New Leads In Smart Case

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.

In my opinion, the jeep has nothing to do with anything,

Then why wouldn't Ricci admit that he had it, tell police what he did with it and with the things he removed from it, and who picked him up when he returned it? And why did he park it for the 10 days on and around the date of the crime away from his trailor? If Ricci were innocent and had given police answers to these simple questions they would have cleared him and released him in a few days. Why do you think you are smarter than law enforcement who thinks the actions of the Jeep and who picked Ricci up when he returned it are the keys to the case?

Also Thursday, Ricci's mechanic said Ricci was acting strangely when he dropped off his 1990 white Jeep Cherokee for repairs just three days after Elizabeth's kidnapping.

At 5:30 p.m. June 8, Ricci took his car to Net Moul for minor repairs. Moul describes Ricci as an easy-going person who is normally pleasant to talk to. But not on that day.

"He didn't even look me straight in the face. He was not in a good mood," he said. "He seemed more frustrated. I figured he must have had a problem. Something was up."

The Cherokee was caked in mud as if it had been four-wheeling, Moul said. Newspapers lined the floor of the vehicle as if someone were taking precautions to keep it clean. But when he tried to joke about it with Ricci, he got no reply.

Moul saw two seat covers lying behind the Jeep's back seat. Ricci put the seat covers in a plastic bag, grabbed a post-hole digger that was in the Jeep, and walked to the sidewalk in front of the auto shop near 3500 South and 4500 West, Moul said.

Ricci waved to a man who was at the gas station across the street. Ricci told Moul the man was waiting to give him a ride home. The man was Caucasian, had dark hair and was about 5-foot-8, Moul said.

Ricci went back to his Jeep and grabbed a second bag out of the vehicle and took it with him. The bag was full, but Moul said he couldn't tell what was in it.

What also caught Moul's attention that day was the odometer. Ricci had picked up his Jeep May 30 after having a fuel line fixed. Between May 30 and June 8, Moul estimated between 500 to 1,000 miles had been put on the car.

Several days later, investigators from Salt Lake City police and the FBI came to Moul's shop looking for the Jeep, which they eventually took.

Wednesday, Moul was called to testify before the federal grand jury investigating the Smart kidnapping.

Morse said that police told him the man who dropped off the Jeep at the shop was wearing a machete in his belt. Moul did not have any comment on that information.

Neth Moul, owner of Neth's Auto Repair, said that on May 30 Ricci inexplicably took his 1990 Jeep Cherokee off the lot where mechanics had replaced the fuel pump but had expected to do additional work. On June 8, Ricci returned the vehicle -- caked with mud -- for the other repairs.
Police have said they want to hear from witnesses who might have seen the Jeep -- which Ricci received from Elizabeth's father, Ed Smart, as payment for odd jobs last year -- between May 31 and June 8.
"[Ricci's] clothes were also very dirty; he was in a bad mood and he looked tired," said Moul, who tried to joke with Ricci about the mud.
He called Ricci's behavior that day "very strange," because the usually friendly Ricci did not respond.
Moul said he watched as Ricci, after pulling into the garage, filled two large bags with items from the vehicle -- including the Jeep's seat covers -- and slung them over a posthole digger he took from the back of his vehicle. Ricci then crossed the street where a man waited for him on a "grassy knoll" in front of a gas station, Moul said.
Ricci's lawyer, David K. Smith, disputes some of Moul's story.
"All I can tell you is, [Ricci's wife] Angela said: 'We never had any seat covers in that Jeep,' " Smith said, declining to comment further on any evidence. Smith represents both Riccis.
Smith said Ricci maintains he is innocent, but acknowledges police have focused on him as a "primary suspect."
The FBI confiscated Moul's work logs, which show the car was gone from his shop for more than a week. Moul, who also noted mileage in the log, estimated the Jeep had been driven up to 1,000 miles during those 10 days.

Her comment is not an admittance of having made the phone call on May 30th. She doesn't say on what day she called the garage. Ricci took the Jeep in to Moul's shop on May 30th, right? Angela would not have called on May 30th to get it back on the same day, knowing what was wrong with it. Remember back, Sherl, we also heard that the problem was the ignition. Moul, an Oriental immigrant, does not speak fluent English. He's got at least two white Jeeps in his shop for repair, possibly three. One has a faulty electronic fuel pump (presumably Ricci's vehicle), another one has the ignition problem, and he has them confused. His confusion works to the advantage of LE.

