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SALT LAKE CITY — The road to justice for Elizabeth Smart took eight long years, but now with the conviction of her kidnapper, Brian David Mitchell, behind her she is making plans for her future that just may include a role in the courtroom.
It's subject to change. But usually when she gets a thought in her mind, she sticks to it.
–Ed Smart
Hours after the guilty verdict was declared against Brian David Mitchell, Ed Smart said his daughter is thinking about becoming a prosecutor.
He told the Today Show Monday morning that Elizabeth was inspired by the prosecution team.
"She said, ‘I really think I'm going to go into law school. You know, I wouldn't mind being a prosecutor. I think having a voice for those people who don't have a voice is so important.' I mean, she really got into it," Ed Smart said.
"It's subject to change," he told CNN earlier. "But usually when she gets a thought in her mind, she sticks to it."
An accomplished harpist, Elizabeth Smart, 23, studied music at Brigham Young University before leaving on an LDS Church mission to France in October 2009. She plans to return to France this week to complete her mission and is due home next April.
Elizabeth Smart spoke passionately last week to the media about hope. The brief statement she made outside the federal courthouse perhaps provides a glimpse into what her future holds as an advocate for crime victims.
"I am thrilled to stand before the people of America today and give hope to other victims who have not spoken out about what has happened to them. I hope that not only is this an example that justice can be served in America, but that it is possible to move on after something terrible has happened. We can speak out and we will be heard."
Ed Smart said in the interview that the night before the trial ended, Elizabeth was looking at how quickly she could earn her music degree after returning home from her mission.
"She was talking about applying to law school, getting ready for the LSAT," he said.
As a prosecutor, she could be a voice for victims seeking justice, which in her case was a long time in coming. Ed Smart speculated that Elizabeth's desire to become a lawyer grew out of the many disappointments she endured in the nearly nine years it took to convict Mitchell. He related in the CNN interview that she was frustrated after being subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury. The prosecutor at the time tried to get her to smile and she stuck her tongue out at him, he said.
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Story written by Dennis Romboy with contributions from Anne Forester.
