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Revision as of 12:51, 9 February 2011 editWombat24 (talk \| contribs)465 edits →Elizabeth Smart kidnapping: Deleting because we've already discussed this and decided or concluded not to merge two articles← Previous edit		Revision as of 00:48, 10 February 2011 edit undo173.63.107.126 (talk) Undid revision 412904166 by Wombat24 (talk) out of order to delete merge tag while merge discussion is under wayNext edit →
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	Soon Mitchell came to be frequently seen wearing robes around Salt Lake City and begging for money, something he called "ministering to unbelievers".<ref name="SLCT"/> Then, in following the revelations, he came to approach women to voluntarily become polygamists wives with him and Barzee, but was unsuccessful.<ref name="The Salt Lake Tribune"/> The first was a single mother in Salt Lake City and the second was Julia Atkinson, approximately 21 years of age, a young woman who had formerly been a member of the ] clan<ref name = BehaviorDifferent>{{cite news\|publisher = ]\|url = http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13542688&autostart=y\|title = U.S. Marshall testifies Mitchell's behavior different inside courtroom\|date = December 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|publisher = ] \| url = http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=293&sid=8870183 \| title = Witnesses talk of Mitchell's religion, past during competency hearing \| date = December 1, 2009}}</ref> in ]. Being unsuccessful in both attempts, Mitchell then received a new revelation in which, according to testimony from Barzee,<ref name="DN">{{cite news\|publisher = ] \| url = http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700083529/He-was-a-great-deceiver-Wanda-Barzee-says-of-her-husband.html \| title = 'He was a great deceiver,' Wanda Barzee says of her husband \| date = November 19, 2010}}</ref> he was commanded to forcibly take ] girls between the ages of 10 and 14 to become his polygamists wives.<ref name=Time>{{cite web \| url = http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2032820,00.html#ixzz16BInI700 \| title =Smart's Alleged Kidnapper: Grim Portrait of a 'Righteous Man \| date = Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010}}</ref> This new revelation was then supplemented by another one where he was commanded to forcibly take a 14 year old to become his first polygamist wife, of a total of 350 wives that the revelation told Mitchell to take.<ref name="DN"/> He then kidnapped Elizabeth Smart from her home at knife point around 2 a.m. Later he would unsuccessfully attempt to kidnap Olivia Wright, a cousin of Elizabeth Smart, for which he was indicted in Utah on aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping charges. Later he also attempted to kidnap a 12-year-old girl near ], but was unsuccessful in that attempt too.<ref>{{cite news\|publisher = ] \| url = http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700079774/Elizabeth-Smart-recounts-Mitchells-sex-porn-revelations.html \| title = Elizabeth Smart recounts Mitchell's 'sex, porn revelations \| date = November 9, 2010}}</ref> After this second failed kidnapping attempt Mitchell would claim that the Lord revealed that they were not yet ready to receive more wives.<ref name="DN"/>		Soon Mitchell came to be frequently seen wearing robes around Salt Lake City and begging for money, something he called "ministering to unbelievers".<ref name="SLCT"/> Then, in following the revelations, he came to approach women to voluntarily become polygamists wives with him and Barzee, but was unsuccessful.<ref name="The Salt Lake Tribune"/> The first was a single mother in Salt Lake City and the second was Julia Atkinson, approximately 21 years of age, a young woman who had formerly been a member of the ] clan<ref name = BehaviorDifferent>{{cite news\|publisher = ]\|url = http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13542688&autostart=y\|title = U.S. Marshall testifies Mitchell's behavior different inside courtroom\|date = December 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|publisher = ] \| url = http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=293&sid=8870183 \| title = Witnesses talk of Mitchell's religion, past during competency hearing \| date = December 1, 2009}}</ref> in ]. Being unsuccessful in both attempts, Mitchell then received a new revelation in which, according to testimony from Barzee,<ref name="DN">{{cite news\|publisher = ] \| url = http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700083529/He-was-a-great-deceiver-Wanda-Barzee-says-of-her-husband.html \| title = 'He was a great deceiver,' Wanda Barzee says of her husband \| date = November 19, 2010}}</ref> he was commanded to forcibly take ] girls between the ages of 10 and 14 to become his polygamists wives.<ref name=Time>{{cite web \| url = http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2032820,00.html#ixzz16BInI700 \| title =Smart's Alleged Kidnapper: Grim Portrait of a 'Righteous Man \| date = Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010}}</ref> This new revelation was then supplemented by another one where he was commanded to forcibly take a 14 year old to become his first polygamist wife, of a total of 350 wives that the revelation told Mitchell to take.<ref name="DN"/> He then kidnapped Elizabeth Smart from her home at knife point around 2 a.m. Later he would unsuccessfully attempt to kidnap Olivia Wright, a cousin of Elizabeth Smart, for which he was indicted in Utah on aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping charges. Later he also attempted to kidnap a 12-year-old girl near ], but was unsuccessful in that attempt too.<ref>{{cite news\|publisher = ] \| url = http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700079774/Elizabeth-Smart-recounts-Mitchells-sex-porn-revelations.html \| title = Elizabeth Smart recounts Mitchell's 'sex, porn revelations \| date = November 9, 2010}}</ref> After this second failed kidnapping attempt Mitchell would claim that the Lord revealed that they were not yet ready to receive more wives.<ref name="DN"/>

