Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Elizabeth Smart says her kidnapper Wanda Barzee used familiar justifications for her recent park visits.
- Smart expressed concern over Barzee's arrest, urging survivor-focused legal system changes.
- Smart remains resilient, refusing to live in fear, focusing on future improvements.
SALT LAKE CITY — Elizabeth Smart says her kidnapper Wanda Barzee's reasoning for recently visiting two Salt Lake parks — a violation of Barzee's sex offender registry status — is something she has heard before.
"Her justification was she was commanded by the Lord, which unfortunately is very familiar to me and is probably the most concerning thing because that's how they justified kidnapping me. I feel like I've been vocal about my concerns since Barzee's initial release, and this incident confirms exactly why," Smart said.
Thursday night, Smart publicly addressed Barzee's arrest last week by posting a video message to the Elizabeth Smart Foundation's Instagram page and a corresponding statement on the foundation's website. Smart hopes the arrest will serve as a reminder that survivors need to be a top priority in the legal system.
Barzee, 79, who was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail under the name Wanda Mitchell, was arrested last week and charged on Friday in 3rd District Court with two counts of being a sex offender in a protected area, a class A misdemeanor. Barzee was spotted in April in Liberty Park and Sugar House Park, places she is forbidden to visit because she is a registered sex offender.
She "admitted that she went to Liberty Park in Salt Lake City … because 'she was commanded to by the Lord,'" and also "admitted to going to the park to sit on benches and feed ducks. (Barzee) also admitted to going to Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City after being 'commanded' to," according to a police booking affidavit.
Barzee and her husband, Brian David Mitchell, kidnapped then-14-year-old Elizabeth Smart from her home in 2002 and held her captive until their arrests nine months later. Mitchell claimed he was commanded by God to take Smart. After years of court battles over her competency, Barzee pleaded guilty in federal court in 2009 to kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor. In 2011, Brian Mitchell was sentenced to life in federal prison.
In 2010, Barzee was found competent to proceed in a separate state court case against her. She pleaded guilty and mentally ill in state court to the 2002 attempted kidnapping of Smart's cousin and was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. After completing her federal prison sentence, Barzee returned to Utah State Prison in April 2016. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole gave Barzee credit for her time served in federal prison and released her on Sept. 19, 2018, after serving her complete sentence.
On Thursday, Smart thanked the Salt Lake City Police Department and Chief Brian Redd for their "quick and professional response."
"They handled this situation with a trauma-informed approach, which means so much to me personally," Smart said. "When authorities take these situations seriously, it sends a very powerful message that survivor safety matters."
However, while Smart recognizes that "my case received so much attention … the sad truth is most survivors never see their perpetrators arrested, let alone convicted," she said, calling the process "more of a legal system than a justice system."
"But, we also believe in the possibility of change," she said on her website.
Smart hopes that policymakers and other community leaders will use Barzee's arrest as an example for why survivors need to be front and center in the legal system, and also use her arrest as a reminder "that sex offender registries and release conditions exist for important reasons."
"I believe in a future where all survivors can be heard, believed and supported," Smart said.
As for her personal feelings on Barzee's new violations, Smart says she's not going to waste time worrying about them.
"I turned back to the advice my own mother gave me the day I was rescued, where she said, 'They've already stolen nine months of your life away from you. Do not let them steal another second. You need to move forward with your life and you need to be happy.' And I have always tried to follow that advice to the best of my ability. So, although this situation has arisen, I refuse to live my life in fear."
Barzee filed for divorce from Brian David Mitchell in 2004 after their arrests. However, the case was dismissed in 2010 because Mitchell was never served, according to court records, making them still legally married.
