FBI Agent: Kidnap Suspect Said Elizabeth Smart Could Have Escaped at Any Time
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An FBI agent says the man charged in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart told him that he expected the world would see him as a child predator, sexual deviant and monster.
The agent, George Dougherty, also testified during a federal court competency hearing Wednesday that Brian David Mitchell said Smart could have returned to her family anytime she wanted and was never gagged as searchers called her name.
SLIDESHOW: The Elizabeth Smart Saga
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dougherty recounted four interviews he had with Mitchell in March 2003 after Smart was found walking a suburban street with Mitchell and his now-estranged wife.
The hearing is intended to determine if Mitchell is competent to stand trial on charges of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor across state lines.