			==Elizabeth Smart kidnapping==
			{{Merge from\|Elizabeth Smart kidnapping\|discuss=talk:Brian David Mitchell#Merge?\|date=February 2011}}

	==Mitchell 2010 federal court trial==		==Mitchell 2010 federal court trial==

Revision as of 00:48, 10 February 2011

Brian David Mitchell
File:Brian David Mitchell mugshot.jpgPolice mug shot of Mitchell
Born	Brian David Mitchell (1953-10-18) October 18, 1953 (age 71) Salt Lake City, United States
Nationality	American
Other names	Peter Shoulson David Shirlson Michael Jensen Peter Marshall Known to accomplice and kidnapping victim as Immanuel David Isaiah
Occupation(s)	Beggar, formerly die cutter, jeweler, and salesman of alternative medical treatments
Criminal status	As of 2010 December 2010, held in Salt Lake County Jail
Spouse(s)	Wanda Barzee, 2 previous divorces
Children	4 biological, 9 step-children

Conviction(s)	Guilty of one count of kidnapping and one count of illegally transporting a minor across state lines for sexual purposes
Criminal charge	Utah (state court): Kidnapping, two counts of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of aggravated burglary, conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping U.S. (Federal court): Kidnapping and illegally transporting a minor across state lines for sexual purposes Kidnapping victim: Elizabeth Smart Additional attempts include Olivia Wright of Utah and a 12-year-old daughter of Virl Kemp of Lakeside, California
Penalty	To be sentenced on May 25, 2011

Brian David Mitchell (born October 18, 1953) is a former homeless preacher and self-proclaimed prophet who was convicted in United States Federal District Court in Utah for the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping following six years in psychiatric custody.

Early years

Brian David Mitchell was born on October 18, 1953, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the third of six children born into a then strict household largely alienated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) but with deep roots in Mormon traditions. According to family members Brian's paternal grandfather suffered from mental illness and was hospitalized for a time at the Utah State Hospital as a mental patient. Brian's immediate family- his parents and siblings- was described by neighbors as friendly and law abiding people but highly eccentric and prone to odd religious revelation; Brian's father Shirl claimed he heard a voice telling him, "You are Christ" when he (Shirl) was seven years old but said he never heard such a voice again. In 1997 Shirl Mitchell published a lengthy tome of his theologically tinged personal philosophy titled Spokesman for the Infant God or Goddess. Brian was the considered the black sheep of the Mitchell family during his youth and adult years

Brian Mitchell's first known sexual offense was as a teenager when he exposed himself to an underaged girl, an act for which he was sentenced to time in a juvenile detention facility. The resulting stigma from his time in detention further alienated him from his family and community.

