, 61, was the spiritual head of the breakaway sect, which the mainstream Mormon Church has condemned for promoting marriage between young girls and older men.

Brielle Decker, who said she was forced to be the 65th of Warren Jeffs' 79 wives when she was 18 years old, is turning over a new leaf

Decker is buying the Utah mansion, worth $1.2 million, that was once used by the religious sect

Many members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints once lived inside the walled compound

And Jeffs, 61, was the spiritual head of the breakaway sect, which the mainstream Mormon Church has condemned for promoting marriage between young girls and older men

Photos of the sprawling mansion reveal its 41 bedrooms, meeting and prayer rooms, dining rooms and two commercial-size kitchens

Jeffs is currently in prison for life after sexually assaulting two underage girls he married. Pictured, Jeffs at at extradition hearing in Las Vegas in 2006

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He is serving a life sentence in a Texas prison for sexually assaulting two underage girls he had married.

Photos of the sprawling mansion, whose estimated value is $1.2 million, reveal its 41 bedrooms, meeting and prayer rooms, dining rooms and two commercial-size kitchens.

Brielle Decker, who said she was forced to be the 65th of Jeffs' 79 wives when she was 18 years old, is hoping to buy the mansion for a reduced price.

'Everything would flourish more if this thing was turned into something good,' said Decker, who escaped from the FLDS five years ago. 'That's my main goal.'

Decker, 31, has occupancy of the property while she raises funds to purchase it. The mansion is big enough for public events and to house ex-FLDS members transitioning to the outside world, she said.

With its secretive history and proximity to Grand Canyon and Zion national parks, the house should attract inquisitive tourists, Decker said.

'We could do tours upstairs,' she said, 'and the middle floor, where the kitchens and the conference rooms are, could be used for events, a restaurant and a gift shop.'

Decker spent several months at the mansion while Jeffs eluded police. Their marriage was not considered legal, and she is planning to wed her fiance next month.

Decker shows how she prayed every hour on the hour with other wives of Jeffs in the prayer room at his compound, where he lived for several years

With its secretive history and proximity to Grand Canyon and Zion national parks, the house should attract inquisitive tourists, Decker said

Balls and exercise equipment lay on the floor of a dining room; Decker has big plans to turn the compound into a tourist destination and home for those leaving the church

Properties belonging to the sect were held in a trust that was established in the 1940s so that members could benefit from its shared assets in line with their religious beliefs

The state of Utah seized the trust in 2005 and is selling back its assets to FLDS members and ex-members

'Everything would flourish more if this thing was turned into something good,' said Decker, who escaped from the FLDS five years ago. 'That's my main goal'

Properties belonging to the sect were held in a trust that was established in the 1940s so that members could benefit from its shared assets in line with their religious beliefs.

The state of Utah seized the trust in 2005 and is selling back its assets to FLDS members and ex-members.

The compound is one of several FLDS sites sprinkled throughout Texas, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and South Dakota.

Jeffs first shot to notoriety when the FBI put him on its Ten Most Wanted List in 2006; he had allegedly been arranging marriages between those in the church and underage girls.

Decker walks through a sitting room in the home with vintage-looking chairs

It's clear that the kitchen was made to serve masses with it's heavy-duty dish washer and industrial-looking sink

Two old couches sit outside the northwest entrance of jailed Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) polygamist prophet leader Warren Jeffs' compound

Red rock cliffs rise above Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah, near Jeffs' former compound

In 2011, Jeffs was convicted of sexually assaulting 'brides' as young as 12 and sentenced to life in prison, plus 20 years.

Warren Jeffs' followers literally believe he is a prophet who channels the word of God, so the barrage of attacks - and victories - by federal and state governments are troubling for them.

The separation from the outside world is so strict that FLDS worshipers are banned from accessing outside media, including the internet and are educated at home.

Still, increasing numbers of FLDS members are leaving - encouraged, in many cases, by family members who already got out.

Advocates have begged for more safe houses, which are needed to stop the escapees from being found by church elders, who may pressure them into returning.

Ex-wife of Warren Jeffs plans to buy sect's mansion

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