Woman Pleads Guilty in Smart Kidnapping

(CBS/AP)  It was a story that captivated the nation: A 14-year-old girl snatched from her bed in the middle of the night. Then, nine months later, a miraculous rescue.

It was only later we learned the horrifying details: Elizabeth Smart was forced into a ritual marriage and repeatedly raped.

On Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City, in a deal with prosecutors, Wanda Eileen Barzee pleaded guilty to federal charges of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor.

The 64-year-old Barzee could face a life sentence for the kidnapping charge and up to 15 years for the second charge.

It's unclear whether she may get a reduced sentence in exchange for her plea.

Smart was 14 when she was taken at knifepoint from the bedroom of her Salt Lake City home in 2002, sparking a search that riveted the nation. Nine months later, in March 2003, Barzee and Brian David Mitchell were arrested after they were spotted walking on a suburban street with Smart.

Terms of the plea deal have not been made public, reports CBS News correspondent Whit Johnson, but the big question on everyone's mind is, will she testify against her estranged husband?

Smart, now 21, was forced to relive her gut-wrenching ordeal .

The next day her father, Ed Smart, told CBS' "The Early Show," "I feel there's greater prospect of this nightmare coming to an end."

But the nightmare will sadly continue. While Barzee's fate may have be sealed, Mitchell's case is more complex . . . and could take several more years to resolve.

[fleabag75]

I can only repeat again what so many have already stated,, the American system of justice is too much of a sad joke. If only it wasn't a big business and went back to being a governmental entity. Only in this country can something of this nature still be going on. Move over Exxon Valdez,, the Elizabeth Smart case is going to surpass you. With the appeals that are to follow, that creep will not see final justice until the good Lord gives it to him. Lawyers, lawyers, lawyers. Any court web sight should be listed under .COM instead of .GOV.