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Posted: 4:57 PM- Polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs attempted to hang himself in January while incarcerated in the Purgatory Correctional Facility, newly released court documents show.

Days before the suicide attempt, Jeffs told a brother during a jailhouse visit that he was not the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and had been "deceived by the powers of evil."

Jeffs said that FLDS member William E. Jessop was the rightful prophet and that he had usurped the position.

"I have been the most wicked man in this dispensation, in the eyes of God," Jeffs told his brother, according to a transcript released Tuesday. "As far as I possibly can be, I am sorry from the bottom of my heart."

Fifth District Judge James L. Shumate on Tuesday released documents detailing the suicide attempt and Jeffs' jailhouse conversations, which had previously been sealed.

The documents show that Jeffs asked his brother to get a copy of the video recording of their Jan. 25 visit - something routinely done by jail officials - and let any see it "who desires to see it."

Jeffs asked everyone's forgiveness and bids "farewell forever you who are worthy for Zion, for I will not be there."

Days later, Jeffs tried to hang himself in his cell, according to an unredacted competency evaluation. The suicide attempt occured Jan. 28, the same day jail officials transported him to Dixie Regional Medical Center, where Jeffs was briefly evaluated.

Jeffs was brought back to the jail and placed on suicide watch. When he continued to complain of feeling anxious, jail officials brought psychiatric consultants to meet with him.

On Jan. 30, the sect leader was "throwing himself against the walls," which led officials to give him a tranquilizer.

Days later, Jeffs was still agitated and "banging his head on the wall." A psychiatrist who met with Jeffs said the suicide attempt was a "cry for help."

The release of the documents was supported by case law, said Shumate, and by his belief that the release would not be prejudicial in cases pending against Jeffs in Arizona.

Shumate said he initially sealed the documents to ensure he could seat an impartial jury in Jeffs' September trial on two counts of rape as an accomplice. He was convicted on both counts on Sept. 25.

"I was probably wrong in sealing them," the judge said. "We were successful here in picking a jury and there is no question it can be done in Mohave County."

Walter F. Bugden, one of Jeffs' three attorneys, said he plans to file an appeal once Shumate sentences Jeffs on Nov. 20 and for that reason asked the judge to keep all the documents sealed.

Bugden also said that Jeffs and family members had an expectation of privacy in those conversations, although they understood they were recorded by officials at the Purgatory Correctional Facilty in Hurricane.

"He was talking of feelings, of maybe being despressed, [of] his religion or spirituality, and it is understood you don't expect that will then be released to the world," Bugden said.

Jeffs has been incarcerated at Purgatory since his arrest on Aug. 28, 2006.

Brett D. Ekins, an attorney representing The Salt Lake Tribune and other media, said that state's records law supported releasing the documents - particularly since Jeffs' trial is over.

He also said that releasing the documents was unlikely to impair Jeffs' ability to get a fair trial in Arizona.

"You can't restrain every detail in a criminal case just to assure you get an impartial jury," Ekins said.

Salt Lake attorney Roger Hoole asked Shumate to release the documents under a protective order so they would not be made public but could be used in civil cases pending against Jeffs and the United Effort Plan Trust, a property trust now under court management.

Hoole represents seven young men who filed lawsuits against the trust, Jeffs and other leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The men settled cases against the trust, but not the other defendants.

Hoole also represents Elissa Wall, the accuser in Jeffs' rape trial, who has filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the UEP Trust.

"It is important [for his clients] to share the information with family and friends. Only then would they know they were kicked out by a guy who was never the prophet and a fraud," Hoole said.