Involuntary medication of Barzee is debated

The debate over whether accused Elizabeth Smart kidnapper Wanda Barzee should be forced to take anti-psychotic medication took center stage in 3rd District Court Thursday.

The unique "Sell" hearing, named after a U.S. Supreme Court case that established guidelines for involuntary medication, took place in Judge Judith Atherton's courtroom. Atherton took a full day's worth of arguments under advisement and will make a ruling later.

Two psychiatrists from the Utah State Hospital testifying for the prosecution argued Barzee has not made progress in the two years she has been at the hospital, she has essentially stopped going to group therapy sessions and it would do her no good to stay any longer without medication.

"Basically we're warehousing her," Dr. Kreg Jeppson said.

Jeppson said his diagnosis of Barzee changed from her having a delusional disorder to having a psychotic disorder after she claimed she was instructed by God to get the answers to her prayers by watching movies on television. She also claimed to be the mother of Zion and that the only guidance she needed was from Jesus Christ.

Barzee does not believe she is mentally ill and has essentially refused treatment, he said.

"She told me, 'I know some people think my beliefs are odd . . . I do not view myself as having a mental illness,' " Jeppson said.

A psychiatrist and a psychologist testifying for the defense, however, argued that Barzee's delusions are so grandiose and her mental illness has gone untreated for so long that anti-psychotic medication would have only a 20 percent to 30 percent probability of restoring her competency.

But during cross-examination, Dr. Morris Raphael, whose resume includes work in San Diego and New York, said that if Barzee was his patient, he would at least try to medicate her, even though he didn't believe the odds of the medicine restoring her to competency were very great.

Both sides admit Barzee's mental illness will probably always be there. But having a mental illness does not mean a person cannot be competent to stand trial under the legal guidelines.

Barzee appeared in court Thursday in a red blouse, black skirt and a new short hair style. She did not disrupt court proceedings like her estranged husband and co-defendant Brian David Mitchell. She paid attention to what was being said, conversed frequently with her attorneys and could be seen shaking her head at times during the testimony from the prosecution's witnesses.

At one point, after continuous testimony from both sides that Barzee had a mental disorder and odd beliefs, she started to cry. Defense Attorney Scott Williams handed her a tissue and appeared to try to calm her and explain the proceedings to her.

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com

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