Smart's testimony topped Web page views for year

SALT LAKE CITY — You can measure what's important by polling readers, as KSL and the Deseret News did to determine the most important stories of 2010. Or you can let Web page views cast their own kind of vote. What readers looked at on deseretnews.com tells its own story, providing a snapshot of what caught the eye and captivated readers online.

Elizabeth Smart's chilling account of her ordeal at the hands of her kidnappers got more page views than any other Deseret News story online this year — a year when tales of misdeeds, ruined lives and heartbreak dominated the top 10.

These were the stories that drew you in online, based on number of page views:

No. 1: Elizabeth Smart's testimony in the trial of her kidnapper, Brian David Mitchell. In detail, Smart, now 23, told the jury about her nine months as the captive of Mitchell, who stole her from her bed at knifepoint in 2002. At the end of jury deliberation, Mitchell was convicted, his insanity defense rejected, and will be sentenced in May.

No. 2: Michele MacNeill died unexpectedly 31/2 years ago in her Pleasant Grove home. Since then, the Medical Examiner's office has changed the cause of death to "undetermined" and "suspicious" and Utah County investigators in an affidavit filed in 4th District Court say they believe her husband, Martin MacNeill, killed her.

No 3: A bishop for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Clay Sannar, 40, was shot and killed in the chapel of his ward in Visalia, Calif., in August. Police then shot and killed the assailant, Kenneth James Ward, of Modesto, Calif.

No. 4: An affidavit revealed disturbing details of Ethan Stacy's last days. The little boy, only 4, who was visiting for the summer with his non-custodial mom and stepfather, Stephanie and Nathan Sloop, reportedly wandered away from their apartment. But within hours, police found his body buried in a remote part of an Ogden canyon and the Sloops were arrested. The affidavit detailed abuse investigators believe the boy suffered at their hands before he was killed.

No. 5: On Dec. 17, fire ripped through the historic Provo Tabernacle, destroying it. It was one of the oldest Utah buildings, built over 15 years and completed in 1883 at a total cost of $100,000.

No. 6: America hasn't improved much over the past 30 years, according to former president Jimmy Carter. He offered the insights in a phone interview advancing a book tour visit to promote his "White House Diary."