Until yesterday when I heard this was going to happen, it had been a long time since I had thought about Elizabeth Smart. Much like Jaycee Duggard, Elizabeth was a girl that everyone thought had died. She was kidnapped in 2002 and then nine months later was found, still alive but forever changed. Now, seven years later she was testifying in a federal courtroom about what happened.
She was supposed to face her accused kidnapper but he came in the courtroom singing a Mormon hymn and when the judge told him to stop, the man refused. The judge ordered him to leave the courtroom and had to watch Elizabeth's testimony on CCTV.
From the first day when she was kidnapped at knife point from her own bedroom, Elizabeth says she was raped every day. I can't imagine how Elizabeth even sleeps at night anymore. Can you imagine being 13 or 14 and being kidnapped from your own bedroom during the middle of the night? I would never want to close my eyes again.
That first night she was kidnapped, Elizabeth was married to the guy. "I put the robe on ... he came and performed a ceremony, which was to marry me to him. After that, he proceeded to rape me."
The entire time she was held she was tied to a tree. The only time she was not tied to the tree was when she was being raped which was up to four times each day. Her captor also made her drink booze and watch porn so she would be more willing. Elizabeth though fought back and bit her captor several different times. The a-hole said if she did it again he wouldn't have sex with her anymore and then she would be missing out on the best thing ever. So, she kept biting him but he wouldn't stop.
Elizabeth says her parents have never really asked her what happened. She leaves on a missionary trip next month to France and will be gone for two years. Her captor has been ruled incompetent to stand trial in Utah which is why the federal government is having a crack at him.
May he rot in hell.
ReplyDeleteAmen.
ReplyDeleteI respect her so much for getting help and moving on with her life. She seems to have a very good head on her shoulders and has not let this experience define her life in a bad way.
That was graphic and disturbing indeed. So sad.
ReplyDeleteOh, Elizabeth, what a strong woman for testifying against that monster. Kris, I echo your sentiments.
ReplyDeleteShe's remarkable.
ReplyDeleteHe can rot.
Ditto.
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased to see Elizabeth has grown up to be a lovely young woman. I wish her all the best, always.
It was a miracle she didn't get pregnant.
ReplyDeleteShe's a survivor. It seems like she got the right help to move on from this horrid experience.
Poor, poor, girl.
ReplyDeletePoor, poor, girl.
ReplyDeleteGood for her for fighting him as much as she did. She must have a very strong will.
ReplyDeletethe horrors this poor girl faced.
ReplyDeletei really hope she has gotten intense therapy for this because her parents are fucking morons. sorry, saw them on Oprah and all that back then and they are IN DENIAL about her being used as a sex slave for months.
she totally lost her identity and they wanted things to go back to the Cleavers. good for her for going to France, i hope she has a beautiful life.
Trying not to cry. God bless her, she's a strong soul :-(
ReplyDeletei always thought there was something fishy concerning her parents.
ReplyDeleteJax:
ReplyDeleteThat's the mormons for ya.
disclaimer:
This is meant in a joking way. This in no way is indicative of actual mormons, or of any mormon that happens to post on CDAN. The statement here isn't representative of the authors true feelings on the matter, nor is it the expression of the blog, Crazy Days and Nights.
Wow amazonblue, I had never thought of that before.
ReplyDeleteI bet he's unable to have kids - thank god.
That poor woman. I'm with Jax--i hope she's had lots of therapy. But even if her parents are morons, at least she had the foundation of a childhood in which she knew she was loved and safe. That is probably what saw her through it, and what made her keep biting.
ReplyDeletesomeone can blast me if they want, but i've read a lot about the mormons. women don't count for much in that religion. they see it differently after the way they're indoctrinated all their lives, but most of us wouldn't think they are treated well at all.
ReplyDeletei applaud elizabeth. that's one gutsy young woman. i hope she has a long and happy life.
but her parents are fucking crazy.
wait, what is wrong with her parents? what did they do? I dont know this story at all - i thought she was just kidnapped.
