8A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2009
NATIONAL
Wife of man charged in Smart case not in list of witnesses
Barzee, who entered in a plea deal for case, was not among 29 who could testify
Elizabeth Smart smiles as she leaves federal court after testifying at a competency hearing for Brian David Mitchell On Oct. 1. Wanda Eileen Barzee is not one of the 29 witnesses expected to testify against her husband.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SALT LAKE CITY — A list of witnesses in an upcoming competency hearing for a man charged in the abduction of Elizabeth Smart does not include his estranged wife, even though she has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
Still, her name was not on a list of 29 people that federal prosecutors say could be called to testify during the Nov. 30 hearing for Mitchell. The list was posted Wednesday on a federal court docket.
Wanda Eileen Barzee pleaded guilty Tuesday to kidnapping as part of a plea deal that calls for her to cooperate with authorities and be willing to testify against Brian David Mitchell, her estranged husband.
"I'm not privy to reasons why the government, or the defense for that matter, would or would not call her," Williams said. "If we got a subpoena, shed be a witness."
Barzee's attorney Scott Williams said her plea agreement did not specify at what point she might be called to provide testimony.
Telephone messages seeking comment from the U.S. attorney's office and Mitchell's defense attorneys were not immediately returned.
Barzee and Mitchell were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor in March 2008. Barzee pleaded guilty to both counts and is expected to receive a reduced sentence of 15 years under the plea deal.
Prosecutors contend that Mitchell, a self-proclaimed religious prophet, is faking psychiatric symptoms to avoid responsibility for the kidnapping.
The non-experts include Barzee's mother, Dora Corbett, and several staff members from the Utah State Hospital, where Mitchell has been incarcerated.
Court papers show prosecutors could call as many as 25 nonexperts and four experts during the hearing.
Among the experts are forensic psychiatrist Dr. Michael Welner, who concluded Mitchell is competent, and two experts in religion.
The testimony will focus on establishing that Mitchell's mental health has not significantly changed throughout his life, and he is not preoccupied with religion, the documents state.
Robert Steele, Mitchell's federal public defender, has said he would likely call Dr. Richart De Mier, a psychologist at the U.S. Medical
Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Mo. as a defense expert.
De Mier evaluated Mitchell for federal prosecutors, and court
documents indicate he concluded Mitchell was incompetent.
Smart was 14 in 2002 when she was taken from the bedroom of her Salt Lake City home at knife
Barzee and Mitchell were arrested ed in March 2003.
point.
NATIONAL
In a sea of blunders, submarine collides with warship
ASSOCIATED PRESS
GROTON, Conn. — The crew of a U.S. submarine made dozens of errors before the vessel collided with an American warship in the Persian Gulf, an accident that exposed lax leaders who tolerated sleeping, slouching and a radio room rigged with music speakers, a Navy review found.
Navy investigators placed blame for the March collision on the submarine's "ineffective and negligent command leadership," including what they called a lack of standards and failure to adequately prepare for navigating the Strait of Hormuz.
The Navy Times newspaper first reported the findings Sunday after obtaining a heavily redacted
copy of the Navy's report through a Freedom of Information Act request. A Connecticut newspaper, The Day of New London, made a similar request and reported the findings Wednesday.
The USS Hartford, a nuclear-powered submarine based in Groton, Conn., collided with the USS New Orleans, a San Diego-based Navy amphibious ship, on March
20 in the narrow, heavily traveled strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.
The New Orleans' fuel tank was ruptured and 15 sailors on the Hartford sustained minor injuries. The collision caused $2.3 million in damage to the New Orleans, and the cost so far of repairs to the Hartford is $102.6 million. The commanding officer was relieved
of his duties and the sub's chief of the boat, an adviser to the commanding officer, was reassigned.
The report said the crew of the New Orleans bears no fault, and that crew members aboard the USS Hartford made numerous errors in the hour before the collision.
"Correction of any one of nearly 30 tactical and watchstander errors, or adherence to standard
procedures, could have prevented this collision", Adm. John C. Harvey Jr., commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, wrote in endorsing the investigation's findings.
The submarine had five known "sleepers," or sailors who would routinely nod off on watch, but no disciplinary action was taken, the report states.
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