Elizabeth Smart, the 14-year-old daughter of devout Mormons, was kidnapped in the early hours of June 5, 2002; she would not be found until nine months later, the captive of a wandering street prophet with heretical Latter-day Saints beliefs named Brian David Mitchell. However, because of long debates over Mitchell's mental fitness to stand trial, justice did not begin to be delivered until November 2010 with Smart, now 23, taking the stand over two days to describe in harrowing detail the physical and sexual abuse and sense of abandonment she allegedly suffered. The defense argued that Mitchell should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, but Mitchell's accomplice through those nine months, his wife Wanda Barzee, testified that he was a master at manipulating people through their religious beliefs. (In 2009, Barzee pleaded guilty to her role in the Smart abduction and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.) Mitchell could spend the rest of his life in jail if found guilty on charges of kidnapping, sexual assault and transporting a minor across state lines.
The Top 10 Everything of 2010
- Top 10 Albums
- Top 10 Animal Stories
- Top 10 Apologies
- Top 10 Biz Deals
- Top 10 Buzzwords
- Top 10 Campaign Ads
- Top 10 Comebacks
- Top 10 Crime Stories
- Top 10 Facebook Trends
- Top 10 Fashion Statements
- Top 10 Feuds
- Top 10 Fiction Books
- Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities
- Top 10 Food Trends
- Top 10 Gadgets
- Top 10 Green Stories
- Top 10 iPhone Apps
- Top 10 Late-Night Jokes
- Top 10 Magazine Covers
- Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs
- Top 10 Movie Performances
- Top 10 Movies
- Top 10 New Species
- Top 10 Nonfiction Books
- Top 10 Numbers
- Top 10 Oddball News Stories
- Top 10 Overreported Stories
- Top 10 Pictures
- Top 10 Plays and Musicals
- Top 10 Quotes
- Top 10 Political Gaffes
- Top 10 Reality-TV Moments
- Top 10 Religion Stories
- Top 10 Scandals
- Top 10 Scientific Discoveries
- Top 10 Songs
- Top 10 Sports Moments
- Top 10 Talented Web Videos
- Top 10 Toys
- Top 10 Travel Moments
- Top 10 TV Commercials
- Top 10 TV Episodes
- Top 10 TV Series
- Top 10 Tweets
- Top 10 Twitter Moments
- Top 10 World News Stories
- Top 10 Underreported Stories
- Top 10 U.S. News Stories
- Top 10 Video Games
- Top 10 Viral Videos
In 50 wide-ranging lists, TIME surveys the highs and lows, the good and the bad, of the past 12 months