Profile of Elizabeth Smarts Kidnapper, Brian David Mitchell

Profile of Elizabeth Smart's Kidnapper, Brian David Mitchell Brian David Mitchell is the self-proclaimed angel from heaven who said he was sent to Earth to serve the destitute and correct the Mormon Church by restoring its fundamental values. He is also the man who, along with his wife, Wanda Barzee, was found guilty of kidnapping 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart in 2002 and holding her captive for nine months. Mitchells Childhood Brian was born Oct. 18, 1953, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the third of six children born at home to Mormon parents, Irene and Shirl Mitchell. Irene, a schoolteacher, and Shirl, a social worker, were vegetarians and raised their children on a diet of whole wheat bread and steamed vegetables. The family was described by neighbors as odd but decent. Brian seemed like a normal child, involved in the Cub Scouts and Little League. Irene was a caring mother, but Shirl had a questionable perspective on healthy child rearing. When Brian was 8, Shirl attempted to teach him about sex by showing him sexually explicit pictures in a medical journal. Other sexually oriented books were brought into the home and left within reach of the latchkey kid. Shirl once attempted to teach his son a life lesson by dropping off the 12-year-old in an unfamiliar area of town, instructing him to find his way home. As Brian got older, he became more argumentative with his parents and retreated into a world of isolation. Around age 16, Brian was found guilty of exposing himself to a child and sent to a juvenile delinquents hall. The stigma of his crime alienated Brian among his peers. Arguments between Brian and his mother were constant. The decision was made to send Brian to live with his grandmother. Soon after the move, Brian dropped out of school and began using drugs and alcohol. He left Utah at 19 and married 16-year-old Karen Minor after she discovered she was pregnant. They had two children in the two years they stayed together. Their stormy relationship ended, and Mitchell gained custody of the children because of Karens alleged infidelities and drug abuse. Karen remarried and regained custody, but Mitchell took the children to New Hampshire to prevent them from returning to their mother. In 1980, Mitchells life changed after his brother returned from a religious mission and the two talked. Brian discontinued his drug and alcohol use and became active in the Church of Latter-day Saints. By 1981, he was married to his second wife, Debbie Mitchell, who had three daughters from a previous marriage. In addition to Debbies three children and Brians two, the Mitchells had two more children soon after their marriage. Mitchells Abuse in His Second Marriage The marriage soon showed signs of strain. Mitchells two children were sent to foster homes. Debbie claimed that Mitchell turned from gentle to controlling and abusive, dictating what she could wear and eat and trying to frighten her. His interest in Satan disturbed her, although Mitchell claimed he was learning about his enemy. Mitchell filed for divorce in 1984, claiming that Debbie was violent and cruel to his children and was turning them against him. A year after their separation, Debbie called authorities to report her fear that Mitchell had sexually abused their 3-year-old son. A caseworker for the Division of Child and Family Services couldnt link Mitchell to sexual abuse but recommended that his future visits with the boy be supervised. Within the year, Debbies daughter accused Mitchell of having sexually abused her for four years. Debbie reported the abuse to LDS leaders  but was advised to drop it. Mitchell and Third Wife Wanda Barzee On the day that Mitchell and Debbie divorced, Mitchell married Wanda Barzee, a 40-year-old divorcee with six children whom she had left with her ex-husband when she moved out. Barzees family accepted Mitchell, although they found him to be strange. Some of Barzees children moved in with them but found the home to be increasingly odd and threatening because of Mitchells eccentric behavior. Outsiders viewed the couple as normal, hard-working Mormons. Mitchell worked as a die cutter and was active with the LDS church, but close family and friends were aware of his tendency toward rage, often unleashed on Barzee. He was becoming increasingly extreme in his religious views and his interaction with fellow LDS members. His portrayal of Satan during temple rituals had become too extreme; he was asked by the elders to tone it down. One night the Mitchells woke one of Barzees sons and told him they had just spoken to angels. The Mitchell home soon changed so drastically that Barzees children, unable to take the constant proselytizing, moved away. By the 1990s, Mitchell had changed his name to Emmanuel, discontinued his association with the church, and presented himself as a prophet of God whose beliefs were etched by his prophetic visions. When the couple returned to Salt Lake City, Mitchell had taken on a Jesus-like look with a long beard and white robe. Barzee, now calling herself God Adorneth, stayed by his side like a doting disciple, and the two were fixtures along downtown streets. Relatives of the couple had little to do with them, and old friends who happened upon them were treated as strangers. Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images Elizabeth Smart Is Kidnapped Early on June 5, 2002,  Mitchell  kidnapped 14-year-old Elizabeth from her bedroom. Her 9-year-old sister, Mary Katherine, witnessed the abduction.  Smarts family went on television and worked with the Laura Recovery Center, gathering 2,000 search volunteers to find Elizabeth, but were unable to locate her. A few months later, Elizabeths sister  identified Mitchells voice as that of the kidnapper, Emmanuel, who had done odd jobs for the Smart family, but the police didnt find that to be a valid lead. The Smart family hired a sketch artist to draw his face and released it on Larry King Live and other media resources, which led to Mitchell being found with Elizabeth and Wanda nine months after her kidnapping. After several trials,  Mitchells insanity defense fell apart on Dec. 11, 2010. Elizabeth testified that she was repeatedly raped and forced to watch sexual films and consume alcohol during her confinement. The jury found Brian David Mitchell guilty of kidnapping with the intention of engaging her in ​sexual activity and sentenced him to life in prison in Arizona, while Barzee was sentenced to prison until 2024.