GUILTY UT - Brian Mitchell & Wanda Barzee for kidnapping, Salt Lake City, 5 June 2002

[passionflower]

Federal jury convicts former street preacher of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart eight years ago, rejects insanity plea http://bit.ly/hJf6tl

 

[NoeticSoul]

Elizabeth Smart kidnapper guilty

(snipped)

" A federal court jury on Friday found Brian David Mitchell guilty in the 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart.

The 12-member jury reached their verdict at 10:30 a.m. following five hours of deliberations that began Thursday evening.

Mitchell was convicted of interstate kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor to engage in sexual activity for allegedly holding Smart captive for nine months, including near-daily rapes and a trip to California and back. He faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced on May 25, which allows time for a presentencing report to be completed.

Mitchell was present in the courtroom while the verdict was read, singing the LDS hymn “He Died. The Great Redeemer Died.”"

more @ link


http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50849318-75/mitchell-smart-jurors-barzee.html.csp

 

[LyndyLoo]

Some Live video covering this verdict``

http://www.fox40.com/news/nationworld/sns-kstu-elizabeth-smart-tivid-live,0,3970663.htmlstory

They are live outside the courthouse, awaiting statements from def. attny and whomever else wishes to speak..

 

[songline]

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: GOOD VERDICT.

Now let's hope he gets LWOP

 

[tlcya]

Thank you thank you thank you Jury! I am so glad they saw through all this "I am obviously sick and wasn't in my right mind" bullcarp.

He is only "not in his right mind" when the cameras are rolling or court is in session.

Crazy my ample backside! Crazy like a fox.

 

[LyndyLoo]

Ive been watching HLN ..they are interviewing Jean C. right now, they said that JVM will be interviewing ES's dad soon..

BTW..something I learned today..and that on the STATE level, BM was found NG due to Mental Illness.....Yikes..I am so glad Federally, he was held accountable!! Good job done to get this deviant OFF the streets forever more!! :woohoo:

 

[LyndyLoo]

Heads up!! Jurors giving reactions..sure sounds as if they were ALL emotionally affected

http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream4

 

[jjenny]

Ive been watching HLN ..they are interviewing Jean C. right now, they said that JVM will be interviewing ES's dad soon..

BTW..something I learned today..and that on the STATE level, BM was found NG due to Mental Illness.....Yikes..I am so glad Federally, he was held accountable!! Good job done to get this deviant OFF the streets forever more!! :woohoo:

Isn't this the first time he went on trial? So how could he have been found NG on the state level?

 

[JBean]

Isn't this the first time he went on trial? So how could he have been found NG on the state level?

I think lindyloo is referring to the fact that he was found mentally incompetent to stand trial at the state level.

 

[passionflower]

ELIZABETH SMART WANTS TO BE A PROSECUTOR!!!
Her father just announced that Elizabeth's almost has her degree in music.
But plans to go on to be a Prosecuter LAWYER!!!
Let's be so proud of her!
You go girl!!!

 

[Tricia]

Although this is not directly to do with the trial in the Smart kidnapping it is directly related to the case itself.

Ed Smart said on the news tonight that Richard Ricci was not forthcoming with the police concerning the investigation into Elizabeth's disappearance. That is an out and out lie. Angela Ricci will be sending out a press release concerning the false arrest of her husband in the Elizabeth Smart case. On a personal level I do not understand why Ed Smart feels the need to keep twisting the knife in Angela's heart.

Ed and Lois have never approached Angela to ask if she is OK or to say they are sorry she lost her husband. Instead Ed Smart likes to toss out these comments that do nothing but hurt Angela. In return Angela has always taken the high road when it comes to the Smarts and she will continue to do so. I just wish Ed Smart would do the same.

To refresh every one's memory Richard Ricci was on probation and had worked for the Smarts a year before Elizabeth disappeared. At the time of her disappearance he was working at a local garden company.

When Elizabeth was kidnapped the police zeroed in on Richard because he was on parole.

Richard Ricci immediately admitted to stealing a few items from the Smarts house and a 100 dollar bill from their neighbors. If I was the Smarts I would not be happy about this at all. It's understandable.

According to Angela he was totally honest which is what got him arrested.

Richard assumed that by being totally honest the police would see he had nothing to do with Elizabeth's kidnapping. In fact Angela said he wasn't worried about what would happen to him just about Elizabeth and her safe return. Being honest he thought would move the investigation off of him and on the right track of the true kidnapper.

