By Madhuri Dey
Salt Lake City, Dec. 01, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The man who was charged with the abduction of Elizabeth Smart has been suspected to be mentally incompetent. There is the possibility that he might be suffering from delusional disorder. Thus, there arises the question whether it is possible to put the man on trial or not. The federal court of the United States is under proceedings to determine the veracity of this supposition. The hearing of Brian David Mitchell started on Nov. 30, Monday, in a United States District Court and is expected to continue for the next ten days.

Elizabeth Smart was 14 years old in 2002 when she was reportedly abducted from her bedroom by Mitchell. He had forced her to go with him, holding her at knife point. Elizabeth recalls that soon after she had been taken from her home, Mitchell had held a ceremony that declared her as one of his wives, and then raped her. He was helped by his estranged wife, Wanda Barzee. Elizabeth was discovered 9 months later by a motorist.

The decision of the federal court, that will be ruled by Judge Date Kimball, will be crucial in the decision as to how Mitchell will be treated. Depending on the verdict, either Mitchell will be put on trail, or he will be admitted to a treatment facility. Federal prosecutors, however, remain adamant in their decision that Mitchell is completely competent and did whatever he did with complete deliberation. He had been put on trial twice before this in state courts, and had been declared incompetent both times, and had been prescribed medication. This will be the first time he would be appearing in federal court.