New Leads In Smart Case

The Salt Lake Tribune ^ | October 26, 2002 | Kevi Cantera and Michael Vigh

[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.

[TREGEN]

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.


NOT, He was being held on unrelated charges, Do You actually believe that because he didn't answer those simple question that he was being held in jail? Who is C-L-U_E-L-E-S-S now? I think I'm not smarter than police, but I have other opinions, why are you on this thread all the time? You just can't get here from free repulic, you need to know its here or get sent the URL. why do you care what I think? Is you real name David? Where is your buddy JG been lately? Sherlock, have you ever been to Kuwait?

[Palladin]

Getaway driver in Ricci bank heist gets 5-year term

By Lisa Riley Roche

Deseret News staff writer

The getaway driver in a Sandy bank robbery masterminded by the late Richard Ricci, considered the top potential suspect in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping, was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison.
John Russell Remington, 44, faced up to 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for his role in the Nov. 2, 2001, robbery of the Far West Bank, 8520 S. 1300 East. He pleaded guilty to one charge of armed bank robbery in October.
Court documents said Remington waited outside the bank in a stolen car while Ricci went inside carrying a Ruger 9mm handgun. Ricci returned with $1,713 and jumped into the car, the documents stated.
A third man involved in the robbery, Douglas Rex Young, waited in another vehicle that was intended to serve as a diversion, according to court documents. Charges are pending against Young.
U.S. District Chief Judge Dee Benson said Remington deserved a break because of his help in the Smart case. Remington approached authorities and offered information about Ricci, a focus of the investigation into the girl's still-unsolved June 5 disappearance.
Remington, in a letter to the court read by Benson, said he came forward "to help in any way I could" and possibly even help authorities find Elizabeth. He said he "felt it was my responsibility as a good citizen to shed light" on the case.
Benson said it turned out that Remington was not that close to Ricci. But, the judge said, that didn't mean he wasn't able to provide information that was of "substantial assistance" to investigators in the Smart case and should be complimented for his efforts.
After the sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Vincent told reporters the information consisted primarily of names and addresses for Ricci's associates. Vincent said he was not aware of any information from Remington that connected Ricci to the kidnapping.
Ricci, who had worked for the Smarts as a handyman, denied any involvement in the abduction of Elizabeth from her bed in her family's Federal Heights home. Ricci died Aug. 31 from a brain hemorrhage.
In court, Remington apologized for the pain he had caused his family and friends as well as the bank employees. Benson, who described Remington's criminal record as "awful," warned him that another serious offense would land him in prison for the rest of his life.
Remington told the judge he appreciated the reduced sentence. "You won't be sorry."

[Palladin]

I can't believe Remington got off so lightly for a federal offense of armed bank robbery! Utah really does need a Three Strikes You're Out law.

Did Remington have information related to the kidnapping that would implicate some high-up Utah muckety-muck? Was his silence bought with a minimal 5-year sentence. What in the darn heck is going on in SLC anyway??

[Palladin]

Here's an article (above) about Remington and his sentence for the bank robbery.

[lakey]

That's a great find, Palladin.

My, my, a five-year sentence for a federal crime of bank robbery - by the U.S. District judge.

Not that close to Ricci, Remington came forward "to help in any way I could." You betcha. Remington's no fool. Opportunities like this happen few and far between.

So, when was the last time Remington talked to Ricci? The answer is like the rest of this caper, we'll probably never know.

[lakey]

To my question on a Fund:

"The Smart family asks all financial donations to be given to: Laura Recovery Foundation for Missing Children, 307 B-1 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, TX 77546, 281-482-5723."

We can scratch the Smarts dipping into a donation account.

[Sherlock]

A little revisionist history in the Elizabeth Smart case:

Remington approached authorities and offered information about Ricci, a focus of the investigation into the girl's still-unsolved June 5 disappearance.

The original story was Ricci gave police Young and Remington's names as people he had worked with in Federal Heights and Remington returned the favor by fingering Ricci as the gunman in the bank robbery.

