Abduction and Recovery
Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City bedroom on June 5, 2002, at age 14. She was found nine months later on March 12, 2003, in Sandy, Utah, 18 miles from her home, in the company of Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee. Her abduction and recovery were widely reported and were the subject of a made-for-TV movie and non-fiction book.
On October 1, 2009, Smart testified to being threatened, tied, and raped daily while she was held captive.
On November 16, 2009, Barzee announced she would plead guilty to assisting in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, as part of an agreement with prosecutors. On May 19, 2010, Barzee was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. As part of a plea deal between the defense and federal prosecutors, federal Judge Dale Kimball gave Barzee credit for seven years that she already has served, the U.S. attorney in Utah said.
On March 1, 2010, Mitchell was found competent to stand trial for the kidnapping and sexual assault charges in federal court by judge Kimball; his trial began on November 8, 2010, and on December 10, 2010, the jury found Mitchell guilty on both counts. On May 25, 2011, Mitchell was sentenced to two life-terms in federal prison.
Read more about this topic: Elizabeth Smart
Famous quotes containing the words abduction and/or recovery:
“Some men have sighed over the abduction of their wives, but many more have sighed because no one wanted to abduct theirs.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“It’s even pleasant to be sick when you know that there are people who await your recovery as they might await a holiday.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)