Wanda Barzee being released

[MarblesMom]

What a shame Elizabeth has to re-live emotions over this woman's release.

http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2018/09/13/apc-elizabeth-smart-speaks-out-on-planned-release-of-1-of-her-kidnappers/#.W5sAl-hKiUk

[Howl]

Yes, Elizabeth Smart is very, very upset about this, as is any sane person. 

[unsafetydancer]

Why are they letting her out? 

[Fjrocks]

1 hour ago, unsafetydancer said:

Why are they letting her out? 

   She was sentenced to 15 years,  she served 15 years.  All this talk about "being released early" or "miscalculating" in some of the national media is incorrect.  This is something everyone -  the judge, the prosecution, the jail system, the public, the media should have realized years ago.

  The confusion was because people assumed her federal and state sentences would run one after the other but that's not how the law is written and how she was sentenced.  She had also been held for almost 8 years before she ever went to trial, and was given credit for time served. Her attorney alerted the parole board recently they had no right to hold her any longer.

   Even more gross, she is also not being released from kidnapping Elizabeth(!),  she actually finished that sentence already a couple of years ago, she was just finishing  time on the attempted kidnapping of Elizabeth's cousin.  

   Is this disgustingly tragic?  Yes.  I think this is good example of why those numbers; the years, that people get for crimes really deserve more thought and consideration.  What does 15 years REALLY mean?!   Look how young Elizabeth is and even her kidnapper still likely has many years of life left.

   How on earth did anyone think 15 years was enough?  Why weren't we outraged that the prosecution or the judge felt this was sufficient?   

 

  

[unsafetydancer]

OK, this story makes more sense now. I agree 15 years is far too short considering what she did.

[PumaLover]

That's terrible!! Poor Elizabeth. I followed her story from the beginning and was overjoyed the day she was found. Last I heard she had gotten married and was living a private life, and I hope that continues for her.

[Briefly]

47 minutes ago, PumaLover said:

That's terrible!! Poor Elizabeth. I followed her story from the beginning and was overjoyed the day she was found. Last I heard she had gotten married and was living a private life, and I hope that continues for her.

She does a lot of speaking on behalf of children's charities and groups that try to find kidnapped children.  She has 2 children and I think she is pregnant with her third.  She's an amazing, very strong woman.  She is speaking out against Barzee being released and says that she thinks Barzee is a danger to society as well as to her and her children specifically.  I think she's right, and I think in the interview I read the other day it referenced that she and her husband were beefing up their already strong security system.  She is justifiably angry.

 

48 minutes ago, PumaLover said:

That's terrible!! Poor Elizabeth. I followed her story from the beginning and was overjoyed the day she was found. Last I heard she had gotten married and was living a private life, and I hope that continues for her.