Posted on 08/31/2002 10:26:34 AM PDT by IamHD
My prayers go out to the Ricci family during this time. RR was sent up the river and used as a scape-goat. No evidence, whatsoever, linking him to the disappearance of Elizabeth.
May he rest in peace.
Well said, Lakey. I also notice the reporters are no longer (to their credit) hanging on their every word, setting up camp in the Smart neighborhood and running with mikes every time they speak. At least not to the extent they were.
I think they've just about used up their 15 minutes.
I'm a better man than that varina. The difference between you and me is that I refuse to question somebody when there is no foundation to build any kind of case against that person. We may someday find that the case against Rick just didn't hack it, but until then he's my guy. As for anybody else, give me some ideas and I'll think about the feasibility. If the discussion is productive fine, if it becomes circular then you'll either get flamed big time or just simply ignored. I’m willing to explore your ideas if there is merit.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (CNN) -- More than one person probably was involved in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, the Utah teenager taken from her bedroom nearly three months ago, her father, Ed, said Monday.
The investigation grew more complicated with last week's death of Richard Ricci, the family's former handyman whom authorities had questioned. A felon with a 30-year prison record, Ricci was in prison on a parole violation unrelated to the kidnapping case.
"I still feel that Richard ... was involved in the abduction of my daughter" and had help, Smart told CNN's "American Morning With Paula Zahn."
"Richard was not forthcoming," Smart said. "He could have come forward a number of times and never did. So I've been disappointed so many times with him."
Ricci, 48, was taken off life support Friday night after suffering a stroke earlier in the week. The Smarts offered condolences Saturday to his widow, Angela.
He had maintained his innocence and was never charged.
Elizabeth Smart was abducted at gunpoint from her family's 6,600-square-foot Salt Lake City home June 5 while her parents and four brothers slept. Her younger sister, who was in the bedroom with Elizabeth, witnessed the abduction.
A couple of incidents point to the possible involvement of other people in the kidnapping, her father said.
A few days after the abduction, a witness said he saw Ricci and another man amid suspicious circumstances, Smart said.
Repair shop owner Neth Moul said Ricci, who had left a Jeep at the shop, took the vehicle May 30 and returned it June 8, with 500 to 1,000 more miles on the odometer.
After returning the Jeep, Ricci removed a post-hole digger, put two seat covers in a black bag and carried away another bag filled with unidentified material, according to Moul.
Ricci then walked across the street with the tool and the bags and met an unidentified man who had waved to him from a convenience store parking lot, Moul said.
Ricci denied he took the Jeep.
Ricci's wife said a set of keys to the Jeep had been stolen in mid-April, so someone else could have driven the vehicle. She also said it never had seat covers.
On Friday, the Smarts offered a $3,000 reward for information leading to the person who may have walked away with Ricci from the auto mechanics shop.
Smart also said someone had tried to burglarize his sister-in-law's house, using a method similar to that of Elizabeth's abduction. In both instances, someone cut a window screen and placed one or more chairs under a window.
Smart said he continues to hold out hope that his daughter will be found alive.
"I know the odds aren't in our favor, but I still am," he said.
So true. Who are you going to believe lakey?
Not where I'm from, Utah Girl. There is no charge, it's considered a community record and a community service by our daily paper. I know many papers do charge nowadays, but I think it's a shame and shows a lack of respect for subscribers and other readers -- especially at the rates you mentioned!
Sandude, the "ideas" given on this thread in the past couple of months are endless. I'm not going to rehash them now. You know full well what they are.
Does Ed Smart really believe the public is so gullible it would believe that someone connected with the disappearance of his daughter would try the same MO within weeks with relatives of his family??!! He is delusional.
Yes and the ones without foundation have been tossed. If something new comes along we'll just have a gay old time. By the way, if the evidence against Ricci turns out to be strong are you going to accept it or feel that he was framed?
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ The widow of the man police singled out as their top potential suspect in the unsolved Elizabeth Smart kidnapping says authorities are investigating the wrong man.
Angela Ricci took her husband, Richard Albert Ricci, off of life support Friday night. He had suffered a massive brain hemorrhage Tuesday at the Utah State Prison where he had been serving time on a parole violation. He never regained consciousness.
When Angela Ricci arrived at the hospital Tuesday night, she knew that her husband wasn't going to wake up.
"The minute I saw him, I just know what he looks like when he was asleep, and he was just gone," she said.
Ricci, 48, died about 12 minutes after life support machines were turned off. Angela Ricci said the stress of being wrongly linked to Elizabeth Smart's abduction contributed to his death.
"If he had been at home, I think this wouldn't have happened," she said.
Angela Ricci, 38, married Ricci on Valentine's Day, less than two years after her brother introduced them.
Ricci, a parolee, told Angela that he wasn't going to return to his criminal ways, she said.
"We all have a past," she said, adding she was not at all worried about introducing Ricci to her 11-year-old son.
She described her husband as a kind man who loved to cook and play the guitar. Ricci, whom she called Rick, would often pack a sack lunch for her to take to her job as a receptionist, and would add a note saying "have a nice day, honey."
"I felt more safe with Rick than I've ever felt with anyone in my life," Angela Ricci said Monday.
Elizabeth's father, Ed Smart, had repeatedly said he felt Ricci had a part in his daughter's disappearance. He had made several televised pleas for Ricci to cooperate with police. Ricci had worked as a handyman in the Smart's house and was accused of stealing items from their home.
After Ricci's death, the Smart family issued a statement expressing "heartfelt condolences" to his widow.
Ricci sympathized with the Smarts, Angela Ricci said. His 8-year-old son was killed by a drunk driver in 1985, she said. Ricci was in prison at the time and was unable to attend the funeral.
"Rick knew that hole in your heart. He just never would do that to another person," she said.
Elizabeth was kidnapped from her bedroom in the early morning of June 5. Her 9-year-old sister, Mary Katherine, was the only witness and told police a man with a gun took her sister.
Angela Ricci said she and her husband learned about the abduction on the morning news. Ricci had spent the entire night at home in bed, she said.
Ricci was never charged with the abduction, but Salt Lake Police Chief Rick Dinse called him the top potential suspect in the case.
Ricci knew that as a parolee who had worked for the Smarts, he would be questioned about the case. However, he had no idea he'd be a potential suspect, Angela Ricci said.
"Rick is a positive guy, he knew he didn't do it. No way was he ever mad at Ed Smart. Their choice was to believe in law enforcement," Angela Ricci said.
"I hope that the Smarts' get their closure and I hope they have a happy ending. I know I didn't get one," Angela Ricci said.
As for Angela Ricci, she keeps her husband's voice on her answering machine so she can call home and hear his voice.
Funeral services for Ricci are scheduled for Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Peel Funeral Home in Magna following a 7 p.m. viewing.
No composite of any sort within the first day. Family member (Uncle Tom) said, "NO!" So, the parents go along with that? Gimme a break.
The family hadn't gotten their story straight yet. The police would have alerted them that time was of the essense in the kidnapping of a child.
Errors in the police log time (corrected).
Delay in viewing the hospital video. Even if it was nothing, it deserved the process of elimination.
The above are only a few reasons to doubt SLCPD & the FBI.
A newspaper gouging people like that is nothing more than just plain greed with no sensitivity for its customers and for the public at large.
To be sure, a newspaper is a business, but it also has a responsibility to the community it serves.
I think he may have already been framed.
I sure don't think it was a bonifide kidnap attempt.
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