Brian David Mitchell’s kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart in 2002 was a “nightmare,” Smart recalls in a new interview, describing the nine-month ordeal. Mitchell and wife Wanda Barzee were convicted years later.
In an interview with NBC’s Meredith Vieira, Smart said that she “didn’t feel human” while she was being held by Mitchell and wife Wanda Barzee. Smart, 25, said she was a slave to Barzee and an object to Mitchell, who was convicted in 2011.
“I mean, here I was, a 14-year-old girl, ripped from my family, from my friends, from the people I loved,” Smart said. “Being raped every day, not knowing when I‘d be able to eat next, not knowing when I’d be able to drink next, and being chained to a tree.”
Smart’s interview will be aired on the network on Friday. Her book “My Story” will come out in a week.
“I don’t think there’s anything worse you can do to a child,” Smart said of the kidnapping.
Mitchell claimed to be the Messiah and during his 2011 court hearings, initially gave an insanity defense. He sang to himself--loudly--while in court.
“I know that you know what you did is wrong,” Smart said a court appearance for his trial. “I also want you to know that I have a wonderful life now, that no matter what you do will it affect me again... but in this life or next you will have to be held responsible for those actions and I hope you are ready for when that time comes,” she added.
Mitchell is serving two life sentences while Barzee was given a 15-year term.
Smart, who has gotten married and graduated from college, has since started a foundation that helps prevent crimes against children.