The FBI entered this case early on, & I can't believe they made that decision unless they had some evidence that either Elizabeth was taken from the state of Utah, or the culprit is a suspect in other cases.

The FBI provided profilers when the case got the media attention it did. They later got involved because of the 1000 miles on the Jeep and 500 miles each way could put it out of state, making it a federal offense. They also were involved at the end of June in enhancing the video from Shriner's Hospital parking lot. The FBI involvement came slowly and was because of the huge media coverage of the case from the beginning.

ANGELA'S BIG LIES

Investigators are trying to figure out how Ricci logged those miles on the Jeep in those days and are focusing their search for Elizabeth Smart within a 500-mile radius of Salt Lake City.

Ricci, police say, has denied any involvement in Elizabeth's June 5 abduction. His wife, Angela, insists that he was home sleeping that morning. She also thought that her husband did not have possession of the Jeep when Elizabeth was kidnapped and believed it was still at the mechanic's shop.

Lost Keys and a Mystery Mrs. Ricci

However, Moul denies having the Jeep and said he remembered seeing Ricci bring it back two days after Elizabeth's abduction and hurriedly removing several items — including its seat covers and two bags.

When told about the mechanic's allegations, Angela Ricci maintained that she was sure her husband did not have the Jeep on the night in question.

"I'm sure it wasn't … it wasn't there," she said.

On ABCNEWS' Good Morning America today, Angela Ricci went a step further, suggesting that someone else could have taken the Jeep.

"He lost his keys. Someone stole his keys in April," she said. "For some reason the FBI won't question this person that was with him when his keys were stolen, so he is not the only person that had keys to that Jeep."

AT HOME WITH ANGELA?

Ricci denies any involvement and his wife is adamant that the two were in bed together at the time Elizabeth was abducted.
But Ricci's neighbors have their doubts. Carma Tolman, who lives next door, told CNN that Angela Ricci asked her and others living in the Shadow Ridge Estates mobile home park if they had seen her husband leave in the middle of the night. She hadn't.
And Tolman's son, Andy Thurber, said Richard Ricci was digging and pounding on his trailer the morning Elizabeth was kidnapped. Ricci said he was boarding up a hole on the bottom of Tolman's trailer so his cat could not get in.
"He's a good guy, he really is. I borrowed smokes from him. He borrowed smokes from me," Thurber said. "I was thinking they were after the wrong guy until I heard about the Jeep and stuff and they started questioning me. Now I don't know what to think."

MOVE EVIDENCE FROM MOUL

Police have seized records on a vehicle belonging to Ricci, a mechanic said earlier Friday. Neth Moul, owner of Neth's Auto Repair, also said when the vehicle was brought to the repair shop on June 8, it was dirty and full of insects on the windshield.

Moul said he testified this week before a federal grand jury looking into the girl's disappearance.

Police originally confiscated three vehicles belonging to Ricci, but returned two of them, keeping Ricci's Jeep Cherokee for more analysis.

According to Moul, police seized his log books that recorded the Ricci repair work, dates and mileage. The mileage is important because the vehicle apparently had recorded 1,000 extra miles from the time Ricci picked up the vehicle from the mechanic on May 30 and brought it back for more repairs on June 8.

BIG LIE FROM SMITH

The couple watched television together in bed, Smith said, and Richard Ricci fell asleep before his wife, who suffers from back pain. Angela Ricci estimates she went to sleep about 1:30 a.m. and said her husband got up at least once during the night to use the restroom, Smith said. "We feel it's a pretty good alibi," he said. "The real issue is what happened between 10 [p.m.] and 6 [a.m.]." Asked if Angela Ricci takes any medication that would have sedated her, Smith said he didn't believe her medication would have interfered with her awareness.

Wasn't the bank robbery trial of Remington & Ricci (and Young??) supposed to be in November?

It must have been postponed. I haven't read anything about it in the SLC papers, or on the other crime forums.

Good points about when and why the FBI enters a case. They see something unusual and perhaps hinging on other crimes, financial crimes, like loansharking and extortion, maybe?