This is from the SLC Tribune on Oct 17:

A separate bank robbery charge filed against Remington was dismissed on Wednesday. Prosecutors had alleged that he robbed a Murray bank of nearly $700. Remington's criminal history dates to the 1980s, when he was sentenced to up to life in prison for bank robbery. He was later sentenced to 14 years in prison after he went on a crime spree while on a home visit from the Utah State Prison, according to a story in the Jan. 19, 1986, edition of The Salt Lake Tribune. For a Salt Lake County robbery committed during the home visit, Remington, then 28, was convicted of being a habitual criminal and given an additional sentence of 5 years to life. He served two years in prison and completed his parole on March 8, 1994.

And now this guy will be out of jail again in no more than 5 years. What is up with Utah?

None of the Utah papers printed a picture of Remington in the articles about the court decision this past week. We have still never seen a picture of John Russell Remington.

[landerwy]

I don't know who you are but anyone who is been on this thread since last summer would know Sherlock is not one of the Smarts. He is most decidely not LDS. Also, he is not a moron. I have found Sherlock to be quite reasonable. I would ask the same from you TREGEN.

I have not been following close for sometime but have recently read most of this thread. A couple of observations. There is not much new! And, I go back to Lois in her interviews. She said that she believed Ricci was involved. She also said that MK recognized the voice. Though it has been hard to understand where Ed was coming from I have found her to be the one I believe the most.

[TREGEN]

And now this guy will be out of jail again in no more than 5 years. What is up with Utah?

Have you ever looked at http://www.slsheriff.org/html/jail/_jailinfo.html
It's insane, They let criminals go, know that they will recommit a crime, put them in jail for awhile, then the whole thing starts over again...I agree something needs to happen in the criminal justice world, every 6-12 months they let a bunch out on early parole.

[Palladin]

It's interesting to read that earlier article.

There are so many inconsistencies in this case, and in the way it's being reported.

Do you think Remington is a snitch, and that's why they keep letting him out every five years?

I know if I held up a bank here in PA., they'd lock me up and throw away the key.

Utah is in a different universe.

[Palladin]

The National Enquirer has a book out this week: "They're Killing Our Children". (go to the NE site and an ad for it will pop up). http://www.nationalenquirer.com/

The odd thing about it is that the cover depicts Elizabeth, along with children who have been found dead. Why do they assume that Elizabeth has been killed?

Oh, well, it IS the NE.

[Sherlock]

Do you think Remington is a snitch, and that's why they keep letting him out every five years?

I've always thought there was something fishy about Remington, including the fact that they plastered pictures of Ricci, Young, and Romero all over the media but I have never seen a picture of Remington. There was the comment his lawyer made about it being ridiculous they would consider his client a potential suspect in the Elizabeth Smart case since he was in jail on the night she was kidnapped. Then NE said that Young and Remington's voices were in the voice lineup given to MK.

I remember reading that police had interviewed Young, and they also wanted to interview a man named John Russell Remington who was another ex-con who had worked with Ricci in the Federal Heights neighborhood at one time. I read that Ricci gave police Young and Remington's names as other ex-con's he had worked with in the Federal Heights neighborhood and Remington returned the favor by fingering Ricci as the gunman in his bank robbery. Now police are telling us Remington came forward on his own as a good Christian to do whatever he could to help find Elizabeth and should be rewarded for it. Even though he gave police no information that has helped them one iota in the case.

I don't know what it is, but I think there may be something rotten with Remington, his relationship with the police, and the story they've told us, and Remington could well be the key to solving Elizabeth's disappearance.