This did not happen. Instead police violated his parole, which they had every right to do but let's face it. The ONLY reason they did it is because they decided he was the best suspect for the crime and in turn they put the screws to him in prison. Constant questioning, pressure to "tell the truth" about what he did to Elizabeth and forgetting to give him his blood pressure medicine caused his brain literally explode from the stress of it all. He died.

While he was in prison Mary Katherine told her family that Richard didn't do it. The Smart's knew early on it wasn't Richard.

Yet, Richard sat in prison being accused night and day of a terrible crime he didn't commit.

I didn't know Richard and to be honest he wouldn't be someone I would hang out with. He was a criminal but he paid his debt to society, he was in love and married Angela, she loved him, he had a job, and he was doing his best to stay on the up and up. He slipped, he told the truth, and because of that he died.

Why Ed Smart doesn't seem to have a kind word about Angela or her situation is beyond me.

No matter what Richard Ricci had nothing to do with the kidnapping, he cooperated and that is what eventually lead to his death. I don't understand why the Smarts can't just reach out to Angela and acknowledge her pain. I don't get it.

 

[songline]

ELIZABETH SMART WANTS TO BE A PROSECUTOR!!!
Her father just announced that Elizabeth's almost has her degree in music.
But plans to go on to be a Prosecuter LAWYER!!!
Let's be so proud of her!
You go girl!!!

Elizabeth you rock !

 

[suzyq211]

Elizabeth you rock !

I'll say!! People that channel horrendous experiences into good have my utmost admiration!!! Hats off to this incredible woman!

 

[songline]

I'll say!! People that channel horrendous experiences into good have my utmost admiration!!! Hats off to this incredible woman!

That kind of inspiration is what I love.
It makes my heart sing.

 

[Tricia]

Richard Ricci was a criminal. He spent time in the Utah State Prison. He shot at a cop (and grazed him thank God it was nothing worse) in the mid 80's and he stole some meat from a freezer. He was a criminal. No excuses. BUT he did not kidnap Elizabeth Smart.

Please read the press release below. Now that Elizabeth has her justice Angela would just like something very simple. An apology from the Smarts for what her family has gone through.

People all over the world have reached out to Angela yet Ed Smart insists on repeating fabrications about Richard Ricci.

All that does is hurt. Hurt Angela and her son.

Please feel free to take this post and the press release and post it or send it anywhere you see fit.

Richard Ricci was a criminal but he was loved. And most importantly he did not kidnap Elizabeth. Just because he was on parole does not give anyone the right to falsely accuse him of a horrible crime.
Thanks,
Tricia

December 14, 2010
Contact: Tricia Griffith
801-*******
tgrif@xmission.com
THE FORGOTTEN VICTIM IN THE ELIZABETH SMART CASE
Richard Ricci’s Widow Angela Speaks Out About Ed Smart

All Angela Ricci ever wanted from Ed and Lois Smart was an apology -- a heartfelt apology for what happened to her loved one in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case.

Angela’s husband, Richard Ricci, did not kidnap Elizabeth Smart. Yet for at least 8 months he was the only suspect in her kidnapping.

Richard Ricci died in prison. He was sent to prison when his parole was revoked because he drank beer. While incarcerated, he was questioned relentlessly about Elizabeth Smart’s disappearance. In fact, some would say the pressure to get him to admit he kidnapped Elizabeth was so great that it caused his deadly brain aneurysm, which eventually killed him.

Ed and Lois Smart knew, before Elizabeth came home, that Richard Ricci did not commit this crime. They knew this when their daughter Mary Katherine, the only witness to Elizabeth’s kidnapping, told her father it wasn’t Richard. She told him that is was “Immanuel,” a drifter who the Smart’s hired to work at their home, and they believed her. (This information ultimately led to Elizabeth Smart’s rescue from her kidnappers.)

On Saturday December 11th 2010, Ed Smart told a TV news anchor that Richard Ricci was not forthcoming in the investigation into Elizabeth’s kidnapping. Angela Ricci was watching that newscast.

