SALT LAKE CITY – A federal magistrate in Salt Lake city has entered a not guilty plea on behalf of the man accused in the 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart.
Magistrate Judge Samuel Alba entered the plea Friday for Brian David Mitchell.
Mitchell was promptly removed from the courtroom after he started singing hymns. He listened to the rest of the hearing from a separate area via audio.
Alba ordered prosecutors to turn over documents from state proceedings related to Mitchell's competency. He set a Nov. 12 hearing to rule on whether another competency evaluation for Mitchell is needed.
Mitchell has twice been found incompetent to stand trial by a state judge.
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