[Sherlock]

This is an article from August 2, 2002. Police now say this guy came looking for them to help them out?:

Not-guilty Plea in Bank Heist
By Angie Welling
Deseret News staff writer

One of the two men accused of helping Richard Albert Ricci rob a Sandy bank last year appeared in federal court Thursday. John Russell Remington, 44, pleaded not guilty to charges of armed bank robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and restricted persons in possession of a firearm. Ricci is among a list of potential suspects in the kidnapping of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart. A former handyman for the Smarts, Ricci, 48, is also charged in state court with stealing items from their Federal Heights house. Douglas Rex Young, 51, is also charged with the bank robbery. U.S. Magistrate Ronald Boyce Thursday scheduled a three-day trial to begin Sept. 23 before David Winder, U.S. district judge for Utah. Federal prosecutors hope to try all three men at the same time. "We charged them together. We hope to try them together," Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Vincent said. That may, however, be held up by custody issues and coordinating attorneys' schedules.

Remington will remain in federal custody pending trial. Ricci is in state custody on the theft charges and a parole violation, and Young is in the custody of a federal parole board. Arraignments for Ricci and Young have not been scheduled. If convicted, Remington and Young face a maximum 42 years in prison. Ricci was charged with a federal "three strikes" sentencing enhancement for a series of violent crimes committed over a nearly 30-year period. If convicted, the penalty carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Law enforcers allege Ricci masterminded the Nov. 2, 2001, holdup of Far West Bank, 8520 S. 1300 East. According to a Sandy police report, a man in a ski mask entered the bank holding a black handgun just before 5 p.m. The man ordered two tellers to lie down on the floor and threatened to take a third hostage if the tellers didn't cooperate. The man took $1,713 from the tills and ran out of the bank. The man was seen getting into the passenger side of a white Honda.

[Sherlock]

From July 17, 2002:

Two other men, Douglas Rex Young and John Russell Remington, also were named in the robbery indictment. The three are accused of using a 9mm semiautomatic pistol to rob Far West Bank in Sandy of $1,713 on Nov. 2, 2001.

Robbery charges carry a penalty of up to 25 years in prison; brandishing a weapon in commission of the crime carries a mandatory sentence of seven years that would be tacked onto any other sentence.

All three men have been convicted of previous felonies and are therefore prohibited from possessing firearms. Violating that prohibition carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

[Sherlock]

From July 4, 2002:

Investigators on Tuesday interviewed 51-year-old Douglas Rex Young of Sunset, an associate of Ricci's who is being held for a purported federal parole violation.

Police indicated yesterday that they also planned to talk to 44-year-old John Russell Remington, who with Ricci and Young did repair work last year on a house about two blocks from the Smarts' residence.

[Sherlock]

From July 8, 2002 (Note - the only person I know that hired Ricci for building/renovating homes was John Russell Remington. At the time of Elizabeth's kidnapping Ricci was working at the nursery.):

Abduction Investigators Question Sex Offender

Jul 8, 2002 6:33 pm US/Mountain

(KUTV) Investigators in the Elizabeth Smart case are keeping tabs on another ex-convict. He is a neighbor of Richard Ricci, the man who still seems to be at the center of the investigation.

Pete Romero did prison time for having sex with a 14-year-old girl, armed robbery and assaulting a police officer. He lives a couple of doors from Ricci.

Romero said he is sorry for his crimes, and insists he had nothing to do with the abduction of Elizabeth Smart. "My heart goes out to that family, and that little girl. No child should have to go through something like that," Romero said.

As of Monday Romero has been ordered to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet to track his whereabouts. He's also under a new curfew.

Romero has been interviewed several times by investigators and has taken a polygraph. He said given his criminal history, he understands investigators questioning him, but said he can’t understand police tactics when they talked to his neighbors.

"Just what the neighbors told me. They questioned them, asking if they knew I was a rapist, and what I was convicted for, that I was a very dangerous person, just trying to scare them, using scare tactics," Romero said.

Meantime, a man has been identified who helped tow Richard Ricci's white jeep to a West Valley auto repair shop. 2-news has been told the man hired Ricci for building or renovating homes.

Detectives may be looking for him now. Police are very interested in tracking the whereabouts of Ricci’s Cherokee which was given to him by Elizabeth’s father, Ed Smart, for work at his home.

Police said the Cherokee was put in the shop at the end of May. A man reportedly help tow the Jeep to the shop at that time. The Cherokee reportedly was later removed and then returned three days after the Smart abduction. A mechanic said the jeep was brought back caked with mud and with about a thousand additional miles on the odometer.

