"SURVIVOR" |
Brian David Mitchell's attorney's made the amazing claim in a four-page court filing, in an effort to persuade a judge to give him a lighter sentence.
At age 14, Elizabeth Smart was snatched from her bedroom at knife point in 2002. She was held captive by Mitchell, a homeless street preacher, and his wife Wanda Barzee for nine months.
Mitchell forced her to "marry" him in a polygamous union.
But despite the horrific nature of the crime his lawyers claim she
hasn't suffered more than other victims of similar crimes.
Defense attorney Robert Steele told Fox 13: "Even though there is extreme conduct on my client's part, Ms. Smart overcame it. Survived it. Triumphed over it. These are all words used by her and the government."
Smart's furious father, Ed, agreed that his daughter was a survivor and called claims are "outrageous," and clearly a legal maneuver, the station reported..
He said: "I thank the Lord that Elizabeth is doing so well and that she's able to move beyond this," Smart said. "But the bottom line comes down to, Mitchell has a significant problem. I truly believe that if he got out again, that he would do the same thing."
No comments:
Post a Comment