When you put it that way, Freedox, it makes me think that current drug use by Ricci would have made him LESS likely to have committed this crime. Could a person have been that agile in getting in and out of the house with no noise, if he was stoned on heroin? I don't know, I don't know all that someone stoned on heroin is capable of, but I always picture them when stoned as being calm, and "in their happy place."
Some posters on another forum postulated that Ricci was hopped up on methamphetamine when he did this crime--if he did this crime.
Westerfield had been drinking a good bit when he sneaked in and took Danielle.
I've heard regular heroin use sort of dampens sex drive. So if Ricci was a pervert who was hot for Elizabeth, seems he would have been under control enough to leave her alone if he was doing heroin that night.
Really, I don't think that currently using drugs, unless it was the old PCP or methamphetamine, would have made him more likely to do this--even if it was a ransom thing, as some have suggested.
You can bet that needing money for drugs would have led to him committing property crimes and that armed bank robbery, though.
His crimes were not netting him that much. I've felt that it was Angela's insurance settlement that gave them the taste of having real money in their hands. I think that maybe it's possible that this little taste of easy street caused Richard to rethink his criminal career and to make the step up to something that was potentially more profitable.
Like breaking into the Smart neighor's home while the family was sleeping and stealing from a bedroom HE HAD WORKED IN THE VERY SAME DAY!