Elizabeth Smart Case - Ricci Dies in Hospital

FoxNews | 8/30/02

[stlnative]

Richard Ricci Dies in Hospital

AP
Richard Ricci

Friday, August 30, 2002

SALT LAKE CITY — Richard Albert Ricci, the top potential suspect in the kidnapping of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, died at a hospital Friday.

Ricci, 48, had been hospitalized for three days after suffering from a brain hemorrhage and collapsing in his jail cell, doctors said.

Earlier Friday, doctors had said Ricci had an irreversible injury to the brain stem after the hemorrhage Tuesday night.

The former handyman for the Smart family was not charged in the disappearance and denied involvement. He was in prison for a parole violation.

Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse this week reaffirmed that Ricci remained at the top of the list of potential suspects in Elizabeth's abduction. However, investigators were no closer to finding the missing 14-year-old than they were June 5, when a gunman took her from the bedroom she was sharing with her younger sister.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Iwo Jima]

I guess that we will just have to agree to disagree about whether Ricci was out and about or in home in bed when the abduction occurred. Either way, in my book he was culpable. Also, I think that Mr. Big is local and someone that LE and the Smart family knows or knows of. I am not persuaded that he is a Saudi sheik, white slaver, etc., although most anything is possible. I just don't believe it in this case.

Since our theories are so similar, can you tell me why you are so critical of posters who seem to be saying pretty much the same thing as I have said (I don't think that you have ever attacked me personally, but when you attack people who have said things along the same lines as what I have said, it feels like a personal attack). Also, why does JG castigate me and buddy up to you? Not that I'm feeling excluded, mind you, just curious.

[sandude]

they need to now release more circumstantial evidence against him so they can virtually "close the case" for the family.

I would expect that soon after Richard's funeral that there will be a press conference where much of the circumstantial and direct evidence that LE has on Ricci will be released. The only information that they may withhold is data that would still be useful in prosecuting his co-conspirators. I am not sure if this person or persons have been identified or not. The press conference will give us a better idea on that matter. As far as closing the case for the family, that won't come until Elizabeth is found and anybody that was involved in the crime would need to be prosecuted and incarcerated. Total closure for the family won't come until then.

If they suspected an associate of his rather than him, they would have dealt with Ricci by now to get the associate identified.

The family has said that Richard was most unhelpful in clearing matters up. I think that LE's play was to try to find Elizabeth's body and hopefully find evidence at that crime scene that would point directly to Richard and the Jeep. Once they had that then they would have been in a better position to get Ricci's cooperation. The case against him was largely or wholly circumstantial. A career criminal would understand that without solid evidence they would never charge him with the crime. Richard had nothing motivating him to give up his accomplice.

[Sherlock]

Here's the damning information you've been so eager and drooling to get, Bella. Sounds downright incriminating to me and now I can see why you're so SUSPICIOUS!!

"This is really a family community," Jenny Terry, who lives in the neighborhood and was Elizabeth's Sunday school teacher, told ABCNEWS.com. "Whole families are out passing out fliers together. It's pretty remarkable really."

Elizabeth is a girl who is exceptional for her religious faith, her musical talent and for how much she seems to care about other people, Terry told ABCNEWS.com.

"She has a quiet way about her, but she really reaches out to people and makes them feel good about themselves," Terry said. "She's always saying, 'Oh, you look nice today.' "

Elizabeth is a talented harpist who has won competitions both locally and on the state level, and has played at weddings, she said. The girl also baby-sat Terry's children.

"From my experience with Elizabeth, she's not a girl that's really interested in boys yet," Terry said. "She's not a silly teenager. She's pretty family-oriented and pretty conservative.

"I was struck by her faithfulness. She believes in God and she believes God will answer her prayers. That's one thing that gives me and a lot of people in this neighborhood strength, knowing how strong her faith is," she added.

[sandude]

First, we don't really know that Ed didn't know he was a felon.

Ed has stated on many occasions that he had no idea that Rick was a felon. A friend of Ed's in the construction business had referred Ricci and Ed felt that he was probably alright. Also, Richard was a con man and was able to charm people.

I wouldn't blame Ed for not admitting it now if he knew.

You have spent a fair amount of time defending Ed in this forum. Why are you starting to doubt his truthfulness now?

[sandude]

And LE should have run a quick check on this short list and seen Ricci was a career criminal before they talked to him and should have been tailing him, IMHO. They had half the SLCPD working this case.

It will be interesting to find out the details of how the investigation proceeded. I'm sure that mistakes were made along the way but I feel that Ed probably didn't mention the Jeep in the beginning. We will find out what transpired, probably sooner rather than later now that Richard is gone.

[sandude]

If in fact, it WAS RICCI..don't you think that is all they would need to arrest him?

They didn't need to arrest him because he was already incarcerated. They didn't need to charge him because they were still building their case.

[Neenah]

They know who the abductor, not killer yet....is.

Mary Katherine has told them WHO IT IS.

