Posted on 08/30/2002 8:48:33 PM PDT by stlnative
SLCPD discredited it a few days with their usual line "It was nothing". I'm not saying they lied but I'm not saying I believe them either. They would have the right to lie about it. The also said the same thing about the man fitting the description seen by several searchers.
More - This guy was picked up from a check of all convenience store videos in the Federal Heights neighborhood in the timeframe of the hours just before the kidnapping. The guy came in the store in clothing matching the description of the kidnapper wearing a hat and stole some beer. The employee in the convenience store admitted he NEVER SAW THE GUY COME INTO THE STORE. Who do you know that would be bold enough to do something this stupid. The beer drinking might tie in with the fact Ricci was drinking Coronas early the next morning per his neighbor Thurber.
I just found it interesting. I couldn't figure out though if it was the night Liz was kidnapped or a couple of nights later, the article wasn't specific. I thought someone else might be able to provide more on it.
My guesses are either they don't have enough evidence to convict him and don't want to try him before Liz or her body show up so they have max evidence or they were able to quietly take him off these street on something like a parole violation and because no one else was involved (like Moul with Ricci) they haven't had to tell us.
Perhaps so. Like an athlete who goes on those extra years when they should have retired, the Smarts run the risk of losing credibility. Some on this thread feel they are already there. But as long as the media is turning to them then I think that they need to put on their game face and try to win one for Elizabeth. Unlike a washed up athlete, the media will eventually stop offering them a platform.
LE usually doesn't release case sensitive information to the public unless they need the publics help. Let's hope that they identified this person already and have him under surveillance. Maybe they know who it is, have found the van, but can't locate the individual. Maybe they hope this guy will show up at the funeral to make sure that Richard is really dead. Maybe it's just some incompetence on LE's part. Who knows at this point.
One must remember their audience when making a quip.
No doubt. It would have been much easier to control Elizabeth once she was in the Jeep with two people. I think the accomplice proabaly was waiting in the Jeep.
LE probably knows who this guy is and are convinced he was not involved. They could be wrong though. I hope that someone has saved that video for future reference.
Edmunds probably was in part a diversion but I think they did want to talk to him. He had gotten a ticket or a warning on the cul de sac behind the Smart's house (which is the edge of civilization) a couple of weeks before the kidnapping. Being a heroin user it would be possible he knew Ricci. And he nearly died so if he was involved with the kidnapping part of his payment may have been in dope laced with something to silence him. At any rate he must have come into some money somehow to have enough dope to get himself in trouble. It's a common joke that the biggest curse for a druggee is to come into a lot of money because then they can afford to kill themselves.
And then there's the thing about the license plates. The plate number the milkman gave of the gray Honda or Nissan was not on file with the DMV but it was very close to the plate on Edmunds car. Very strange.
Oh, I think they have a copy on the shelf somewhere.
As I recall, Ricci had to borrow a couple of bucks from Thurber later that day to buy some Coronas. If he wanted a beer before the kidnapping he would have had to have stolen it (pretty good, huh?).
It is possible that it was Ricci and this is part of the evidence they are so closely guarding.
Good point, and maybe it was a bit premature for the family to mention the blue van. Then again the guy may be headed for Mexico with the police following him so you never know. There's a good chance the Smart's OK'd release of this piece of information or that it was LE's idea. It could tie in to a police strategy involving Angela like brigette brought up. If Angela knows anything significant she may be in jeopardy now, good point.
I hadn't heard that. It is possible that the constant lack of funds and the poor success he had in his other criminal endeavors pushed him to go for the big score. You've mentioned that before I believe. I've also wondered if he didn't run into somebody in the drug subculture that desired a young teenage girl for sex. Richard would have seen Elizabeth as a golden goose to feed his drug habit. It is also interesting that Richard tried to get Ed to rehire him after the initial theft. Was it because he needed the job or did he desire to be around Elizabeth. That thought totally creeps me out. My strongest suspicion is that it was a ransom plot gone bad but with no ransom demand it is hard to be sure.
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