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Elizabeth Smart speaks at a press conference while her father, Ed Smart, looks on Thursday September 13, 2018 in Salt Lake City. Smart says it seems that there is no viable legal remedy that she can take to prevent the release of one of her captors. Smart said at a press conference Thursday in Salt Lake City that she had discovered the release of 72-year-old Wanda Barzee shortly before the public. (AP Photo / Rick Bowmer)
SALT LAKE CITY – Elizabeth Smart said Thursday that the news that one of her kidnappers would be released from prison next week was "a big shock" and she hopes that the woman can be sent to a treatment center because no legal recourse allows her to keep it. behind bars.
Wanda Barzee is expected to be released next week after 15 years in detention, including at the state hospital, after Utah authorities said they had miscalculated the length of service of the 64-year-old woman.
Standing on the steps of the capital of Utah, Smart, now 30, recalled some of the horrors she experienced when she was abducted from her home in 2002.
"It's a woman who had six children but who could co-conspire to kidnap a 14-year-old girl and not only sit next to her while being raped, but encourage her husband." to continue to rape me, "said Smart. "So I think it's dangerous? Yes."
She said Barzee "saw me as her slave.She called her maid.He never hesitated to let her discontent be known."
Barzee should be released next Wednesday. At a hearing in June, her lawyer asked if her release date took into account the time she had spent in a federal prison and Tuesday, the jury admitted to having served her sentence.
Lawyer Scott Williams said Barzee had been diagnosed with several mental illnesses, but he's not worried that it's a danger to the community. Williams did not immediately return a message requesting a comment on Thursday.
"I did not find out until shortly before everyone else," said Smart, who is now a married mother and a victim rights activist. "And yes, it was a big shock." Just a few months ago, I was on my way to a parole hearing and it was said that she would never be released. before 2024. "
His father, Ed Smart, also asked why the authorities did not warn him further of the imminent release.
Smart says that she takes unspecified measures to protect her family, but that she refuses to live in a "state of fear."
If Barzee had shown clearer signs of rehabilitation, she would probably feel differently about her release, Smart said.
"I believe in forgiveness, I am a Christian," she said. She also urged the authorities to reconsider release decisions and consider the possibility of new threats rather than simply time.
Smart was removed from his room in Salt Lake City by a street preacher, Brian David Mitchell, who came in through an open kitchen window. The kidnapping caused waves of fear throughout the country.
Smart was found walking with Barzee and Mitchell on a street in the suburbs of Sandy, Utah, by people who recognized the couple in the media.
Mitchell is serving a life sentence after being convicted of kidnapping and rape. He and Barzee were married at one time.
Barzee was convicted of offenses by both the state and the federal and transferred to the state prison of Utah in April 2016 after serving a federal sentence in Texas. . She will be under federal supervision for five years after being released from prison.
If she violates the terms of her release, which will include mental health treatment and an order not to contact Smart's family, she could return to prison, said Smart's lawyer, Brett Tolman.
Tolman was previously the United States Attorney for Utah, who sued Mitchell and is currently in private practice.
Barzee's family could also ask for a possible civil engagement in a mental health facility, if it is warranted, he said.
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