Judge Boots Elizabeth Smart Defendant From Court

Brian David Mitchell may have been found mentally competent to stand trial, but that doesn't mean he's capable of controlling his urge to sing hymns in court, reports the AP. The serenading of Elizabeth Smart's alleged kidnapper lasted about a half-hour during jury selection before the judge kicked him out of the courtroom, to go watch the proceedings remotely. Also a no-go: Mitchell's request to wear the robes he had on when he was busted with Smart in 2003.

Smart is to return from her Mormon mission in France to testify in the trial; she has already testified, in a hearing to determine Mitchell's mental fitness, that he forced her into a polygamous marriage and raped her daily throughout her 9-month captivity. Oddly, Mitchell's singing was allowed during the earlier proceeding. Click here for that story. (More Brian David Mitchell stories.)