Smart family: Ricci's death doesn't end search

Oh brigette, I am so sorry about your dog. It is hard to lose pets, they do become part of the family. And that is worrisome about your other pets that have died.

Since he scoped out places in the home maybe he knew that some of the jewelry was kept in the bathroom, maybe that is why he took her into the bathroom. Maybe he was looking for a certain piece of jewelry and he may have asked her where it was and she may have told him it was in the bathroom then he lead her into the bathroom to get it. I am sure the bathroom upstairs in the house was large. Hell I live in a smaller 3 bedroom home that has a huge bathroom in it that is at least 12" x 12" in size (instead of putting a bathroom in the master bedroom they just built 1 large main bathroom in the house with a sunken tub in it and a seperate shower. So there is room to have stuff like jewelry and even a dressing table in the bathroom in my house. I just don't own any expensive jewelry to store any of it in my house :)

Your house sounds like my house. I always say that if a burglar breaks in, he would say, "nothing of value here" and move on. I don't own any expensive jewelry either.

I told my husband he needed to get a nice looking and young lifeguard to watch over me if I was going to use the huge tub in the bathroom. I don't use the tub (I just use the shower) because he never did get me that lifeguard. Actually we are on a cistern water system and collect rain water also and since I am a woman, I cannot soak in the cistern water in the tub without it causing problems for me, if you know what I mean. I would almost kill to have nice long hot soaking bath, it been along time since I have had a soaking bath. I just take showers daily.

Well I gotta run and go do some shopping. I'll catch you later!

BTW... What I mean by BS on the other thread is all the hatefulness and bickering.

Thanks, brigette. I agree that there ought to be a way to discuss this case without all the problems encountered on the other thread. Also, I am so sorry about your dog and I do hope he did not suffer. Heavenly Father,

We continue to seek Your face as we look to You with eyes of hope for Elizabeth's return. We know that You are still in control. We know that You are aware of all that has happened. We commit her to You, Lord, and wait in faith, believing in Your power, and trusting that Your hand will move at the appointed time. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Thanks, Faith for your prayers. They are truly appreciated.

thanks for the ping

Wife still stands by Ricci

By Derek Jensen
Deseret News staff writer

Angela Ricci has lost her soul mate.
Less than three days after her husband, Richard Ricci, was taken off life support and died, Angela Ricci wonders if police and the public will ever see her husband as more than an ex-con the police have long labeled as the top potential suspect in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping.

Angela Ricci talks about her late husband Richard Ricci

Johanna Workman, Deseret News

"No one knows the Richard I, my family, our friends and loved ones know," Angela said Monday morning. "His sense of humor was heartwarming, his laughter uplifting and his kindness gentle and unconditional."
The decision to take Ricci, 48, off life support was not a difficult one for family members once they heard doctors' grim prognosis. Ricci, who was called Rick by family and friends, was pulled off life support Friday night at University Hospital and pronounced dead 12 minutes later at 7:28 p.m. He never regained consciousness after suffering a massive brain hemorrhage Tuesday while in his cell at the Utah State Prison.
He was already unconscious when his wife arrived at the hospital Tuesday night. "I got to kiss his big toe before he went into surgery," Angela Ricci said. Following Ricci's six-hour surgery, she spent the next several hours at her husband's bedside.
"He did never respond," she said, and a few days later the family had life-support withdrawn.
"We made the right decision," Angela Ricci said. "I'm at peace with it."
But with her husband gone and Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping still a mystery, Angela Ricci repeated her assertion that her husband cooperated fully with investigators.
The Riccis submitted to several hours of questioning and allowed police to search their Kearns trailer home numerous times without a search warrant. "He knew he didn't do it and I believe he thought he was being cooperative."
Looking back, however, Angela Ricci said she regrets allowing her husband to be questioned for so long without an attorney present. Angela and Richard Ricci spent their last day together on June 14, when six law-enforcement officers arrived to arrest him.
Richard Ricci got up from the porch swing, where the two enjoyed lounging together, and walked over to the police car, where he was subsequently handcuffed.

Richard Ricci, left.

