The man accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart from her bedroom in 2002 and holding her for nine months was again declared unfit to stand trial Monday after screaming at a judge to forsake those robes and kneel in the dust.
A new book about Elizabeth Smart‘s abduction, written by one of her uncles, isn’t being well-received by Elizabeth or her parents. “In Plain Sight: The Startling Truth Behind the Elizabeth Smart Investigation” was released Monday. The book, written by Deseret Morning News photographer Tom Smart and columnist Lee Benson, chronicles some of the alleged, previously unknown, behind-the-scenes details of Elizabeth’s kidnapping, the search for her and the police investigation. But Ed Smart, Elizabeth’s father, said Monday he wants to make it clear Elizabeth didn’t supply any details for the book. “We haven’t endorsed Tom’s book because she hasn’t shared her
New book mentions incidents that allegedly impeded investigation into her disappearance Elizabeth Smart’s uncle has faulted the police investigation into her disappearance in a new book, claiming the teen would still be a kidnap victim if the family had not gotten involved. “I don’t think she would be back,” Tom Smart said. “There’s five or six things that had to happen, and all those things, thank God, happened, including help from the community, which raised awareness to find Elizabeth.” The book, “In Plain Sight: The Startling Truth Behind the Elizabeth Smart Investigation,” went on sale Monday. Elizabeth was allegedly kidnapped
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – The drifter and self-proclaimed prophet accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart showed up to his competency hearing 90 minutes late Thursday and was kicked out after he started singing a Bible verse. The hearing was delayed until Feb. 15. Brian David Mitchell, 51, and his wife, Wanda Barzee, 59, are charged with kidnapping, sexual assault and burglary counts in the 2002 abduction of the Utah girl. Mitchell’s courtroom antics Thursday marked the second time in recent weeks that he broke out into song in court. In December, he began singing a Christmas hymn during a court
SALT LAKE CITY – The father of Elizabeth Smart says the family wants a quick resolution to the kidnapping and sexual assault charges against the girl’s alleged abductor, Brian David Mitchell – even if that means a plea deal. “I’d just as soon have a plea deal and the whole thing be finished,” Smart said in a telephone interview from his home. Salt Lake City radio station KSL first reported Smart’s inclinations in a story on its Web site. Smart has said he’s reluctant to have his daughter suffer the rigors of reliving the case through a trial, much less
he widow of a one-time “top potential suspect” in the kidnapping of teen-ager Elizabeth Smart has agreed to a $150,000 settlement of her lawsuit against Utah prison officials. Richard Ricci died of a brain hemorrhage in prison three months after Smart was kidnapped in 2002. Ricci was in maximum security on a parole violation — and was facing state and federal charges. Angela Ricci filed a lawsuit in federal court against prison and Salt Lake City police officials, alleging false prosecution, libel and wrongful death. Her claim against the city remains in litigation. She said the $150,000 settlement from the
The father of kidnapped Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart endorsed Rep. Martin Frost on Friday, saying he supports the Democrat’s efforts involving child welfare.
SALT LAKE CITY – A suspect in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case could be held indefinitely at a state hospital if a judge rules she is incompetent to stand trial, which her attorney says he expects. A judge was scheduled to rule Friday whether suspect Wanda Barzee, 58, is competent after she waived a hearing to weigh evidence on the issue. Barzee’s attorneys, David Finlayson and Scott Williams, filed a motion Wednesday in which Barzee said she would request the court to rule “at its discretion” without the hearing. But she did not agree with two mental health experts who
“ have asked me to ask you, the media, to now have respect for the privacy of Elizabeth and the family.” — Salt Lake District Attorney David Yocom, March 12, 2003. “Next, Elizabeth Smart‘s trip back to the hidden camp where she was chained to a tree like an animal for months.”–Pre-commercial tease on “Oprah,” Oct. 27, 2003. Well. I guess the Smarts changed their minds about that whole privacy thing. Imagine if the nightmare endured by Elizabeth’s Smart family had happened to your family. Your 14-year-old daughter was snatched from your home in the middle of the night
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Elizabeth Smart, whose abduction from her bedroom and reunion with her family nine months later made her name and face familiar to millions, said in her first public interview that she hasn’t changed that much from the girl she was before. “I think there’s some things different about me, but I think I’m still pretty much the same person,” the 15-year-old told NBC’s Katie Couric in an interview aired Friday. “It’s not like I was, like, all happy and all of a sudden I come back and I’m not, because I’m still happy,” she said.