Elizabeth Smart Relief

Nearly nine years after she was snatched at knifepoint from her bed, Elizabeth Smart followed Wednesday without showing any emotion as a federal judge ordered a street preacher to spend the rest of his life in prison for kidnapping and raping her while holding her kidnapped for months.

The sentencing of Brian David Mitchell closed a major legal chapter in the heartrending ordeal that waited for years after Mitchell was announced mentally ill and unable to stand trial in state court.

"I know that you know what you did is wrong," Smart told Mitchell as he sang quietly in the courtroom. "You took away nine months of my life that can never be returned."

Dressed in a hounds-tooth checked skirt, ivory jacket and pearls, Smart took the witness stand for only about 30 seconds and faced Mitchell in court for the first time.

She appeared self-collected and composed, speaking in even tones.

"I have a wonderful life," she said. "You will never affect me again."

After the hearing Smart smiled and embraced family members and her lawyers. She later said she was thrilled with the sentence.

Mitchell did not reply when U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball handed down to life sentences at the hearing in Salt Lake City. Federal sentencing rules do not allow parole.

A jury unanimously convicted the 57-year-old Mitchell in December of snatching and unlawful transferral of a minor across state lines for sex.