Posted on 12/26/2002 2:56:18 PM PST by Palladin
KING: All right, let's talk about the Elizabeth Smart case, which the media has kind of left now. What is your best read on that tragedy in Utah?
WALSH: I spent yesterday by coincidence with Ed and Lois Smart. I had them on "The John Walsh Show" to kind of give an update to the case. You know, Ricci, the guy that was the main suspect, died in prison of an aneurysm. He's the guy that was the handyman at the house that put 1,000 miles on his pickup truck during the two days that she was missing. He was a burglar. He also had a rap sheet, which a lot of the media doesn't understand. He spent 10 years in jail. He tried to blow the head off of a cop with a shotgun. This is a real bad guy.
I hope that he didn't take the secret of Elizabeth Smart to the grave with him. I talked to Ed and Lois yesterday. I said, don't give up hope. Justice delayed isn't justice denied.
What's killing them is the fact of the not knowing. I think they're prepared for the worst. Most parents of missing children are prepared for the worst. But their young daughter has now said that she believes that Ricci wasn't the guy in there that night, that it may have been another guy that did some work on their roof, an itinerant guy that worked at a homeless shelter, and he may be a suspect in this. And I don't want to give away a lot of breaking information here, but "America's Most Wanted" is going to take a look at the Smart case, because I know one thing, we have been able to solve crimes after 10 years.
So I gave the Smarts, you know, the best encouragement I could and said, look, don't give up hope. We'll relook at the case. It is normal for the media tension to die down, and to try to have a good holiday. This is going to be the first Christmas without this beautiful girl, and the Smarts have five other beautiful children. So they're trying to hold that family together.
I said, you know, do the best you can with your five children. Don't give up hope, and, you know what, we'll take another look at this case and try to keep it alive.
(Excerpt) Read more at silenter.com ...
No. I'm just a father with two daughters near the ages of MC and Liz. A father who has a tremendous amount of compassion for the Smart family. A father who had some free time in SLC a few months ago and wanted to get a feel for some of the FR speculation awhile ago about there being a "back road" that was accessible by 4WD - which there isn't. A father who would personally love to pull the plug on the perp(s) in this case and others where the abduction of a child is concerned.
Neth Moul's Garage Work Order #1421, dated 5/28/02 - looks like to me.
Mileage 134,321
? License 843LK?
1990 Jeep
Tune up
2 lines are indecipherable
Lube
Fuel pump
Note car pick up
NM (indecipherable) No pay
Car return out (?) 6//8/02 (yes, there are two slashes, making it appear to be 6/18/02
Our S I I m no pass 3500
The amount for the work written is either $250 or $750, can't decipher.
I taped on slow, which doesn't give a crisp picture. ____________________________________________________________
After the reporter talked with Moul, a police officer was interviewed. He admitted they didn't have enough evidence against Ricci, so they arrested him "on a parole violation."
During the course of speaking with this officer, he also said that they didn't believe Angela was the woman who called Moul's.
So, who was the woman?
I used to go with a guy who had the profile of Paul Newman. Frontal view, he was not Paul Newman. Had nicer, bluer eyes, though.
I believe it has been said that Ricci was fired & re-hired. Can't recall the dates. Ricci claimed innocence, but Ed said that they just couldn't have Ricci back in their home. Perhaps it was the 2nd time Ricci was hired - I do not know for certain.
Then, there's the time Ed went to Rick's apartment (before he married Angela?) & found the Jeep's engine running. He was going to drive it off?
I say these things, not knowing that they are the absolute truth. There have been many, many rumors and contradictions.
But, back to TRUSTING the workmen, I can't go along with that. A year before, Ricci admitted to entering the Smart home. Sue Adams had a break-in.
You'd have to be the most gullible of people to trust the workmen with keys. A foreman, perhaps, yes. Maybe, if he was a licensed contractor.
I kinda have a hard time with Lois' statement last night on the alarm never being set - because, if the kids got up in the night, their movement would set it off. Well, isn't that the idea of an alarm, to keep strangers out and your children in? If it was too touchy, have it fixed or buy a new one.
This was not a neighborhood untouched by crime.
Your theory on the upside down "U" - passing stuff out of the house may have been the reason for the screen being cut. I'd still think there would be fibers on the screen because of the narrowness of the window.
Yes, I remember us theorizing on what was taken from the house. At one point, we thought MC said the perp took Elizabeth into a bathroom. Being a teenager, Elizabeth may have wanted to take some personal hygiene items. We still don't know for sure.
Thanks for being so sweet and patient with me.
You note they also didn't say WHY they didn't think Angela was the woman or say anything about who they thought it might have been. I would guess they know she was the caller but they want her to think otherwise or they can't prove it and want more evidence like they didn't want to arrest her husband until Liz showed up or her body was found. Maybe she has threatened to sue them already anyway.
I noted the 5/28 date so Moul did have it from 5/28-30. I know you don't get this lakey but Angela admitted on LKL she called and checked on the white Jeep with the electronic fuel pump, this is what they had to have repaired for it to be running so they could take it out of the shop, Ricci originally had to tow it in.
I NEVER SAID ANYTHING OF THE LIKE!!! I have never said Ricci didn't look him the eye. I have never said he kept his profile to Moul. I have never heard anyone else make either of these allegations. The closest thing I've ever said to this is Moul said he wasn't his normal conversational self and he could tell something was really wrong, like Ricci was nervous and in some kind of big trouble.
If you are a liar, lakey, please quit lying. Maybe you're just so zealous to protect this ex-con scumbag you admire so highly you really think you hear these things.
Believe me though, lakey, the police, the Smarts, and anyone that reads this thread with one ounce of sense knows the facts surrounding where Ricci went with the Jeep, what he did with the seat covers, the two trash bags, and the post hole digger he took out of it, the fact he won't admit he ever had it, or tell who picked him up driving a blue SUV, are evidence he has all the answers to Liz's disappearance and the dirtball took what he knew to his grave.
It's entirely possible this is for real.
And you, JG, are a prisoner of paradigms.
You, varina, are certainly no prisoner of logic!
It wouldn't surprise me.
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.