Posted on 10/26/2002 5:29:22 PM PDT by Palladin
Expert Offers 'Some New Leads' in Smart Case
Saturday, October 26, 2002
BY KEVIN CANTERA and MICHAEL VIGH
As police investigating Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping became stymied by a dearth of solid leads over the months, the case has grown conspicuously cold.
That could change following a recent visit from renowned forensics expert Henry Lee, who was recruited to examine evidence in the mysterious kidnapping. Lee, who has worked on such high-profile cases as the O.J. Simpson trial and the disappearance of congressional intern Chandra Levy, told The Salt Lake Tribune this week he gave investigators "some new leads to follow" in Elizabeth's June 5 abduction.
Citing a confidentiality agreement with police he signed before gaining access to forensic evidence in the case, Lee wouldn't discuss his findings specifically.
Chris Thomas, speaking on behalf of Elizabeth's father Ed Smart, confirmed Friday that Lee gave law enforcement "many recommendations" on how to proceed. "The police said they would pursue those leads. . . . From our understanding, investigators have been very busy, since [Lee] left," Thomas said. "It has given the family a lot of hope that things are progressing in a positive way."
The 14-year-old girl was snatched from her bedroom in the early morning hours by a gun-wielding intruder -- a crime witnessed only by her younger sister.
Lee's examination of a kitchen window screen led him to back an early police theory that the screen was cut from inside the home, possibly as a diversionary tactic by the abductor, multiple law enforcement sources tell The Tribune.
Police have been unable to determine if the kitchen window was the actual point of entry into the Federal Heights home. Investigators' skepticism is grounded in the lack of scuff marks around the kitchen window and the belief that anyone squeezing through the small window would have awakened family members.
"I went through the house and did look at a lot of evidence . . .I examined the screen and the window," said Lee, refusing to say what he determined from the analysis.
Thomas said Lee did not discuss his findings with Ed Smart or other family members because of the confidentiality agreement.
While Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse welcomed Lee's input, he said: "I don't think there was anything that [Lee] found that will change much." Dinse said he expects Lee, who was originally recruited into the investigation by Ed Smart, to provide police with a written report.
Though Dinse has not publicly ruled anyone out, the chief has called the late Richard Ricci, who worked in the Smart home as a handyman last year, the No. 1 potential suspect. Ricci, who was being held at the Utah State Prison on alleged parole violations, died in August from a massive brain hemorrhage.
He was also charged with robbing the Smart home of jewelry and other items and an earlier night-time burglary of a home nearby while he worked in the neighborhood.
prove me wrong with actual sources, photos from the awards assembly, eyewitness testimony placing liz at the assembly[besides ed and lois].
how can you compare Ricci to Zodiac. Zodiac never got caught, despite brazen egoistic display.
Sherlock, think about what you propose. Either Ricci is a moron, or he is a criminal mastermind. I don't think he can be both.
Yet, 20 Slc detectives, 20 Fbi agents and 10,000 volunteers couldn't find one shred of forensic evidence linking Ricci to the "abduction" of Liz.
actually studying this case led me to look at the Klass murder case. the actual facts of that scenerio are very bizarre, much like the Van Dam murder case. Ricci doesn't fit that profile. Yes, he is a thief, dope addict, convicted felon, but is he really the main guy? Look how intense LE was focused on Bret Edmunds.
IMHO, the police dept. is not in the same echelon as the Smart family. Police dept. employees are basically servents in this town, and can't afford to fight the powers that run the show. The cops are good cops, they have families, mortgages, and can't really stake those holdings against possible banishment. Most if not all cops are mormons.
Your posts become more stupid every day. Every member of the Smart family, who love and miss Elizabeth are also victims, moron!
One of Ed's first actions is a strong reason for suspicion, not so much of Ed being the culprit, but whether a gun was mentioned at that time, plus the lack of the public being allowed to hear the 911 tape.
The police have said there was a gun. Ed is not the only one saying there was a gun. You are hanging your "case" on your ASSUMPTION that there was no gun. Gee, for some reason I prefer to believe the cops over your half-baked theory. 911 tapes are not always released. Take the current Beltway Sniper case. Have you heard the tapes of the sniper's conversations with the police? LE generally has a reason for things they do or don't do and often don't even need a reason if there is no immediate benefit. If there was something about the tapes that would help in a search, they probably would have been released - long ago.
As for MY wild theories, I had one main theory. It hinged on Moul's accuracy. I stand by it.
Gee, here again I prefer to believe the cops rather than your sophomoric theory. You can "stand by it" as long as you want, but you have no proof. Zip, zero, nada.
From the very beginning, JG, you slammed anyone as "ridiculous," then switched to calling them "sophomoric" when their opinions didn't jibe with your attempts to sway everyone to "Ricci is guilty" when even the police couldn't tie him to the crime. Some people may have left these threads later on because of my remarks, but plenty more left early on because of your remarks.