The first of Brian David Mitchell's three known marriages was when he married his 16 year old pregnant girlfriend when he was 19 years old. The first marriage produced two children before ending in divorce, with Mitchell gaining custody of the children until his former wife remarried. She then claimed and obtained custody of the two children but Mitchell fled to New Hampshire to prevent the children returning to their mother. This was the first time Mitchell kidnapped, although it was as a parental kidnapping which was not considered a felony at the time.

After some time as a fugitive Mitchell decided to return the children to their biological mother for a time, accepting the court's decision, though he would periodically petition, unsuccessfully, for full custody of the children during his subsequent marriages. His next marriage was after he became an active member of the LDS Church and married a divorcee with three children from a previous marriage and with whom he would father two additional children.

Allegations of child abuse

Mitchell's second wife alleges that he molested one of his two teenaged step-daughters and one of his own biological children with her. During the publicity following his capture his second wife stated to news media that she reported him to public authorities and to church authorities but Mitchell was never prosecuted, however most of these reports were made after they divorced. She said amongst other things: "I reported to four different agencies, plus the doctors knew... They were very well aware that my little 18-month-old was being molested because of what she was doing." She also filed a police report alleging abuse but no action was taken. Mitchell's stepdaughter corroborated her mother's statements, stating that she was repeatedly sexually abused by Mitchell who manipulated her into remaining silent: "He would whisper in my ear not to tell anybody and if I did nobody would believe me." Mitchell's second wife claimed that during their marriage he changed from a gentle man, at least on the surface, into a controlling, abusive, and dictatorial husband who repeatedly tried to frighten her. She was also concerned about his interests in Satan. However, it was Mitchell who filed for divorce in 1984, accusing his second wife of being violent and cruel to their children.

Following his arrest in the Elizabeth Smart abduction Mitchell was diagnosed by his forensic psychiatrists as having a history of pedophilia and revealed that he had stalked other teenaged girls in the Salt Lake City area.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). Details of his conviction at 16 resurfaced during the November 2010 Federal District Court trial in part as evidence to his pattern of sexual predation. During cross-examination Mitchell's elderly father stated that Mitchell had been arrested for exposing himself to a 3- or 4-year-old girl and sent to juvenile detention.

Third marriage and diversion into religious idiosyncrasy

Mitchell's second divorce was finalized in 1985. He married Wanda Barzee the same day. Wanda had six children from a previous marriage, who she had to leave with her ex-husband upon marrying Mitchell. During this third marriage there were more accusations of abuse against Mitchell, although the predominant theme was of both his and Wanda's evolving religious views into their own new religion. They claimed to have seen angels and visions wherein Mitchell was named as Lord and Master with his name changed to "Immanuel" (meaning "the chosen one"). Part of the story also was that as 'Immanuel' he had the right to lead the LDS church after the death of church president Ezra Taft Benson and to reintroduce the practice of polygamy. Mitchell believed himself the fore-ordained angel born on earth to be the Davidic "servant" prepared by God as a type of Messiah who would restore the divinely led kingdom of Israel to the world in preparation for Christ's second coming. (Mitchell's belief in such an end-times figure – also known among many fundamentalist Latter Day Saints as "the One Mighty and Strong" – appeared to be based in part on a reading of the biblical book of Isaiah by the independent LDS Hebraist, Avraham Gileadi, with which Mitchell became familiar from his former participation with Stirling Allan's American Study Group.)

Hearken! Oh ye inhabitants of the earth. Listen together and open your ears, for it is I, the Lord God of all the earth, the creator of all things that speaketh unto you …

—Opening words of The Book of Immanuel David Isaiah (April 2002)

