Kidnapper of Elizabeth Smart gets life term

SALT LAKE CITY • Nearly nine years after she was abducted at knifepoint from her bed, Elizabeth Smart watched Wednesday without showing any emotion as a federal judge ordered a street preacher to spend the rest of his life in prison for kidnapping and raping her while holding her captive for months.
The sentencing of Brian David Mitchell closed a major legal chapter in the heartbreaking ordeal that stalled for years after Mitchell was declared mentally ill and unfit to stand trial in state court.
"I know that you know what you did is wrong," Smart told Mitchell as he sang quietly in the courtroom. "You took away nine months of my life that can never be returned."
Dressed in a houndstooth checked skirt, ivory jacket and pearls, Smart took the witness stand for only about 30 seconds and confronted Mitchell in court for the first time.
She appeared poised and composed, speaking in even tones.
"I have a wonderful life," she said. "You will never affect me again."
After the hearing Smart smiled and hugged family members and her lawyers. She later said she was thrilled with the sentence.
Mitchell did not respond when U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball handed down two life sentences at the hearing in Salt Lake City. Federal sentencing rules do not allow parole.
A jury unanimously convicted Mitchell, 57, in December of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor across state lines for sex.
With long hair and beard, he looked frail and thin in court. He sang throughout the proceedings, even when the judge asked if he wanted to speak.
In pronouncing the sentence, Kimball said the case featured a "degrading set of facts and circumstances."
"This is a horrible crime, and a life sentence does reflect the seriousness," he said.
The prosecution had sought the life senctences.