"Sister Wives" patriarch, Kody Brown, may be called to testify as an expert witness in a polygamy case involving alleged physical violence by Mitchell Kyle Henderson. It is alleged that he beat his first wife after entering into a "spiritual" relationship with another woman, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Kody Brown has long been an activist for polygamy and is probably the most well-known polygamist in the USA.
Kody Brown of Sister Wives as an expert witness
Kody Brown heads a polygamous family that is screened on one of TLC's reality TV series.
The show that's been running for eight years follows Kody Brown, his four wives, and their 18 children. In fact, because of his polygamy, he was investigated in Utah. But a ruling overturned the prosecution as he was only married to one wife and the others were "spiritual" unions. The Utah laws against polygamy were ruled by a federal judge to be unconstitutional. In fact, a man may not marry more than one wife but he can cohabit with more than one.
This experience probably does put Kody Brown into the bracket of being an "expert witness." However, The Salt Lake Tribune did point out that the defense team of Mitchell Kyle Henderson, don't really want him to testify unless necessary. His lawyer, an ex Utah attorney general, Mark Shurtless, would rather try and file a motion asking the judge to ban any references to polygamy during the trial.
Polygamy and domestic violence relationship
In the opinion of the lawyer, there should be no need to mention polygamy in an assault charge. He need not have been polygamous to beat his wife. The Salt Lake Tribunal quoted him as saying, “It’s just meant to inflame the jury." The prosecution intends to introduce their own expert witness testimony through someone who will claim the church both Henderson and Brown attend, is patriarchal.
The church is the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB). Shurtless feels that he will only need to produce Brown as an expert witness if the prosecution does use their own expert.
Henderson's first wife believes polygamy should be mentioned in the trial. “This whole thing is about polygamy and control and abuse,” Nicole Van Tassell Henderson stated.
The charges faced by Henderson
Henderson will appear in a state court in Provo to face six charges. The felony charges include violating a protective order, domestic violence and assault, and tampering with witnesses. He could face five years imprisonment on each count if he is found guilty. The trial is still some time away and the selection of the jury will begin on September 11.
Henderson and Kody Brown of "Sister Wives" are friends, attend the same church together, and live a polygamy lifestyle through cohabiting with multiple women. As the trial is still pending, Kody Brown was not able to provide a statement to the press.
