Brian David Mitchell

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Elizabeth Smart: 'Evil' Captor 'Encouraged Him to Rape Me'

On eve of Wanda Barzee's release, Smart says she sat next to her while she was being raped

(Newser) - On Wednesday, Wanda Barzee is set to walk out of Utah State Prison a free woman—and on Tuesday, the person she helped hold captive for nine months is once more speaking out against her release. A surprise announcement earlier this month warned Elizabeth Smart, now 30, that her one-time...

Elizabeth Smart Kidnapper Unexpectedly Being Released

Smart's father says family had been told Wanda Barzee wouldn't be freed for years

(Newser) - The woman who helped kidnap Elizabeth Smart in 2002 and held her in captivity for nine months will be freed next Wednesday following a surprise announcement from the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. The somewhat confusing development is a technical one: The Salt Lake Tribune reports the board denied...

Elizabeth Smart: Porn Made My Ordeal Even Worse

She records video for anti-porn group

(Newser) - Elizabeth Smart has shared new details of her horrific kidnapping ordeal in a video for an anti-porn group , in which she says she has witnessed firsthand how damaging porn is. Smart—who was kidnapped in 2002, when she was 14, and raped repeatedly over the next nine months—says captor...

Elizabeth Smart Details Wrenching Near-Rescues
Elizabeth Smart Details Wrenching Near-Rescues
NEW MEMOIR
Oct 7, 2013 1:52 PM CDT

Elizabeth Smart Details Wrenching Near-Rescues

Memoir is out today

(Newser) - Minutes after 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was snatched from her bedroom in the dead of night, a police cruiser idled by along a neighborhood street as she was forced to the ground at knifepoint. "Move and I will kill you!" her captor hissed. It was one of several fleeting...

Elizabeth Smart to Abductor: 'I Have a Wonderful Life'

She confronts kidnapper before he is sentenced to life

(Newser) - Brian David Mitchell got a life sentence today for kidnapping Elizabeth Smart , but she got the last word in court. Confronting him for the first time, she kept it short and sweet:
  • "I don't have very much to say to you. I know exactly what you did. I
...

Elizabeth Smart Not All That Damaged: Defense

Kidnapper's attorney argues to prevent Brian David Mitchell from getting life sentence

(Newser) - Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapper shouldn’t get a life sentence, his attorney argued yesterday, because Smart isn’t all that psychologically damaged. “In a legal sense, the story is not the extreme psychological injury. The story is her overcoming the extreme conduct of my client,” said Robert Steele...

Elizabeth Smart: 'It Is Possible to Move On'

Says she's 'thrilled' with her kidnapper's guilty verdict

(Newser) - A smiling Elizabeth Smart pronounced herself "thrilled" with today's guilty verdict of kidnapper Brian David Mitchell. But she's happy for another reason as well: "I am so thrilled to stand before the people of America today and give hope to other victims who have not spoken out about...

Elizabeth Smart Kidnapper Found Guilty
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapper Found Guilty
breaking news
Dec 10, 2010 12:11 PM CST

Elizabeth Smart Kidnapper Found Guilty

Federal jury finds Brian David Mitchell guilty on both counts

(Newser) - A federal jury has convicted a former street preacher of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart more than eight years ago. The verdict reached today finally brought justice for Smart and her family after the ordeal that began when Brian David Mitchell took her from her home at knifepoint and held her captive...

Elizabeth Smart Storms Out of Trial

Loses cool after shrink testifies Mitchell intended to impregnate her

(Newser) - Losing her cool for the first time, Elizabeth Smart stormed out of her alleged kidnapper's trial yesterday, glaring at a state psychologist as he testified that Brian David Mitchell intended to impregnate her and that the two had talked about baby names. Paul Whitehead, who evaluated Mitchell for three years,...

Mitchell: Elizabeth Smart Had a 'Glorious Experience'

Witness testifies he was controlling, not delusional

(Newser) - Trial resumed in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case today, with jurors hearing testimony that Brian David Mitchell was not delusional, but rather deliberately controlling and intimidating, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. Mitchell "has a personality that is much larger than I’ve ever encountered," testified a former cop...

Elizabeth Smart: Abductor Was 'Self-Serving,' 'Vulgar'

Says he used religion to justify his actions

(Newser) - Elizabeth Smart wrapped up her testimony in the trial of Brian David Mitchell today, making clear that she doesn't think the man accused of subjecting her to daily rapes for 9 months is a man of God as he claims. In her words: "He was crude and vulgar, self-serving....

Elizabeth Smart Stayed With Captor to Protect Family

He promised to kill them if she fled

(Newser) - Elizabeth Smart continued her poised testimony today, explaining that she didn't try to escape captor Brian David Mitchell because he promised to kill her family if she did. The Salt Lake Tribune highlights this wrenching detail: Mitchell forced her to burn the red pajamas she had on when he abducted...

Elizabeth Smart Takes the Stand Against Alleged Kidnapper

She recalls 'begging' him not to rape her

(Newser) - Elizabeth Smart took the stand today against the man accused of kidnapping and raping her, recounting in a calm voice how Brian David Mitchell allegedly woke her up on the morning of June 5, 2002, with a knife to her throat. He said, “Come with me or I will...

Judge Boots Elizabeth Smart Defendant From Court
Judge Boots Elizabeth Smart Defendant From Court
CAN'T STOP SINGING
Nov 1, 2010 5:52 PM CDT

Judge Boots Elizabeth Smart Defendant From Court

Brian David Mitchell couldn't contain his urge to sing hymns

(Newser) - 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...

Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping Trial Begins Today

Smart will testify against Brian David Mitchell

(Newser) - More than seven years after she was found, Elizabeth Smart is preparing to take the stand against the man accused of kidnapping her. Brian David Mitchell’s trial begins today in Salt Lake City, and Smart will fly back from her Mormon mission in Paris this weekend for it. After...

Smart's Co-Abductor: 'I Am So Sorry, Elizabeth'

Barzee expected to serve another 9 years in prison

(Newser) - A woman charged in the 2002 kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart pleaded guilty today as part of a deal with prosecutors and asked Smart to forgive her. Wanda Eileen Barzee is expected to receive a 15-year sentence, with credit for about six already served. "I am so sorry, Elizabeth, for...

Elizabeth Smart's Co-Kidnapper to Plead Guilty

Wanda Barzee in court on kidnapping charges today

(Newser) - A woman accused of helping kidnap schoolgirl Elizabeth Smart in 2002 is expected to plead guilty today. Wanda Barzee could face a life sentence on kidnapping charges, although her lawyer declined to comment on whether her guilty plea is coming as part of a deal. Barzee was ruled competent to...

Elizabeth Smart to Testify on Sanity of Her Kidnapper

Will detail his behavior during 9-month captivity

(Newser) - Elizabeth Smart is ready to testify against the homeless street preacher who abducted her at knifepoint seven years ago. At a hearing Thursday to determine if Brian David Mitchell is fit to stand trial, Smart will tell the court how he acted over her nine-month captivity. The prosecutor thinks she’...

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