Competency Hearing Begins in Elizabeth Smart Case

A federal court hearing to determine if the man accused of abducting Elizabeth Smart from her Salt Lake City home in 2002 got underway after the defendant was removed from the courtroom for singing Christmas carols for 10 minutes.

The hearing will determine if Brian David Mitchell is competent to stand trial.

The hearing began with testimony from a Brigham Young University professor of Islamic studies and Arabic who testified about the nature of a manifesto written by Mitchell. Daniel Peterson told the court that the witting showed a "deep understanding" of scripture.

"It's quite well done," Peterson said. "It's astonishing how many references there are to previously canonized scripture. ... It's an impressive production in a certain sense."

Evidence of Delusion?

Defense attorneys, on the other hand, said the 27-page manifesto, "The Book of Emmanuel David Isaiah" demonstrates evidence of his delusional disorder, a rare diagnosis that makes him incompetent to aid in his own defense.

The defense played a video tape of Mitchell's former wife and co-defendant, Wanda Barzee, in which she said Mitchell's writing was based on "revelations he received at night" and that he used no research material.

The hearing is expected to take 10 days.

See Also:
Competency Hearing Begins in Smart Case
Competency Hearing Set in Smart Abduction Case

Background:
The Elizabeth Smart Case

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Discuss The Elizabeth Smart Case

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