I FEEL SYMPATHY FOR MITCHELL'S ATTORNEYS, BUT NOT THEIR POSITIONS

Now Mitchell's attorneys want out of the case. The public statement is that they have a conflict with a Government witness. The real reason, which can't be heard by the Jury, is that can't work with Mitchell. Mitchell is obstructing his own defense, because if he can continue his fake claim of mental illness, then he'll remain in a mental institution until "he is cured". 

Then he'll be back to panhandling on the streets of Salt Lake City again.

Then it would be somebody else's daughter.

Then THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON WOULD BE IN DANGER. (It may still not happen, but this can be explained.)

When Mitchell was about to kidnap Elizabeth Smart, one of his statements was to get rid of the "Antichrist" in Salt Lake City, which would have been the Late President Gordon B. Hinckley. 

He vetted his opposition to Pres. Hinckley, not because of what he said, but what Mitchell wanted. He wanted to write his own scripture to justify one of his addictions. He has not only a drug and alcohol addiction, but one addiction that was mentioned on the Oprah Winfrey Show with Dr. Drew Pinsky that was aired on November 23, 2009:

SEX!

It started with bad parenting by his "social worker" dad. You don't give your kid pornography to look at, but Shirl Mitchell did.

At 16, Brian Mitchell exposed himself. He should have been excommunicated then.

At about 19, he fathered a child out of wedlock, but he then married his girlfriend.

At the same time, he got hooked on drugs and alcohol. He should have been excommunicated then.

During his first two marriages, he molested his children. He should have been excommunicated then.

When he has a sexual addiction, it should have been nipped in the bud when he was a teenager, but when not nipped, it leads to the course that led to the kidnapping and rape of Elizabeth Smart. In some States, but not in California, he could get off with "diminished capacity", aka the "Twinkie Defense". It was that defense that led to riots in San Francisco after Former Supervisor Dan White was convicted of "involuntary manslaughter" for assassinating Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. It was also part of the reason why Proposition 8 in 1982 was passed in California.
 
Drug, alcohol, and sex addictions are not an excuse for one to do crimes. Mitchell's course of actions were of his own doing. He is still capable of repentence, but he dug himself way too deep that he has to get First Presidency he despises to grant him permission to be rebaptized.
 
As for his criminal case, he has been such an obstructionist pig, not even O. J. Simpson's "Dream Team" or Scott Peterson's lawyer could save him. In fact, Scott Peterson's lawyer couldn't save Scott Peterson. 
 
If Mitchell wants to save himself and expect mercy fom the Court, he should end his hymn-singing, and plead guilty to the charges. If not, there's always Leavenworth. His last address. His lawyers could try to save him, but that requires cooperation wth Mitchell. I do have sympathy for the lawyers to the impossible, but I don't have sympathy for Mitchell.