As Immanuel, Mitchell wrote a two-part text which he claimed were Revelations from God, called the "Book of Immanuel David Isaiah" (I & II). The first of these revelations, completed in April 2002, included instructions for Mitchell to marry 7 more wives; God's chastisement of members for rejecting the Book of Mormon and especially the words of Ezra Taft Benson; for loving money and seeking the praise of the world; for ignoring the poor and needy; for failing to testify against secret combinations; and for turning to doctors to cure illness instead of relying on faith, herbs, and fruits. All of those heterodoxies went against the current teachings of the LDS church so, according to testimony given by his wife, Wanda Barzee, to avoid church discipline and likely excommunication from the LDS Church he kept these revelations secret, sharing them only with family and a few close acquaintances. But they eventually reached local church officials who then excommunicated Mitchell and Barzee in absentia in June 2002, the same month Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped, specifically "for activity promoting bizarre teachings and lifestyle far afield from the principles and doctrines of the Church". Mitchell was also accused at the time of having pornographic pictures of young girls raising further suspicions of pedophilia amongst LDS Church members, but it was not included in his Church disciplinary council process.

According to Daniel Petersen, a scholar of religion, including Mormon studies, Mitchell's revelations were "logical," falling within the traditions of breakaway Mormon groups. The name Mitchell/Immanuel gave his proposed group was the Church of Jesus Christ and the Sanctified and the Last Days. As later described by psychologist Richard DeMier, these revelations said Mitchell would at one point come to battle the Anti-Christ, with Barzee becoming the "Mother of Zion," her able to conceive a male child, despite her having had a hysterectomy, which future child would in turn become the Davidic king in his own right. (Later, Forensic investigator Richard Forbes characterized Mitchell's behaviors and writings as controlling, similar in this manner to those engaged in by other criminals Forbes had researched such as Ervil LeBaron and Charles Manson.)

Soon Mitchell came to be frequently seen wearing robes around Salt Lake City and begging for money, something he called "ministering to unbelievers". Then, in following the revelations, he came to approach women to voluntarily become polygamists wives with him and Barzee, but was unsuccessful. The first was a single mother in Salt Lake City and the second was Julia Atkinson, approximately 21 years of age, a young woman who had formerly been a member of the Kingston polygamist clan in Davis County, Utah. Being unsuccessful in both attempts, Mitchell then received a new revelation in which, according to testimony from Barzee, he was commanded to forcibly take mormon girls between the ages of 10 and 14 to become his polygamists wives. This new revelation was then supplemented by another one where he was commanded to forcibly take a 14 year old to become his first polygamist wife, of a total of 350 wives that the revelation told Mitchell to take. He then kidnapped Elizabeth Smart from her home at knife point around 2 a.m. Later he would unsuccessfully attempt to kidnap Olivia Wright, a cousin of Elizabeth Smart, for which he was indicted in Utah on aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping charges. Later he also attempted to kidnap a 12-year-old girl near San Diego, California, but was unsuccessful in that attempt too. After this second failed kidnapping attempt Mitchell would claim that the Lord revealed that they were not yet ready to receive more wives.

Elizabeth Smart kidnapping

It has been suggested that Elizabeth Smart kidnapping be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since February 2011.

Mitchell 2010 federal court trial

Main article: Elizabeth Smart kidnapping

Mitchell's criminal trial on federal kidnapping charges began on November 8, 2010. The jury ended up deliberating for only about five hours, a relatively short time given the amount of evidence they needed to cover, rejected the insanity plea and return guilty verdicts on both counts early on Friday 10 December 2010.

In attempting to summarize Mitchell for reporters outside the courthouse Michael Welner, a psychiatrist from New York City, said:

Brian David Mitchell is someone who had severe personality disorders, narcissistic and anti-social....there is no questioning that he was bright and thought that he might have a better future...and as someone who had psychopathic qualities ...he stumbled into the structure of the LDS and that was good for him and it was healthy for him, it gave him an opportunity to rise and gave him an opportunity to have structure. But we are who we are, and he reached the place where he could only go so far and the way he was could not be boxed in that LDS place. The natural graduation, for him,...who had his pedophilic demons, was through that fundamentalist LDS schism track...and he went along a path that could accommodate him. Somewhere along that line, where he could express himself in a grand way....that path....intersected with his pedophilia, which was part of his life at some points and not part of his life at others. And it's when that path intersected with his pedophilia that brought us to the point where we all meet here today.