Let's face it....a child's life is not always a reason important enough for the FBI to stay involved. They are more interested in international intrigue, terrorism, organized crime, and big money crimes.

Who now is the prime suspect? Why haven't we found her body? Do you think she is still alive? Is this another one of those cases that would have been better off if the media had stayed out of it?

I believe some family member (or members) are still persons of interest. Also, all of Ricci's acquaintances. Probably this new guy, David Fuller; and also that randy Bishop--Dixon. That's all I can think of.

Is she still alive? A million prayers have gone up that this is so. We can only hope for a Christmas miracle.

I don't see where the media has been detrimental in this case. They helped with the enormous search effort. The SLC newspapers have kept the case alive with frequent articles. The cable news shows have been generous in giving Ed and Lois much coverage. I believe the Smarts have mentioned many times that they are grateful to the media for their ongoing efforts to rescue or recover Elizabeth.

You are so fixed on Ricci committing this crime. Why?
Don't you have any ideas of your own? after you drop this idea and go away for a couple of weeks, you will come back and start hashing this subject all over again. Where does it get you? The same place you are right now.
Instead of hashing over the jeep, Put Ricci at the crime seen, with proof. Go ahead, noone is holding you back. Solve the crime Sherlock. Quit debating every person that comes on here.

If I left my car at the mechanics to have a simple problem fixed and it took them more than a day to do it a I would be anxious to get it back. That same thing happened to me a couple of years ago, the mechanic said it would take 4 hours to fix my car, it took them 3 days, I had things to do, places to go and people to see, so I took the car and returned it with additional mileage (that could have been explained had it been anyones business).

I wonder why the trial would have been postponed? Ricci's death? Little evidence without him?

What you say is true, Palladin, a child's life is not always why the FBI enters a case. That they did find reason to involve the bureau in this particular case a short time after Elizabeth's disappearance - and with all the woes this country has undergone and may still face -there has to be more to it.

a key question would be.....did Ed submit insurance claims on any items that were "stolen" from his home...what were the items and were any of these items found at Ricci's or inlaws house...

could all this case be about a setup insurance scam....???? did Ed need money badly and did he arrange to have a little breakin....gee..sure convenient to have the garage door open and the alarm off.....did the breakin go badly....????

of course if that happened that way....no way would Ed want it to be known that he was involved....could he have arranged to have Ricci quietly killed... a man or relatively young years...???

far fetched??? sure.....so is the so simple idea that Ricci just came , took a willing teenager out, in front of a little sister who was so worried she came quietly to her parents bedroom up to two hours later....oh, and that gun.....

You are so fixed on Ricci committing this crime. Why?

You are so fixed on Ricci being innocent. Why? The last that I heard he was still at the top of the SLPD/FBI list of potential suspects in the case. Do you have a problem with LE in this matter? Sherlock is doing a service to remind those who may be casual readers as to what was hashed out before. Many of us who are in the "suspicious of Ricci" crowd aren't posting right now because there is no new information to go over. If you or anybody else in the "lovers of Ricci" crowd come up with something worth hashing then maybe we'd jump back in.

If I left my car at the mechanics to have a simple problem fixed and it took them more than a day to do it a I would be anxious to get it back.

It didn't take them more than a day. On May 30 it was towed there, repaired, and driven off by Richard Ricci for some emergency. Angela admitted she called and asked about the white Jeep with the electronic fuel pump so she called on the only day it was in the shop, May 30. And she never called again on it after May 30 though she and her husband claim it was there all that time until police impounded it on Jun 12.

I took the car and returned it with additional mileage (that could have been explained had it been anyones business).

Of course. Would you have gone to jail to rot for the rest of your life on simple parole violation charges rather than simply admitting you took it, telling the police where you put the things you took out of it, and who it was that picked you up when you return it.

Don't you have any ideas of your own?

Who else has caught Angela Ricci in her lying? If we make up scenarios, will that change who did it? It's like one of those homes on the cliffs in an earthquake and mudslide proned area of California that has already slipped about 15 feet. Why don't you think of reasons this is safe instead of dwelling on it being dangerous, man. Does that change the basic fact that the house is unsafe?

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.