Nonsense. I have repeatedly asked questions of new posters and their theories trying to get them to back up their theories with a modicum of proof. This has typically resulted in an attack on me. People don't like having their theories questioned - no matter how preposterous. You fall into that category.
I have never assumed that Ricci was guilty and have always been open minded. However, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, there is a real good chance its a duck. You THINK you are so smart, on a 10 scale, who even comes close to Ricci as a probable perp - with actual evidence, not theory? Answer: Ricci.
And that's exactly the way you want it. I don't know what your vested interest is in this case, whether or not you're just a person who always wants to be an attention grabber via insults for a sense of power. Or, if you know more about the workings, finances, etc., perhaps sexual practices of higher ups, of the LDS church - have a need to protect the image, to scare off anyone who might be so inclined to give us some deep details.
Grasping again, lakey? I have no vested interest in the case. Having two daughters the ages of the Smart daughters I resent the outrageous attacks on the Smart family and the LDS church on these threads - without even the slightest bit of proof. How about this snide, scummy little comment: perhaps sexual practices of higher ups, of the LDS church - have a need to protect the image Gee, it seems like your real agenda is to smear the Church rather than find a culprit. Do you have any actual evidence to support this comment?
You are a disgusting, immature, insensitive, ignorant fool. As for patting yourself on the back for what you say I consider "slamming others," while good you are only pointing out "flaws in logic and common sense, and taking posters to task for smearing the victims in this case without any evidence whatsoever," JG, you overlook that you have provided no proof either of Ricci's guilt. What has been reported in media is often in error, therefore not always a source of concrete, credible proof.
There is no way that media could have kept reporting the attendance of the Smarts and Elizabeth at that awards ceremony, and not have been called on it if Elizabeth had actually not have been seen there. The biggest conspiracy in the world could not have kept such an obvious lie from being found out. I think Ricci was heavily involved in Elizabeth's disappearance. None of us has access to photos from the awards assembly or people who actually were there, so we could take their "eyewitness testimony." If we DID have among us an eyewitness to her appearance at the ceremony, Jandji, I really think you would be talking about the unreliability of eyewitness testimony.
Ricci never got caught either--for this crime.
We were talking about putting airplane glue on fingertips, not the Brinks robbery. Ricci spent so much time in jail, and what do they do in jail? Compare stories--during which exercise they learn their trade even better.
Zodiac was surely a person of high intelligence; it doesn't take genius-level intelligence to think of trying something like airplane glue on the fingertips.
People always assume that "if Ricci did it, he must be a criminal mastermind," because "there was no evidence." Fact is, there WAS evidence. The criminal case was in its infancy. It had not yet shaped up; figuring out whether it ever would have shaped up is like trying to figure out what sort of person an aborted baby might have turned out to be.
One huge factor that led to Zodiac never being caught is that there were competing jurisdictions. Sometimes one jurisdiction would even keep evidence hidden from another jurisdiction. Read one of Graysmith's books, and you'll see this discussed.
I believe that Lee was brought in by the Smart family, not by LE. and you are right, there has to be some forensic evidence, but apparently none of it pointed to ricci as Chief Dinse stated or they would of charged ricci.
i know that you are teasing me, but yes of course affluence carries such wieght. i was more referring to the powerful access to the press the smart family seems to wield. they were having 4 press conferences weekly, then pared them down to 3 weekly. they've appeared on major network shows repeatedly. people without money certainly don't have these advantages. Plus, you have Ed releasing information to the press on his own concerning the case.
Touche, or i might claim they used a double, or payed everyone to keep quiet. it only makes sense to me, that a photo from the assembly would be the very latest picture available, a look the most like what she would appear like to a possible witness on the look-out for a missing girl.
i do see unusual connections between Ed, Sueann, and Ricci. but nothing that really links him to the scene of the crime. no witnesses, no prints, nothing found in the jeep, no motive, certainly not enough brains to pull off a stealth abduction leaving no clues. i remember how hot the police were about Edmunds at first, man he was on a national APB, just as a 'potential witness'.
Chief Dinse on more than on occasion stated that he would charge Ricci in a second if he had any evidence, but that he did not have any, so he didn't charge Ricci. these are Dinse's words, not mine
Criminal mastermind? ROFLMBO. What a perversion of my statement 'bad judgement in a post-homocidal depression'. Where do you get I said he was a 'criminal mastermind'out of that? I don't know where you came from but at least the other logic frees here understand the facts of the case they deny and don't pervert the statements of other posters out of ignorance.
You don't know what evidence they have. They said the fact they didn't bring charges against Ricci did not mean they didn't have evidence on him. They said they were not going to make any charges until Elizabeth shows up or her body is found so they are sure they have ALL the evidence. There was certainly no need to be in any hurry to bring charges against Ricci, he was out of circulation. Ricci was not the kidnapper. If you try to make sense out of people that speak nonsense they'll make you as crazy as they are, so don't bother responding to what I write any more, you won't hear back from me.
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