[Sherlock]

can you tell me why you are so critical of posters who seem to be saying pretty much the same thing as I have said

I don't remember what we've discussed in the past but there are two circumstances that arouse my ire:

1) People that are nearly intoxicated with their joy in printing statements or transcripts of Ed Smart and in a juvenile fashion going down the list and slamming him and accusing him of lying in everything he says. IMHO this poor man and his family have suffered enough with this horrible tragedy that has been perpetrated on them without having to endure this kind of immaturity.

2) People that are dishonest and will continue to post false information favorable to whatever view they're trying to sell even when the facts have been shown to them over and over. varina davis and Bella are the worst perpetrators of this. They have a common thread that they are continually coming up with accusations that Ricci is completely innocent, could not have been involved, the Jeep story on Jun 8 is a fabrication of LE, etc. This group believes for sure Elizabeth ran away from home with a guy she was hot for and MK lied to protect her and any other vile, unsubstantiated, contrary to the facts, out of the sewer position they can imagine. They also believe Uncle Tom Smart assisted in the kidnapping. This is the crowd that lacks the logical perspective to look at all of the inputs in the case and confine their speculations to the rational. There is nothing wrong with speculations, as long as they are documented as such and are not malicious to the family and do not defy logic.

Semper Fi.

[sandude]

They know who the abductor, not killer yet....is.

Mary Katherine has told them WHO IT IS.

I'm sorry Neenah, I'm not quite following what your saying here. Would you elaborate a bit. Thanks

[Vinomori]

Mary Katherine has told them WHO IT IS.

If this is true, then it was Ricci. As Sandude has reasoned better than I care to try to repeat.

[Bella]

Here's the damning information you've been so eager and drooling to get, Bella. Sounds downright incriminating to me and now I can see why you're so SUSPICIOUS!!

You're a disgrace! If you read the MANY boards on the net, you'd find that there's MANY people who are speculating the SAME as we are, plus more. So take your prozac and stop accusing people of things as you've been doing from the beginning of this. Isn't it a shame that you like to hide what people are saying, especially people from SLC about this case, without these boards and the people posting what they know, the people who aren't from SLC wouldn't know any of it, and things would be kosher then, wouldn't it. Must be something hidden that you're worried about coming to surface. Maybe you ought to take a slow boat to SLC and try to control what's being said!

[Sherlock]

Mary Katherine has told them WHO IT IS.

If this is true, then it was Ricci. As Sandude has reasoned better than I care to try to repeat.

As I've said before I have a problem with this view. Hasn't Ed said on several occasions recently that if Ricci wasn't the kidnapper he's sure he was involved in some other way? And the way he says it gives me the impression he believes the way I do, that Ricci was not the one that went in the house but was an accomplice.

[Sherlock]

Isn't it a shame that you like to hide what people are saying, especially people from SLC about this case, without these boards and the people posting what they know, the people who aren't from SLC wouldn't know any of it, and things would be kosher then, wouldn't it.

Bella, why don't you post some of this stuff again so people here can get a flavor of the kinds of things you post here. Thank you.

[Sherlock]

Bella, you were looking for that article I posted about Elizabeth for a long time because you kept saying you were sure there was some incredibly damning implications to her personality in it, something about the part where she liked to make others feel good about themselves. Could you please expound on your theory?

[Neenah]

I'm sorry Neenah, I'm not quite following what your saying here. Would you elaborate a bit. Thanks

Sure. First, we do not have factual proof that Elizabeth is dead, so we can't address the perp as the "Killer", and second...Lois Smart said that Mary Katherine identified the voice of the perp who took Elizabeth..so who are they looking for?..THE PERSON WHO TOOK HER..right?

Well, then, Mary Katherine told them who the voice belonged to. (That has been given out in print as quotes from Lois)...as of now, we do not know if a sketch has been done by Boylan. But the "voice" has been given a "name", cause MK recognised it.

So in essence, MK gave them the name of the man who took her sister.

[Sherlock]

You have spent a fair amount of time defending Ed in this forum. Why are you starting to doubt his truthfulness now?

I certainly wouldn't be surprised if he didn't tell the truth about something this embarassing. And I think you yourself have commented how Ed was a little bit cheap, cutting corners and hiring people and paying them cash and all. A lot of people are ex-convicts.

[Neenah]

If this is true, then it was Ricci.

We will find out. Neither you nor I know who Mary Katherine saw. Until then, all we know is that that little precious 9 yr. old saw who it was.

[Bella]

Bella, you were looking for that article I posted about Elizabeth for a long time because you kept saying you were sure there was some incredibly damning implications to her personality in it,

I never stated such a thing, you just did, and is your inner thoughts coming out. Get a life and stop twisting comments of posters! We all know your game!

[Neenah]

Press Conference with the Smarts will be in 30 minutes !

[Bella]

BTW, I guess you and your cronies can't stand it to know that others on other boards have the same speculations and thoughts as many of us have on this thread, plus, many of the comments came right from the mormon boards. You don't want to face reality of what's being said and possibly the truth of this case.