Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Woman Who Helped Kidnap Elizabeth Smart Released From Prison
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
September 19, 2018

Share

Photo of Wanda Barzee, the woman who assisted in the kidnapping and torture of Elizabeth Smart
This April 8, 2016, file photo, provided by Utah State Prison shows Wanda Barzee.  (Utah State Prison via AP)
DRAPER, Utah — A woman who helped kidnap Elizabeth Smart when she was a teenager and stood by as the Utah girl was sexually assaulted was released Wednesday after spending 15 years in prison.
Wanda Barzee, 72, quietly left the state prison in the Salt Lake City suburb of Draper, bypassing a throng of reporters gathered outside, spokeswoman Kaitlin Felsted did not say where Barzee was going.
Her release followed a surprise announcement last week that Utah authorities had miscalculated the amount of time Barzee should spend behind bars.
Smart, now 30, has said she was shocked and disappointed by the move and hopes Barzee will be closely watched and given treatment.
Smart has recalled some of the horrors she experienced as a 14-year-old when she was snatched from her Salt Lake City home in 2002 by Barzee’s then-husband, street preacher Brian David Mitchell.
He entered the house through an open kitchen window in the kidnapping that triggered fear around the country.

Barzee Saw Smart as a Slave

Smart said last week that Barzee saw her as a slave during the nine months she was held by the couple and encouraged Mitchell to rape her.
“So do I believe she’s dangerous? Yes,” Smart said. Smart, now a married mother and activist for victims’ rights, posted on Instagram over the weekend that she’s fearful of Barzee and has taken precautions but refuses to let her release disrupt the life she’s built.

“So do I believe she’s dangerous? Yes… I lived in absolute fear and terror for nine months, no matter the outcome I will not do so again.”Elizabeth Smart 
“I lived in absolute fear and terror for nine months, no matter the outcome I will not do so again,” Smart wrote.
As a condition of her release, Barzee was placed on the Utah sex offender registry, but her address was listed online Wednesday as the Utah prison. Authorities did not immediately return messages seeking details on when the information would be updated.
Barzee’s attorney, Scott Williams, has said his client has been diagnosed with several mental illnesses, but he’s not concerned about her being a danger to the community.
Federal agents have said Barzee won’t be homeless but declined to say whether she will live in a private home or a facility. Her mug shot on the sex-offender registry shows her with a wide smile, blue eyes and chin-length gray hair.
Barzee’s niece Tina Mace said her aunt’s testimony against Mitchell seemed like a turning point, but her mental state appears to have changed in prison. Mace said she’s unaware of any family members who would give Barzee a place to live.

Under Federal Supervision for Five Years

Barzee will be under federal supervision for five years. She could be returned to prison if she violates terms that include mental health treatment and an order against contacting Smart and her family.

Brian David Mitchell is serving a life sentence after being convicted of kidnapping and raping Smart.
Smart was found while walking with Barzee and Mitchell on a street in suburban Sandy by people who recognized the abductors from media reports.
Mitchell is serving a life sentence after being convicted of kidnapping and raping Smart.
Barzee was treated at Utah State Hospital for about five years following her arrest. She testified in 2010 against Mitchell and was given a plea deal on state and federal charges. She was transferred to the Utah prison in 2016 after finishing a federal sentence in Texas.
The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole initially set a 2024 release date after Barzee decided against attending her own parole hearing in June. Her attorney questioned then whether the term included time Barzee had served in a federal prison. The board decided last week that she had served her sentence.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

4 Million Acres of California Forests Could Lose Protection. What Trump’s ‘Roadless Rule’ Repeal Could Do

DON'T MISS

Israeli Settlers Raid West Bank Town, Troops Kill 3 Palestinians

DON'T MISS

West Nile Virus Detected in Mosquitoes in Fresno County

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Netanyahu’s Trial Should Be Canceled

DON'T MISS

St. Agnes’ New Chief Medical Officer Is a Kidney Care Expert

DON'T MISS

US Military to Create Two New Border Zones, Officials Say

DON'T MISS

Trump Signals US May Ease Iran Oil Sanction Enforcement to Help Rebuild Country

DON'T MISS

CIA Says Intelligence Indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program Severely Damaged

DON'T MISS

Upscale Woodward Park Area Apartments Sell for $19 Million

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Learn the Latest on the Caleb Quick Murder Hearings

UP NEXT

Cuomo Concedes to Mamdani in New York City Democratic Mayoral Contest

UP NEXT

Mamdani Holds Lead Over Cuomo in Democratic Primary for NYC Mayor

UP NEXT

Clovis Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison in Deadly Fentanyl Case

UP NEXT

Victims Identified as Death Toll Climbs to 8 in Lake Tahoe Boating Tragedy

UP NEXT

Florida to Build ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center for Migrants in Everglades

UP NEXT

Americans Worry Conflict With Iran Could Escalate, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

UP NEXT

Advisory Warns of ‘Heightened Threat Environment’ in US After Iran Strikes

UP NEXT

Amazon’s Prime Day 2025 Levels Up With Four Days of Deals Starting July 8

UP NEXT

Voice of America Parent Terminates Over 600 More Staff in Likely Death Knell

UP NEXT

US Court Lets Trump Keep Control of California National Guard for Now

What Does the Fresno County Schools Superintendent Do? Read This Q&A to Find Out

38 minutes ago

Israel Says Iran’s Supreme Leader Avoided Assassination by Going Underground

39 minutes ago

Much of LA’s Community of Immigrants Is Hiding, Leaving a Hole in the Fabric of the City

47 minutes ago

US Supreme Court to Issue Term’s Final Rulings on Friday

52 minutes ago

Driver Crashes Into Farm Equipment While Distracted by Phone, Fresno Authorities Say

1 hour ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Timothy Edward Allen

1 hour ago

Newsom and Legislature Tangle With Construction Unions Over Minimum Wage

1 hour ago

Tesla Executive, Elon Musk Confidant Leaves EV Maker, Bloomberg News Reports

1 hour ago

Fresno, Kings Counties See Large Police Sweep. Officials Say ICE Not Involved.

2 hours ago

S&P 500, Nasdaq Near Record Highs as Rate-Cut Bets Creep Up

2 hours ago

US Justice Department to Probe Hiring Practices at University of California

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Justice Department will investigate hiring practices at the University of California system to examine whether i...

5 minutes ago

5 minutes ago

US Justice Department to Probe Hiring Practices at University of California

A view of the White House in Washington, U.S., July 20, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo
8 minutes ago

White House Wants Major Cut in US War Crimes, Accountability Funding, Sources Say

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine, speak during a press conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., June 26, 2025. (Reuters/Idrees Ali)
20 minutes ago

No Known Intelligence That Iran Moved Uranium, US Defense Chief Says

38 minutes ago

What Does the Fresno County Schools Superintendent Do? Read This Q&A to Find Out

Defence Minister Israel Katz, then Israel's foreign minister, looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, November 7, 2024. (Reuters File)
39 minutes ago

Israel Says Iran’s Supreme Leader Avoided Assassination by Going Underground

47 minutes ago

Much of LA’s Community of Immigrants Is Hiding, Leaving a Hole in the Fabric of the City

A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S., June 1, 2024. (Reuters File)
52 minutes ago

US Supreme Court to Issue Term’s Final Rulings on Friday

A distracted driver crashed into a spray rig on a rural road, prompting officials to urge caution and remind motorists to share the road with farm equipment. (CHP)
1 hour ago

Driver Crashes Into Farm Equipment While Distracted by Phone, Fresno Authorities Say

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend