Barzee, now medicated, returns to court on Friday

The federal court case of Brian David Mitchell, who is accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart, has seen an abundance of activity lately.

But on Friday, Mitchell's estranged wife and codefendant, Wanda Barzee, returns to the spotlight.

Barzee was expected to make her first court appearance since doctors at the Utah State Hospital were given the go ahead to involuntarily medicate her in May. On Friday, prosecutors and defense attorneys were expected to gather in Judge Judith Atherton's courtroom to discuss the latest report from the state hospital.

If the report concludes that Barzee is competent, steps can be taken to move forward with her criminal proceedings. If doctors have determined she is still incompetent, she would likely be returned to the Utah State Hospital for additional treatment.

Barzee and Mitchell were charged in 2003 by a state grand jury with kidnapping Smart from her Federal Heights home in 2002 and sexually abusing her. The trio was found walking along State Street in Sandy nine months later. In 2008, Barzee and Mitchell were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of interstate kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity.

After Atherton denied a petition to forcibly medicate Mitchell, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, while not closing their case, opted to let federal prosecutors proceed with their indictment first.

Atherton ruled Barzee incompetent to stand trial in 2004. During a subsequent review hearing several months later, Barzee was found to still be incompetent. She resisted treatment at the state hospital, however, and refused to take any anti-psychotic medication.

During a 2004 court hearing, Barzee's attorneys read a message from their client in which she wrote, "(I) do not believe myself to be mentally ill or infirm or incompetent in the eyes of the Lord."

Doctors evaluating Barzee at that time said that among her behaviors, she had taken "vows of silence" as directed by God and said God instructed her to watch movies because he was sending messages to her through them and that physicians were working against "God's plan."

In May, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition to review Barzee's forced-medication issue. The high court was Barzee's last option of appeal, and the refusal opened the door for involuntary medication to begin.

In a 2004 interview with the Deseret News, Dora Corbett, Barzee's mother, said letters and cards she sent to Barzee at the state hospital always came back to her with the message "return to sender" written on the back.

"She hasn't had anything to do with the family," Corbett said in 2004.