"I asked if I could just give him a hug and they said 'No,' because once they've been handcuffed, you can't touch them," Angela Ricci said. "I had no idea that he would not come back home."
The Riccis were married on Valentine's Day 2002 at a small ceremony in Mesquite, Nev.
They met through Angela's brother and fell in love almost immediately. Unable to use her left hand at the time because of a car accident, she said her husband helped nurse her back to health, feeding and caring for her. "He was so sweet to me. He helped me do everything. I just fell in love with him."
The Smart family issued a statement Saturday expressing their "heartfelt condolences" to Angela Ricci.
Still, the Smarts have long held suspicions that Ricci, who worked as a handyman in their Federal Heights house, was somehow involved in Elizabeth's June 5 kidnapping. Police admit that with Ricci dead, solving this nearly 3-month-old case is now more problematic.
Investigators may never know how Ricci's white Jeep Cherokee logged an extra 500 to 1,000 miles between May 30 and June 8 or if Ricci really was asleep with his wife the night of Elizabeth's abduction.
Angela Ricci said Monday that her husband was "always accounted for" — and that he was not the person who dropped the Jeep off to Neth's Auto Repair. The keys to Ricci's Jeep were been stolen in April while Ricci and a relative were inside a smoke shop, Angela Ricci said.
Despite no answers to nagging questions, police say their case "does have breath."
The Smart family seems to agree and hopes that Ricci's death will prompt others to come forward.
"I don't know that he is the end-all in this case," said Elizabeth's father, Ed Smart.
The Smarts want to know the identity of the person who allegedly left Neth's Auto Repair with Ricci after dropping off the Jeep for repairs June 8. The Smarts have offered a $3,000 reward to the first person who can identify that mystery man or identify who tried to break into the home of Steven and Jeannie Wright in the early morning hours of July 24. Jeannie Wright is a sister to Elizabeth's mother, Lois. Ricci was in prison on an alleged parole violation at the time of the incident, but the Smarts say the similarities between the break-in and Elizabeth's kidnapping were "unnerving."

Wedding photo supplied by Angela Ricci of her and husband Richard.

Photo supplied by Angela Ricci

The family has also offered a $250,000 reward for the safe return of Elizabeth. Salt Lake City and the FBI are also offering at $25,000 reward for any information leading authorities to Elizabeth or the arrest and conviction of her abductor.
Ricci was charged with theft and burglary for stealing items from the Smarts' residence as well as a nearby Federal Heights residence. In the second burglary, court documents accused Ricci of going into a bedroom where someone was sleeping and stealing items out of the room.
Those similarities between Elizabeth's kidnapping, where an armed intruder entered the room Elizabeth shared with her sister, Mary Katherine, have raised suspicions of both police and the Smarts.
Still, authorities have no solid evidence linking Ricci directly to the kidnapping.
Ed Smart has said that Mary Katherine recognized the voice of the abductor, but he and police have declined to elaborate. Mary Katherine described the suspect as a white male, 30 to 40 years old, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10, with dark hair. Mary Katherine told police the intruder also had hair on the back of his hands and arms and wore a light jacket, light golf hat and dark shoes.
Jail records list Ricci as 6 feet tall, 180 pounds, with brown hair. Authorities also removed a tan golf hat from the next-door trailer of Ricci's father-in-law after the kidnapping. Ricci's father-in-law, however, has said Ricci never wore the hat.
Angela Ricci is adamant that her husband was not involved in Elizabeth Smart's disappearance. But she realizes the investigation is out of her hands.
"If they're going to charge Richard, they're going to charge Richard, whether he's dead or alive," Angela Ricci said. "If they're going to clear Richard, they're going to clear Richard, whether he's dead or alive. I just hope they do the right thing."
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. He has requested that his body be cremated.

E-MAIL: djensen@desnews.com

Date for above article is 9/2/02

Hmmm, Ricci definitely has hair on his hands and his arms.

one might think Mr. Richard would dress a little snappier on his wedding day.

Funeral Set for Richard Ricci

Aug. 31, 2002 9:00 am

Funeral services have been set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Peel Funeral Home in Magna for Richard Albert Ricci, described by police as the top potential suspect in the Elizabeth Smart abduction.

Ricci died Friday at a hospital three days after suffering from a brain hemorrhage and collapsing in his jail cell, doctors said.

Earlier Friday, doctors had said Richard Albert Ricci, 48, had an irreversible injury to the brain stem after the hemorrhage Tuesday night.

He had not been listed as brain dead because he had still been breathing on his own, although he was on a ventilator, Dr. Richard J. Sperry said.

But Ricci condition worsened Friday night, when he lost the ability to breathe on his own. His family, including his wife, Angela, his mother, brother and sister, decided to take Ricci off the ventilator at 7:16 p.m. and he died 12 minutes later, Sperry said.

The decision was made after a magnetic resonance imaging scan of Ricci's brain showed he had no chance of meaningful recovery, Sperry said.

His body was turned over to the state's medical officer.

Doctors tried to save Ricci in a Tuesday operation to remove a blood clot in his brain and alleviate pressure on his brain stem, but the damage had already been done.