The mechanic said he saw Ricci walk across the street and meet another man. The mechanic did not get a good look at the second man. Police want to know if it is the same man who helped Ricci tow the truck to the shop the first time in late May.

Police still have not named Ricci as a suspect, and his wife insists Ricci was at home the night Smart was kidnapped. Ricci’s wife has already testified before a federal grand jury looking into the Smart abduction.

In all police are now questioning four ex-convicts in the case and a fifth man who may have been with Ricci when he returned the SUV to the repair shop.

[Palladin]

A new suspect was mentioned by John Walsh on LKL last night....also Walsh says MK said it was NOT Ricci--

TUESDAY
December 24, 2002

Top Detective in Smart Case Leaving
BY MICHAEL VIGH
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

Although the lead investigator in the disappearance of Elizabeth Smart has taken a police chief's job in Idaho, the move is not a sign that the investigation is at a halt, an assistant Salt Lake City police chief said Monday.

Salt Lake City Capt. Cory Lyman, 45, has been leading a police task force since the armed abduction of the teenager occurred June 5. At its height, the task force included more than 100 officers and FBI agents, but it has been whittled down to six officers.

Now, months after the investigation stalled, Lyman has taken a job as the police chief in Ketchum, a resort town in central Idaho. Lyman will begin Feb. 1 and replaces Cal Nevland, who is retiring after 22 years at the helm of the department.

"It's still a high priority with this department to get this case solved," Salt Lake City Assistant Police Chief Arthur "Mac" Connole said of the Smart case. "Although [Lyman] is the supervisor, the detectives at the street level will be the same."

Lyman, who has been with the Salt Lake City police for two decades, will supervise a force of 10 sworn officers in Idaho. He had been captain over the 70-person detective division.

Connole said Chief Rick Dinse has not decided who will replace Lyman as lead investigator.

Elizabeth's father, Ed Smart, said Monday he is confident the team of police and FBI agents will continue to track leads in the confounding case. He also praised Lyman for his kindness during the nightmarish ordeal.
"Cory has been the epitome of what I would hope for in a policeman," Smart said. "He's been there night and day since this happened, and he has been Johnny-on-the-spot to let us know immediately [what's going on in the investigation]."

Smart added that Lyman told him he regretted leaving while the case remains unsolved.

"He said 'I feel like I am abandoning you,' " Smart said. "But I think [the new job] is wonderful, he deserves it."

Lyman was unavailable for comment Monday, but the frustrated detective told The Salt Lake Tribune last month that leads were drying up and he asked the public to come forward with solid information.

Police continue to put the late Richard Ricci, a career criminal who died in August, at the "top of the list" of potential suspects.

Before he died of a massive brain hemorrhage, Ricci told detectives he was home with his wife when Elizabeth was kidnapped.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that John Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted," is preparing an episode of the television show on the Smart kidnapping, which will profile a young roofer who had worked for the Smart family.

Smart told the AP Monday night he wasn't ready to go public with information on the roofer.

"I didn't know (Walsh) was going to do that," Smart said. "I'm surprised he said what he said. We're working with the police."

Smart said many of Elizabeth's friends have visited the family and brought them letters expressing their hope that the girl will be found alive. The letters also discussed how much they missed their classmate.

"It's really hard when you start reading those," Smart said, his voice breaking. "It's just a hard time right now."

mvigh@sltrib.com

[Sherlock]

Thanks for the article. I've always said Ricci did not go into the house and kidnap Elizabeth but whoever did was an associate of his and working with him to his game plan. Walsh is pretty sharp. If this roofer is athletic, has thick dark hair with wide sideburns, hair on the back of his hands, and a red, green, and blue tatoo on his shoulder, I will find him most interesting.

