The Conviction of Brian David Mitchell from a Field Producer's Point of View

Friday, I was able to be at the Federal Courthouse when Brian David Mitchell was found guilty of kidnapping and raping Elizabeth Smart. In the post below, I wrote about how I've always felt connected to the case, so I'm not going to go much into that here.

When it became apparent a verdict was nearing, I told Don and Jen, my bosses that I would be more than happy (that's an understatement) to come in and work as needed when the verdict was reached. At about 10:30, Don called me and told me to get to the station ASAP. Ten minutes later, I arrived, and was sent down to the courthouse a block away.

When I got there, I got a call to find Brian Mullahy, and get him on air immediately. Brian was in a closed courtroom, and there was no way for me to get to him. I found Dan Rascon, and within 5 minutes, Dan was live, and didn't go off until about 3:00.

At about 10:50, the jury read their decision in court: guilty on both counts. I wish I could describe how I felt when I heard that. It wasn't so much happiness, but a feeling of closure. More on that in the post below.

I didn't have a lot of time to think, because I went inside with Emily Florez to interview the 12 jurors in the jury room and then relay information to the team going live outside.

Meanwhile, during one of my trips from the second story jury room to the media pool outside, I almost ran into Elizabeth's sister, Mary Katherine. I'm not sure what she was doing outside the jury room, but just seeing the look on her face made me want to hug her. She looked so peaceful, and so happy. That one little candid moment is one I'll never forget.

Anyhow, interviewing the 12 jurors was an experience in itself. For my own personal record, I'm going to describe my take on all the jurors. You can skip this part if you'd like.

Juror 1: A lady in her mid-forties. She seemed to be almost like the cool aunt of the group, and like a surrogate mother to juror number 2. She didn't talk a lot, but she seemed very logical.

Juror 2: A woman in her early twenties. She was definitely LDS, and said the turning point of the case for her was when Elizabeth testified about how Brian David Mitchell took away her agency. I felt connected to this juror, in that that quite was a poignant moment in the trial for me too. She also said that for her, there was life before the trial, and there is life after the trial. She says for her, being on the jury changed her forever.

Juror 3: A woman in her late forties. She was very emotional, and seemed to want to emphasize the fact that the jury was very cohesive and didn't fight at all during the proceedings.

Juror 4: A man in his thirties. Wanted to thank everybody for their professionalism.

Juror 5: A woman in her fifties. She didn't talk much, except for to agree with what the others were saying. She never crossed her legs, very Queen Clarisse-like in her posture.

Juror 6: A man in his twenties. At first he was wringing his hands, but then settled into the interview quite nicely. He emphasized that he was able to find Brian David Mitchell guilty because the defense didn't meet the burden of proof to prove BDM legally insane. Time and time again, he spoke about how the legal definition of insanity helped him reach the verdict.

Juror 7: A man in his fifties. He was probably the most articulate of the group. I got to know him well, because he came to channel 2 for a live interview, and I gave him a tour of the station. Very logical in his thought, and seemed to care a lot for the well-being of Elizabeth Smart.

Juror 8: A man in his forties. He had a New York accent and didn't say much. When asked what he was going to do now that the trial is over, he answered "go watch a bunch of Law and Order." We all laughed.

Juror 9: A man in his forties. I don't remember much about him.

Juror 10: A man in his late thirties. Don't remember him much either.

Juror 11: A woman in her fifties or sixties. Didn't say a single word the entire time.

Juror 12: A man in his seventies. The character of the group. He was quite funny, but you could tell he took the assignment seriously.

Juror 14 (alternate): A man in his forties. Off camera, he told us that when Elizabeth was found, he was at the gym. He looked at the TV, and thought, "wow, that would be an interesting jury to be on." He moved machines, and didn't see anything after that. Talk about coincidence. Because he's an alternate, he wasn't allowed to vote on the verdict, and he compared that to training for the Super Bowl, but getting benched. He told us that Juror 13's mom died during the trial, and that 13 chose not to go to the funeral, in order to stay at the trial. Wow.

Anyhow, after the jury interviews, Emily and I went outside to wait for the Smart family to make a statement. All along, I was under the impression that only Ed and Lois would speak. I was wrong. Elizabeth talked to the media too. Here's a video of what she said. She starts talking at 1:26, but before that, you can get an idea of the chaos outside the courthouse.



I love how she talks about being an advocate. By speaking out about the horrific things she endured, she becomes a victorious face for other abuse victims to identify with and draw strength from. In her testimony given in court, Elizabeth talked about finding the will to survive; and that's exactly what she is: a survivor. As her mom Lois says in the video, outside the courthouse Friday, Elizabeth truly did glow.







To see this family that's been waiting nearly 8 years for justice finally get it was an amazing thing to witness. Throughout the entire trial, Elizabeth showed such amazing decorum and strength. Some of the most intimate details of her life were made public and broadcast to the entire world, yet she continued to attend court each day. What an amazing example of facing a trial head-on, beating it, and then living to strengthen others.