This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Federal inmate No. 15815-081 — a k a Brian David Mitchell —has at last been booked into an Arizona prison.
Mitchell, convicted of the 2002 kidnap and rape of then 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, was transferred out of the Salt Lake County jail on Aug. 31. He arrived at the United States Penitentiary, Tucson, on Wednesday, said Edmond Ross, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Ross said the 57-year-old Mitchell was sent to the facility 10 miles southeast of Tucson in part because of the length of his term and because of Mitchell's offense.
Mitchell was sentenced to life in prison on May 25 by U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball after a jury found Mitchell guilty of abducting Smart at knifepoint and keeping her captive for nine months.
The prison, which holds 1,627 inmates, is described as "a high security institution housing male inmates, with a satellite camp that houses minimum security male inmates."
Mitchell's prison designation had been kept secret until now as a security measure. Ross said it's not unusual for the transport process of federal inmates to take days or weeks.
Ross has said judges typically submit recommendations for where convicts should be housed, and an inmate is usually placed within 500 miles from his or her residence, if possible. An inmate's security, medical needs, history of prison commitments and behavioral history are also factors, he said.
Jim Thompson, U.S. marshal for the District of Utah, has said that Mitchell behaved during his move to prison.
"He was well-behaved and cooperative today. I would guess that he is filled with anxiety, like the other prisoners, about getting to his new detention facility and moving on with the next stage of their confinement," Thompson wrote in an email the day that Mitchell was removed from the Salt Lake County jail. "Nothing stood out as unusual or unique about his behavior."
Mitchell's eight-year court saga concluded in July when 3rd District Judge Judith Atherton signed an order dismissing state kidnapping and sexual abuse charges that were filed after Smart's rescue in March 2003, when the girl was discovered in Sandy in the company of Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Eileen Barzee.
The state case had been in legal limbo for years because of issues surrounding Mitchell's mental competency.
In federal court, meanwhile, Mitchell was found competent, convicted by a jury of crimes against Smart and sentenced to life in prison.
Following his federal conviction, Mitchell declared he did not want to continue the court fight by appealing his conviction. Salt Lake County prosecutors then moved to dismiss their state case against Mitchell.
Mitchell arrived at prison the same day Elizabeth Smart shared her story of surviving her ordeal at the Family Support Center's Blue Ribbon Breakfast in Salt Lake City. The breakfast aimed to raise money for the center and bring awareness to child abuse issues.
Smart, now 23, has recently embarked on a television career with ABC News.
Network officials announced July 7 that Smart will be an ABC News contributor, meaning she will lend her expertise as a kidnapping survivor when there is a high-profile missing persons case to cover. Julie Townsend, a network spokeswoman for ABC News, has said Smart will work with programs like "Good Morning America," "ABC World News Tonight" and "Nightline."
She has said her new job will help her publicly advance child advocacy issues.
"I am committed to giving back and getting involved where I can make the greatest difference," she said.
"Partnering with ABC provides a powerful tool to help me accomplish this." Smart added. "I look forward to working to create awareness for and helping bring other missing children home as well as helping to prevent others from experiencing what I went through."
During Mitchell's sentencing, Smart told him: "I know that you know what you did was wrong. You did it with a full knowledge. I also want you to know that I have a wonderful life now, that no matter what you do, it will not affect me again.
"You took away nine months of my life that can never be returned. 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."
In addition to her job with ABC News, Smart has said she intends to work with crime victims through her foundation, The Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which is focused on preventing child abuse. The foundation will focus on prevention, education and promoting radKIDS (Resisting Aggression Defensively) — a program that teaches children about calling 911 and making defensive moves against attackers.
Twitter: @mrogers_trib —
Q&A
Why did it take so long to bring Mitchell to trial?
A lengthy state court battle over Mitchell's competency ended when a judge declared Mitchell incompetent to stand trial in 2008 and also ruled he couldn't forcibly be medicated to try to restore his mental health.
Federal prosecutors filed charges and succeeded in having him declared competent with a different approach: using both mental-health experts and lay witnesses, including some who had interacted with Mitchell at the Utah State Hospital.
A federal court jury convicted Mitchell of crimes against Smart. A judge in May sentenced him to life in prison. It then took the Federal Bureau of Prisons several months to find an appropriate prison assignment for Mitchell, who arrived at the United States Penitentiary, Tucson on Sept. 14.
How much time will Mitchell's wife, Wanda Eileen Barzee, serve?
Barzee, 65, is now serving a 15-year term at a Texas federal prison. A federal judge gave Barzee credit for the seven years she had already spent behind bars, either at Utah State Hospital or the Salt Lake County jail. Barzee's federal time is running concurrently with a one-to-15-year state conviction for the July 2002 attempted kidnapping of Smart's cousin. Barzee will be eligible for state parole in 2018, but she could remain in prison until 2024.