In reaction to Ed Smart’s comment, Angela said, “That is an out-and-out lie. As soon as the police questioned Richard, he admitted he stole some items from the Smart home. He assumed if he was honest and upfront, the police would move on and find the real kidnapper. The ONLY thing Richard would not do is say he kidnapped Elizabeth. What Richard did was wrong and I was hurt when I found out, but he didn’t kidnap Elizabeth and he didn’t deserve to die in prison. How can you be ‘forthcoming’, as Ed Smart would say, for something you didn’t do? He was as forthcoming as he could be without making something up.”

So one must ask: Why is it so difficult for Ed Smart to tell Angela Ricci he is sorry? Wouldn’t he be a true Christian if he reached out to Angela with such an apology? Yet he seems determined to keep the knife in Angela’s heart and twist it when he gets the chance.

Angela Ricci has always taken the high road. She has never criticized the Smarts, and her (and her late husband’s) main concern all along was the safe return of Elizabeth Smart, which finally occurred.

Ed and Lois have their loved one back, and now they and Elizabeth got their justice. But Angela Ricci and her son no longer have their loved one, nor have they been given justice concerning this case. An apology -- that’s all Angela wants. Why won’t Ed Smart give her one? Maybe someone should ask him that question on a TV newscast.

# # #​

 

[sassy_texasbelle2]

NG also trashed this poor man over and over in typical NG fashion. He was guilty in her eyes she had made the decision he was.

 

[Nova]

I think it's important that Tricia remind us all of the dangers of false assumptions.

But as for apologies, I'm afraid I don't see what the Smarts are obligated to do.

Does anyone actually believe they knowingly accused this man falsely? Yes, their daughter identified "Immanuel", but she was young and they must have thought she could have been mistaken. Surely we expect the parents of a missing child to give LE any and all info that might possibly be of some use.

Did LE mistreat Mr. Ricci? Perhaps, though certainly his own history contributed to what ensued.

But as for the Smarts, I don't see what they did wrong.

 

[Tricia]

I think it's important that Tricia remind us all of the dangers of false assumptions.

But as for apologies, I'm afraid I don't see what the Smarts are obligated to do.

Does anyone actually believe they knowingly accused this man falsely? Yes, their daughter identified "Immanuel", but she was young and they must have thought she could have been mistaken. Surely we expect the parents of a missing child to give LE any and all info that might possibly be of some use.

Did LE mistreat Mr. Ricci? Perhaps, though certainly his own history contributed to what ensued.

But as for the Smarts, I don't see what they did wrong.

They knew early on that Richard did not do this crime. According to Tom Smart's book Mary Katherine told them Richard didn't do it. It was Immanuel. I think it was about 5 or 6 months before Elizabeth came home.

The Smarts continued to accuse Richard of kidnapping Elizabeth. Even when Mary Katherine told them he didn't do it.

It's not so much that the Smarts did anything wrong to apologize for as much as it they should reach out to a woman who lost her loved one due to false accusations.

It would be nice if they admitted they were wrong too in accusing Richard and apologize for that. That's all.

I have always wondered why they did not insist on telling everyone that Richard didn't do it when Mary Katherine told them so. I don't get it and I never will. Even after she insisted it wasn't Richard the Smarts were on TV accusing Richard of this horrible crime.

The day Elizabeth showed up with Mitchelle I don't know why Ed and Lois Smart just couldn't call Angela and say, "We are so sorry for what Richard Ricci's family has been put through. He didn't kidnap Elizabeth."

They have given half hearted (not even that much) apologies but always with a cruel twist added to it so it doesn't mean anything.

Like I said I am not defending Richard Ricci. He is a guy I wouldn't hang around with to be quite honest but Angela loved him and has said he was trying so hard to get his life in order when this all happened.

What bothers me most is people seem to be saying it is OK that this happened to him because even though he didn't do it he was still a criminal. That's just wrong.

 

[Tricia]

One thing I want to mention is Ed has just been mean when it comes to Richard. I'm talking after everyone knew it wasn't Richard.

As good Christians I personally do not understand why they have to continue to be cruel to Angela by saying things like Richard didn't fully cooperate. Total and complete lie. Every time Ed Smart does this it puts a hole in Angela's heart all over again.

Why? I don't know why they can't just reach out and say how sorry they are for what her family went through and leave it at that but they won't.

 

[ohiogirl]

I agree with you Tricia, there is no reason to not acknowledge it was a mistake from the get go and then let it go.I also don't understand why they are saying he went back to jail for drinking beer when he violated his parole by admittedly stealing from the Smarts.