(Elizabeth Smart) Suspect Brian David Mitchell's Interrogation

"You are a fraud. You are a fraud, sir."



Interview of Brian David Mitchell, the man convicted for the kidnapping/rape of Elizabeth Smart. Salt Lake City PD Detectives and FBI Special Agent bring the roof down on this guy.

Mitchell is serving 2 life sentences in Federal Prison. His accomplice, Wanda Barzee, was released from prison in 2018.

The defense mechanisms he tries to throw up are very interesting. As are the techniques used by investigators to punch through them, and get to the facts for the victim's family.

Cat and mouse game if I've ever seen one.

The fellow in the white shirt ("good cop") is very adept at blow/counter blow verbal sparring, and he was confronted with a formidable foe in this PoS lunatic. Tip my cap to his interrogating.

The fellow in the gray shirt ("bad cop") is visibly agitated and I don't think he has "verbal" sparring in mind, more like a trip behind the old woodshed.

No way I'd have the restraint for this line of work, and going home to the wife and kids after conducting Bible study with a psychopath can't be good for the family dynamic, unless one is a complete master at mental compartmentalization. I don't know how someone has the ability to do that, but God bless them.

I am firm believer in capital punishment and cases like this are good to reaffirm my opinions in that regard.

a reply to: SleeperHasAwakened

How true SleeperHasAwakened, I think they had a good strategy for debunking his BS statements and took it right to the edge of what was legal/permissible (great tactic when someone turtles up like that). When they started kind of wiggling his chair back and forth for instance. The suspect had created this verbal feedback loop, and they did good at recognizing it and changing gears to work around that too. I think what really got him was when the Detective said that God's work was returning the young girl to her family and "delivering" the suspect into police custody Taking his own game and playing it against him

and he was confronted with a formidable foe in this PoS lunatic

I thought so as well. His act was well rehearsed, and I think he truly believed that it would get him life in a psych hospital vs. the penitentiary. Even the act of giving away all his money and "worldly possessions" would be something hard to refute. But just like Nikolas Cruz (Florida school shooter), his insanity act was derailed when he started making false statements with the intention of protecting himself (something truly insane people will not do) from negative consequences of their actions. It shows they not only know what they did was wrong (and that they know right vs wrong), but that he crafted statements intended to prevent the negative consequences (understanding cause and effect that kind of thing)

If you are interested, here is a good video comparing genuinely "crazy" people vs. those faking it because they think it will give them some kind of better outcome. Even though in reality the psychiatric hospitals are somewhere you will never leave (and if you do, only to stand trial as a now-competent defendant). If you are interested start around the 4:00 minute mark to see what a truly insane person sounds like.



The suspect at around 4:00 confesses fully to the murders. He doesn't try to withdraw his responsibility or minimize his involvement, he doesn't try to shift blame to the victim and doesn't take any action (such as lying) in an effort of self-preservation. Its never foolproof, but that is a sure sign someone may be faking the crazy angle OR that they may be crazy, just not to the point they are unable to understand right/wrong or rather bare no criminal culpability due to incompetency

more like a trip behind the old woodshed

No doubt about it! Worst part is, you got to try and build rapport with them..offer them creature comforts, smokes, talk to them like a friend, that kind of thing. Obviously food/water (everyone gets humane treatment), bathrooms, but you aren't doing it to help the suspect you are actually helping the victim's family, because if you are able to elicit that confession (or even damaging statements) you will help the victim avoid a devastating trial or the possibility they will walk on the charges. Even when they don't make neccesarily damaging statements, if you can get them to make any statements at all they are forever locked into that story and can't try to change it later down the road

No way I'd have the restraint for this line of work, and going home to the wife and kids after conducting Bible study with a psychopath can't be good for the family dynamic, unless one is a complete master at mental compartmentalization. I don't know how someone has the ability to do that, but God bless them.

Oh yeah, its hard not to bring that kind of stuff home with you. The fact so many good folks continue to do it, especially in today's climate, hats off for certain

I am firm believer in capital punishment and cases like this are good to reaffirm my opinions in that regard.

You and me both

a reply to: JBurns

Interesting thread, JBurns. Posting this to find my way back here to watch later. Prolly not a nice bedtime story tho, eh?

a reply to: new_here

Thanks new_here!

It is very unsettling to say the least, thinking of what she had to be going through to be taken at knife point in the middle of the night, with a stranger threatening to stab her sister/family to death if she screamed out

Things like that make your blood boil. I remember my girls were young when he was captured and I remember thinking this was one less predator I had to worry about protecting them from. No one deserves that, no one

The only good part is being able to look back on this and realize that she survived, she made it home to her family, grew up and now she has a very normal life and is happily married. She has even written a couple of books, one in 2013 and I think again just in 2018. And the monster who did it, well, we can learn lessons from him too. To see what things to look out for and that even the most harmless looking person saying all the right words can still bring harm to those we love

Brian David Mitchell will die in prison. And extra-judicial punishment is never something to celebrate, but its a well known fact that people who harm children are targets in the prison system. I have no doubt every day of that "mans" life is a living hell. Whether he is in protective custody (solitary) 24 hours a day or is subject to random attacks by inmates who despise everything he is. Mitchell is doing hard time and then some