ReplyDeletethis guy is a perfect candidate for waterboarding to DEATH
ReplyDeletei heart you jax! i lived in utah while this was happening and a family friends PR business did everything for the family pro-bono (posters, billboards, news reports etc). when elizabeth was found, because people had seen this posters and billboards, the family dropped the PR group and started writing books and movies regarding what happened to their daughter in order to make money off her, not offering to compensate the company for it's time and money spent, a company that helped them FOR FREE for NINE MONTHS! what happened to her was awful, but her family is garbage. i hope she pulls through and does well on her mission. it's going to be very hard for her as a missionary, but she proved she is strong and hopefully she will be able to live her life the way she wants to.
ReplyDeleteWhat a strong young woman! What a f*cking *sshole. Too bad he is to considered incompetent to stand trial. But, where ever he is I hope is raped repeatedly like she was. He deserves severe pain and punishment.
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ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how she felt thinking she would have to testify with him sitting right there. I'm glad he got thrown out of the court. I do hope that her being courageous enough to step up will inspire others to do the same. I hope nothing but the best for her.
ReplyDeleteNancer - you are so right. And they value children even less. It's a sad, sad place. I was glad I didn't have to stay too long.
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe the strength that young lady has, I wish her happiness for the rest of her life.
ReplyDeleteI hope they rule that sick b****sd
sane and commit him to jail for the rest of his life.
ia anyone wants to know what i base my opinions on, read 'under the banner of heaven' by jon krakauer. you'll never forget it, i promise.
ReplyDeleteI really thought that was a fascinating book, too.
ReplyDeleteReally?
ReplyDeleteYou guys are bashing the mormons and her parents?
For so long I thought this group was a little different, a little smarter than some of the other blogs, now, not so much.
The blame rests SOLELY on that man in the courtroom. And as for her parents being in denial, I think the better word would be them trying to be "hopeful" that their daughter could overcome such circumstances and have a life. In fact, I remember Elizabeth saying on I think Larry King, that her and her mom were one day just doing whatever around the house, and her mom stopped and turned to her and said, "Elizabeth, you didn't have a choice about what happened to you and we will never know why. But you have a choice NOW, are you going to let this define you?" Elizabeth said that moment was the turning point for her.
It's been reported that she wanted to testify with him in the courtroom, muzzled, to hear what she had to say. I think she is an incredible person to have overcome this, to be willing to be public to help prosecute him and have all these details splashed everywhere.
ReplyDeleteShe seems like an incredibly strong woman...and I sincerely hope she has received all the help and therapy she needs to enable her to have healthy relationships with men. I give all kudos to her, but her parents have to be the most clueless people ever. Her father said he was shocked to hear her testimony--he never knew what she went through. As soon as the cops found her, the parents dragged her on Oprah and had her performing the harp--yeah, like everything was magically back to normal. She was also on countless magazine covers. Why would you further traumatize a child like that for the money? It was despicable.
ReplyDeleteThe way she stands up to the situation now and the way she stood up to him before makes her a remarkably strong person. I wish her only the best, she deserves it.
ReplyDeleteI agree... there's something OFF about her parents. I wish I didn't feel that way, but I can't shake it.
ReplyDeleteI wish Elizabeth nothing but the absolute best.
@nancer and others, you are wrong about the Mormons. They do value women very highly. While women can't hold the priesthood, they are not treated poorly in the least.
ReplyDeleteand as for children, they are little kings and queens.
I say this as a former Mormon. I converted for a while in my 20s...read up on the theology more AFTER I was baptized, and realized that the theology and historical claims were absolutely batshit crazy, and left.
I'm an atheist now (my examination of religion continued after leaving the LDS/Mormon church). HOWEVER, I still maintain that those are some of the nicest, most kind-hearted people I've ever met. There's a lot to respect about the Church's culture. You'd have to swallow the nutty parts to stay involved tho'.
That said, it's no nuttier than, say, the Catholic Church, when you look closely at both.
One more thing, Nancer--"Under the Banner of Heaven" has NOTHING to do with mainstream Mormons (I read it). It's about the breakaway sects that are truly and magnificently fucked up.
@nancer and others, you are wrong about the Mormons. They do value women very highly. While women can't hold the priesthood, they are not treated poorly in the least.
ReplyDeleteand as for children, they are little kings and queens.
I say this as a former Mormon. I converted for a while in my 20s...read up on the theology more AFTER I was baptized, and realized that the theology and historical claims were absolutely batshit crazy, and left.
