posted on Mar, 14 2003 @ 04:17 PM
He called himself Emmanuel, which means �God is with us.� Emmanuel's real name is Brian David Mitchell, and his erratic life illustrates the story of
an individual whose grasp of reality slowly slipped away.
For a while, three of Barzee's teenage children from a previous marriage lived with them. One of them, Louree Gaylor, told The Early Show co anchor
Harry Smith that Mitchell was cruel and overly sexual with them as children. �He'd come in at night and kiss me and caress my hair,� she said. �Or
if he was giving me a hug, or you know, just a pelvic thrust.�
He also subjected them to psychological abuse, she said. � I mean, he shot a dog in front of us, made me eat my own rabbit for dinner, things like
that,� she explained.
It was among the reasons she and her siblings left home, she said, as Mitchell�s behavior became even more bizarre.
Mitchell put his religious rantings into a 27-page test called "The Book of Emmanuel David Isaiah," which he gave it to everyone he knew. It
included several passages on polygamy, leading to speculation that he may have wanted to make the teen a wife.
Authorities in California disclosed Thursday that Mitchell had been arrested and held for six days in San Diego County last month for vandalizing a
church. A fingerprint check done after the arrest confirmed his identity, but deputies had no reason to keep him in custody, sheriff's spokesman
Chris Saunders said. Mitchell pleaded guilty and was released on probation Feb. 18.
One friend told CBS News that Mitchell really thought he was living the life of Jesus.