Will Elizabeth Smart Ever Receive Justice?

Elizabeth Smart was abducted and raped repeatedly while being held against her will for nine months. That was in 2002. Wanda Barzee and her husband Brian David Mitchell have been sitting in jail for over eight years awaiting trial for the crimes. Today, prosecutors dropped charges against Barzee in exchange for a guilty plea in a the kidnapping attempt of Smarts cousin. Barzee did plead guilty last fall in kidnapping and charges related to Smart, and could face thirty years in prison. She will also have to cooperate with authorities on charges against her husband. In the past, she was found incompetent to stand trial, but now, under medication and treatment, she has been found to be competent. Mental illness plays a big part in this, but it is not an excuse to commit terrible crimes. The actions that her and other sexual predators and abusers take make you wonder how any of them could be in their right mind to do the deplorable things they do to their victims. Some say Barzee was also a victim of Mitchell's but then we hear from those who knew her. Some of her own children came forward this week to talk about the abuse they endured at the hands of their own mother. Barzee seems to have a long history of treating others poorly. Elizabeth Smart has also said that she believes Barzee, as well as Mitchell, knew exactly what they were doing and deserve to pay for their crimes to the fullest extent. Hopefully during her sentencing, the judge sees to it that she gets the maximum sentence. Also, by her cooperating with officials to help the case against her husband, it will hopefully help speed up his trial and put him in his place. Smart has been waiting far too long to see her captors drag the legal process out and spend more tax dollars. When does she get to see justice prevail? When does she get to put this behind her and move on?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35298679/ns/us_news/