I'm an atheist now (my examination of religion continued after leaving the LDS/Mormon church). HOWEVER, I still maintain that those are some of the nicest, most kind-hearted people I've ever met. There's a lot to respect about the Church's culture. You'd have to swallow the nutty parts to stay involved tho'.
That said, it's no nuttier than, say, the Catholic Church, when you look closely at both.
One more thing, Nancer--"Under the Banner of Heaven" has NOTHING to do with mainstream Mormons (I read it). It's about the breakaway sects that are truly and magnificently fucked up.
The Krakauer book does talk about the crazy sects, but it also gives a lot of detail on the history of the church as a whole. I will read ANYTHING that guy writes. His research skills are amazing.
ReplyDeleteI applaud her for taking back control of her life. She really is a courageous young woman. What happened to her was terrible, but she was lucky that she was so strong at such a young age.
ReplyDeleteWhy wouldn't her parents be crazy after thinking their daughter was dead for months? They're victims, too.
ReplyDeleteI wish her a long & happy life. Hopefully she can achieve happiness after what this monstor did to her.
ReplyDeleteIMO most religions don't have much use for women. They are nothing more than vessels to carry the much needed future flock of church goers.
ReplyDeleteSuch a brave young woman to sit in a courtroom and relive the horrors done to her.
I hope so, too, Lutefisk. Leaving for two years will be great for her - going someplace where she can walk down the street and not be immediately recognized.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, AudiH - which is why I have nothing to do with religion. There's no real place for us.
ReplyDeleteLet's not get into the "Mormons are bad", "No, Catholics are bad" BS. This is not the purpose of Enty's posting,
ReplyDeleteWho in the hell ties someone to a tree like an animal? I hope the crazy m*therf*cker finds himself tied to a prison sink and raped 3-4 times every single day, for the rest of his life. An eye for an eye, in this case.
The fact that Elizabeth was brave enough TO BITE him and rebel against was he was doing is a sign of her strength. I hope she is able to find the anonymity and peace she deserves during her 2 years in France.
Also, hat's off to the really good therapist who has been helping her these past few years. I hope Elizabeth is one day able to enjoy an adult romantic and sexual relationship that we all deserve to enjoy.
He is worse than a beast. And to think that we, the taxpayers, have to pay for his 'upkeep' until his physical parting from this world (he is already somewhere else spiritually) makes me sick.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth is an amazing young lady-- I hope she is able to move on and enjoy the happy life she truly deserves.
France is supposed to be one of the most awesome countries in the world. Because she is American, they won't even acknowledge her. She will definitely appreciate that little detail.
ReplyDeletemany many religious groups include the story adam and eve in their teachings. this story has helped underline the push toward treating women as second class citizens period. i.e. eve created using part of adams rib etc. While the blame is totally on the vile man who did this to Elizabeth the aftereffect is what some of us are talking about and yes that includes how religion comes into play because clearly that helped to influence how her parents dealt with the situation. I hope she continues to get the help she needs and that her religiion does not make her feel anything other than what she is, a strong PERSON.
ReplyDeleteand btw this is why, despite me being a left wing liberal atheist vegetarian, that i fucking believe in the death penalty. he needs to be put down like the rabid animal he is.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so he's certifiably looney tunes in Utah now the Feds get him?
ReplyDeleteWill he be sharing a block with the Unabomber?
Is there any way he's going to get the death penalty from this?
God above I do have this deep and abiding hatred of anyone who harms a child.
This does tend to flavor my views on just what treatment they should endure as punishment.
After they are found guilty beyond reasonable doubt, of course, in a court of law.
Sadly he won't be killed by Feds or Utah (both have death penalty option) b/c he didn't (thankfully) kill this brave young woman. Thank the U.S. Supreme Court for that legal loophole that allows him 2 live. I too am an atheist liberal who also believes in death penalty-sadly, we don't get to eliminate all the truly evil & deserving like this monster. I'd rather free a one-time murderer than keep this asshole alive w/taxpayer $$. Hopefully he is raped, beaten & eventually killed in prison-that should earn someone an early release, imo.
ReplyDeleteHer parents were so odd. I remember they were out doing the press rounds - doing interviews and beaming for newspaper photo shoots- literally a day after she was found alive. If your child was found after nine months missing, shouldn't you be at home, spending every moment with her?
ReplyDeleteThat being said, she seems so brave, and I hope she finds healing and peace.