[Sherlock]

America's Most Wanted Will Profile Smart Case Mystery Man
http://kutv.com/specialsection/local_story_358115647.html

Dec 24, 2002 9:54 am US/Mountain

John Walsh, host of the high-profile anti-crime crusade ``America's Most Wanted'' television program, says he is helping Elizabeth Smart's family look for a man who once worked for them who they believe had something to do with Elizabeth's abduction.

On CNN's ``Larry King Live'' show Monday night, Walsh said that a future ``America's Most Wanted'' will profile a roofer he said was ``a young homeless guy who lived at a homeless shelter'' who may have used an alias when he worked for the Smarts.

Salt Lake City Police Capt. Scott Atkinson said though the suspect is someone they've been looking for, he is not near the top of their list of potential suspects.

``We've known about this guy. We would like to talk to him to clear up that lead. He was only at the house one time several months before the incident happened,'' Atkinson said.

Walsh also said Mary Katherine, Elizabeth's younger sister, says it wasn't former handyman and career criminal Richard Albert Ricci who came into the girls' bedroom in the middle of the night and took Elizabeth away at gunpoint. She remains missing.

However, police spokesman Dwayne Baird said Walsh's claim is inconsistent with what the child has told them.

``Ricci is our primary suspect and remains that way,'' Baird said.

Ricci, 48, on Aug. 27 suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in his Utah State Prison cell, where he was being held on a parole violation. His family took him off life support three days later.

He had been under scrutiny for possible involvement in the 14-year-old girl's disappearance on June 5. He always maintained his innocence.

Walsh made his ``America's Most Wanted'' plans with Elizabeth's parents, Ed and Lois Smart, in New York last week, after taping a segment for ``The John Walsh Show,'' a daytime talk show on NBC.

Ed Smart said Monday night he wasn't ready to go public with information on the roofer. ``I didn't know (Walsh) was going to do that,'' Smart said. ``I'm surprised he said what he said. We're working with the police.''

Smart said investigators have long known about the roofer and are looking for him but don't know where he is. And though he confirmed Walsh's claims about the upcoming episode, he was cautious about what the television host said.

``That room was very dark at night,'' Smart said. ``What Mary Katherine saw and what she didn't see is really hard to know. She's told her story and I hope at some point soon to basically say exactly what she said.

Mary Katherine, then 9, was the sole witness to her 14-year-old sister's abduction. At investigators' request, her parents haven't questioned their younger daughter on what she told police. Children have malleable memories, and they don't want to taint her as a witness.

In a November interview, the Smarts told The Associated Press that their understanding was that while Mary Katherine feigned sleep, Elizabeth stubbed her toe, and her kidnapper said either ``if you don't scream, I won't hurt you,'' or ``be quiet or I'll hurt you.''

Mary Katherine got out of bed to follow them. But when she stood in her doorway and saw them looking into her brothers' room, she went back to bed, her parents said.

Police have documented and followed up over 16,000 leads from the public, most of them dead ends.

The kidnapping of Walsh's 6-year-old son, Adam, brought national attention to the problem of missing children. The crime remains unsolved 21 years after his severed head was found in a canal. Adam's body was never found, and the prime suspect, now dead, was never charged in the case.

The slaying led Walsh to press lawmakers to create a national clearinghouse of computerized information on missing children and a toll-free hot line to help parents. He claims that ``America's Most Wanted'' has helped capture 735 fugitives in its 16 years on television.

[Sherlock]

John Walsh on the Smart Investigation
http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=84&sid=4536

Dec. 24, 2002

Salt Lake Police say claims made by John Walsh.. in connection with the Elizabeth Smart Case.. aren't true.

Walsh.. the host of America's Most Wanted says he plans to highlight a roofer of the Smart family

He says the family believes the roofer had a role in the abduction.

Detective Dwayne Baird tells K-S-L radio the roofer has been looked at.. and is towards the bottom of the supect list.

Baird also says no one has replaced Smart Handyman Richard Ricci at the top of the suspect list.

As for Walsh's claims that Mary Katherine Smart.. the sole witness to the abduction.. now says Ricci wasn't in the bedroom.

Baird says that isn't consistant with what she has told police.