Sixteen years after kidnapping Elizabeth Smart in Utah, Wanda Barzee will be freed from prison — and Ms Smart is speaking out about the horrors she endured during captivity. Barzee is set to be freed from a Utah prison on Wednesday, after having served concurrent sentences stemming from federal and state convictions. She had previously served a federal sentence in Texas before being sent to the Utah, and will now serve 60 months of federal supervision. Ms Smart, 30, has spoken out in light of the upcoming release, telling CBS that Barzee had a “dark” and “evil” feeling that radiated from her during her captivity after she was taken by Brian David Mitchell from her home at knifepoint. Mitchell is serving a life sentence for his convictions. “That first morning when he brought me into the camp and told me I was now his wife and kept telling me it was time to consummate our marriage, I just — at first, I didn't know what he meant,” Ms Smart, who was abducted at the age of 14, told CBS. “And then I remember having this idea come to my mind of what he could mean,” she continued. “And I remember thinking, ‘There's no way’. … And I was raped. And, I was raped every day after that, multiple times a day”. 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Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil.<doc-sep>Jaycee Dugard is lending her support to fellow kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart after reports that one of Smart's captors will be let out from prison. Wanda Barzee, who held Smart captive with her husband, Brian David Mitchell, was set to be released on Wednesday. Dugard, who was 11 when she was kidnapped by a couple in 1991, told ABC News that she feels for Smart and what she is going through. The 38-year-old said that Smart should be taken seriously when she says that Barzee, 72, continues to be a threat. "Wanda Barzee is clearly equally responsible for their actions, and she should not be allowed to send a message that her actions are excusable," Dugard told ABC News on Tuesday. She added, "Believe Elizabeth when she says this woman is a threat to society." Smart, 30, was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City bedroom in 2002 and held captive by Barzee and Mitchell for nine months. The couple were convicted for their roles in the kidnapping. Barzee was originally scheduled to be released in January 2024 but had her release date moved forward to September 19. Smart expressed frustration at Barzee's early release and asked authorities to reconsider the decision. "She is a woman who had six children and yet could co-conspire to kidnap a 14-year-old girl, and not only sit next to her while she was being raped but to encourage her husband to continue to rape me," Smart said at a news conference last Thursday. In a separate interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Smart called Barzee "evil and twisted" and said she knew what Barzee was "capable of before she was incarcerated." Asked what she thought Barzee could do when released, Smart replied, "I don't know. And perhaps that's what worries me, because I know just how bad she really can be." Scott Williams, Barzee's attorney, argued that the time his client had served in federal prison should be credited toward her state conviction, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole agreed. In her interview with ABC News, Dugard warned about the risks of an early release. Phillip Garrido, who kidnapped Dugard with his wife, Nancy, was released from prison early before abducting Dugard. "Wasn't a lesson learned from my case, when Phillip was released from prison early in his first rape and kidnapping conviction?" Dugard asked. "He was then free to take me with his wife's help." The Garridos held Dugard captive for 18 years, during which she gave birth to two daughters fathered by Phillip, according to ABC News.<doc-sep>
Wanda Barzee, Elizabeth Smart Kidnapper, Released From Prison Wanda Barzee, a woman held Utah teen Elizabeth Smart captive for nine months along with her husband, was released from prison, despite heavy criticism from the families of Smart and Barzee. The Utah Department of Corrections said that Wanda Barzee, 72, was released from Utah State Prison, NBC News reported at 8 a.m. on Sept. 19. Barzee was convicted and sentenced for helping to kidnap Smart, who was 14 at the time, from her bedroom in Salt Lake City in 2002, drawing international headlines. Nine months later, Smart was seen walking the streets of a Salt Lake City suburb with Brian David Mitchell and Barzee. Barzee and Mitchell were both arrested. Smart said there was repeated sexual assaults by Mitchell, and Barzee would sit near the girl and “encourage her husband to continue to rape me,” NBC noted. Earlier this week, Smart, who is now 30, said that she believes Barzee is a danger to the public. Regarding Barzee’s release, she said, “It’s been a rollercoaster. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotion, of worry, of wondering what’s going to happen… But I think at the end of it, what I’ve just come to… is that I really have spent the last 15 years of my life trying to move forward,” CBS News reported. Elizabeth Smart Speaks Out Smart recalled the moment she was captured and Barzee’s demeanor. “I don’t know, just the feeling that kind of radiated from her. It just was dark. And it was evil. And I just knew that she… she wasn’t there to help me, that she wasn’t there to protect me,” she told CBS. She added: “That first morning when he brought me into the camp and told me I was now his wife and kept telling me it was time to consummate our marriage, I just — at first, I didn’t know what he meant. And then I remember having this idea come to my mind of what he could mean. And I remember thinking, ‘There’s no way.’ … And I was raped. And, I was raped every day after that, multiple times a day.” Smart then added that: “ I have been reassured multiple times that she will be kept a very close eye on. And as soon as she messes up, which I’ve been reassured that she will, she will be taken back to federal prison for the duration of the five years.” She continued: “I do believe she’s still a danger. … Through my sources, I’ve heard that she’s still carrying around this ‘book of revelations’ that Brian Mitchell wrote… that said he should kidnap me, and not just kidnap me but six other young girls, and that we’d all be his wives… clearly, she hasn’t let it go.” Did you enjoy this article? Continue to read more stories here.