Elizabeth Smart

For the Canadian poet and novelist, see Elizabeth Smart (Canadian author).

Elizabeth Smart
Smart (center) and her mother with George W. Bush at the signing of the PROTECT Act of 2003
Born	Elizabeth Ann Smart November 3, 1987 (1987-11-03) Salt Lake City, Utah
Alma mater	Brigham Young University (B.M.)
Religion	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Spouse	Matthew Gilmour (m. 2012) «start: (2012)»"Marriage: Matthew Gilmour to Elizabeth Smart" Location: (linkback://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Smart)
Parents	Ed and Lois Smart
Website
The Elizabeth Smart Foundation

Elizabeth Ann Smart Gilmour (born November 3, 1987) is an American activist and contributor for ABC News. She first gained widespread attention at age 14 when she was kidnapped from her home and recovered nine months later.

Abduction and recovery

Main article: Elizabeth Smart kidnapping

Smart was abducted from her bedroom on June 5, 2002, at age 14. She was found nine months later on March 12, 2003, in Sandy, Utah, 18 miles from her home, in the company of Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee. Her abduction and recovery were widely reported and were the subject of a made-for-TV movie and non-fiction book.

On October 1, 2009, Smart testified to being threatened, tied, and raped daily while she was held captive.

On November 16, 2009, Barzee announced she would plead guilty to assisting in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, as part of an agreement with prosecutors. On May 19, 2010, Barzee was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. As part of a plea deal between the defense and federal prosecutors, federal Judge Dale Kimball gave Barzee credit for seven years that she already has served, the U.S. attorney in Utah said.

On March 1, 2010, Mitchell was found competent to stand trial for the kidnapping and sexual assault charges in federal court by judge Kimball; his trial began on November 8, 2010, and on December 10, 2010, the jury found Mitchell guilty on both counts. On May 25, 2011, Mitchell was sentenced to two life-terms in federal prison.

Activism and journalism

On March 8, 2006, Smart went to Congress to support Sexual Predator Legislation and the AMBER Alert system, and on July 26, 2006, she spoke after the signing of the Adam Walsh Act. In May 2008, she traveled to Washington, D.C., where she helped present a book, You're Not Alone, published by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has entries written by her as well as four other recovered young adults. In 2009, Smart commented on the kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard, stressing that dwelling upon the past is unproductive. On October 27, 2009 Elizabeth spoke at the 2009 Women's Conference in California hosted by Maria Shriver, on overcoming obstacles in life.

On July 7, 2011 it was announced that she would be a commentator for ABC News, mainly focusing on missing persons.

Personal life

Elizabeth Ann Smart was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to Ed and Lois Smart. She has four brothers and a sister and is the second-oldest child in her family. Smart attended Brigham Young University (BYU), studying music as a harp performance major. On November 11, 2009, Smart left to go on her Mormon mission in Paris. Smart returned temporarily from her mission in November 2010 to serve as the chief witness in the federal trial of Brian David Mitchell. After the end of the trial she returned to France to finish her mission. She finished her mission and returned to Utah in the spring of 2011.

In March 2011, Smart was one of four women awarded the Diller-von Furstenberg Award. The award included a $50,000 prize, which Smart announced she will use to start The Elizabeth Smart Foundation, aimed at helping young people avoid or recover from violent events.

In January 2012, Smart became engaged to Matthew Gilmour, a Scotland native, after a courtship of one year. The couple met while doing mission work in Paris and had planned to marry in the summer of 2012 but moved up the date due to media privacy concerns. They married on February 18, 2012 in a private ceremony in the Laie Hawaii Temple. The planning for the wedding took only two weeks and professionals called in local vendors to do the wedding. They had a lunch reception with friends and family at the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu. The bride's bouquet, made up of 50 Hawaiian orchids, along with all the boutonnieres, centerpieces, and cake flowers were created by the mother-daughter duo of Easley Designs. The newlyweds' reception luncheon at the Turtle Bay Resort Oceanside Pavilion was decked out floor to ceiling with flowers Jill Easley flew in from the neighbor islands. Local acoustic guitarist David Asing, of Akahi Productions, serenaded the wedding party. He performed Keith Urban's "Making Memories of Us" as the couple cut their cake.

References

• Smart, Ed and Smart, Lois. Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope (2003). U.S.: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-51214-7 (U.S.).
• Haberman, Maggie and MacIntosh, Jeane. Held Captive: The Kidnapping and Rescue of Elizabeth Smart (2003). U.S.: Avon. ISBN 0-06-058020-8 (U.S.).
• Smart, Tom and Benson, Lee. In Plain Sight: The Startling Truth Behind the Elizabeth Smart Investigation (2005). U.S.: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1-55652-579-6 (U.S.).

External links

• Elizabeth Smart Missing Child Profile at America's Most Wanted