Police had said Ricci's death could make it difficult to ever find Elizabeth or determine what happen to her.

``What he knows goes with him,'' police Capt. Scott Atkinson said Friday night. ``With Ricci gone, there will be no more opportunity to question him about things left unsaid or things he said that we didn't believe.''

Ricci has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation. In late June, he said he had given 26 hours of police interviews, taken polygraph tests, given a blood sample and surrendered the impounded Jeep given him by Ed Smart as payment for work.

Ricci, a former handyman for the Smart family, had not been charged in the girl's June 5 disappearance. 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.

On Friday, Elizabeth's family offered $3,000 rewards for information on who picked up Ricci when he left his white Jeep Cherokee at a repair shop on June 8, three days after the abduction, and information regarding a July 24 attempted break-in at the home of Elizabeth's aunt.

Smart family spokesman Chris Thomas said the family believes Ricci's death might persuade others who have information about the case to come forward.

``The investigation is not over,'' Thomas said. ``There are too many unanswered questions, such as who left with Ricci from the garage.''

A $250,000 reward was posted in June for information leading to Elizabeth's safe recovery. A separate $25,000 reward was offered for information leading to finding Elizabeth or contributing to the arrest and conviction of her abductor. Neither has been claimed.

The Smart family also is asking for information regarding a July 24 attempted break-in at the Cottonwood Heights home of Jeannie and Steve Wright. Lois Smart, Elizabeth's mother, is Jeannie Wright's sister.

The families are close and regularly spent Sundays together. Elizabeth and the Wright's 15-year-old daughter also were close, Ed Smart said.

Salt Lake County sheriff's deputies reported that the screen covering the 15-year-old's window was cut and that a chair was found by the window.

The break-in also happened at the same time of night.

Copyright © 2000 The Associated Press

http://kutv.com/topstories/StoryFolder/story_1271386998_html/index_html

Angela Ricci said Monday that her husband was "always accounted for" — and that he was not the person who dropped the Jeep off to Neth's Auto Repair. The keys to Ricci's Jeep were been stolen in April while Ricci and a relative were inside a smoke shop, Angela Ricci said.

After hearing Neth Moul give to accounts of day the Jeep was picked-up after the first repair, he first said on Ashleigh Banfields show that he saw Ricci come in and pick it up, the later on the Primetime Live show which was recorded later and after the Ashleigh Banfield show, he said the Jeep just disappeared. In my opinion Moul just not have the fact right, not that he is lying but that he may be confused and may not have his facts as clear as he had tried to imply. Why Why Why has no one else come forth to back up Neth Moul's story? Somebody else had to see Ricci when he dropped the Jeep off the first time, when he picked it up and when he returned it again. Something tells me that maybe Moul may have his dates wrong about when he saw Riici remove the seat covers or blankets and when Ricci acted hot and sweaty and he removed the bag and post hole digger from the rear of the Jeep. How do we know for sure that Moul didn't see this actually the first time Ricci took the Jeep in, and maybe he screwed up with the dates after Ricci was in the limelight. I mean Moul did not come out of woodwork until Ricci was in the public eye. Maybe he remembered the inccident, but got the dates wrong. What was Ricci doing the day he dropped the Jeep off the first time around May 30th, was he out doing landscaping work with post hole digger,was he in a muddy area? Did Moul get his dates screwed up? If not how did Ricci act the day he brought the Jeep in the first time. Neth Moul may have screwed up, but it is too late to clean it up in the public eye or in front of a Grand Jury.

It is time for the police or Angela to come out with a timeline of what Ricci was doing. If Angela or Ricci's employer knows that Ricci was out with a post hole digger and Jeep was mess the first time Ricci took the Jeep in, then they need to speak up. If someone also saw Ricci the day that Ricci was muddy and had a post hole digger that also works at the Shop they need to speak up. The Smart family in my opinion need to hire a PI and this PI needs to revisit Neth Moul, Ricci's Employer, and whoever.

It is sad if the Smart family puts all their eggs in one basket, it time for them to look outside the police box and the Ricci did it thoughts and start considering the possibility that Ricci was possibly not involved, as it could be very possible that he was not.

Correction

It is sad if the Smart family puts all their eggs in one basket, it time for them to look outside the police box and the Ricci did it thoughts and start considering the possibility that Ricci was possibly not involved, as it could be very possible that he was not. That came out totally jumbled it should say...

It is sad if the Smart family puts all their eggs in one basket, it IS time for them to look outside the police box and lift the thoughts that Ricci did this and start considering the possibility that Ricci was possibly not involved, as it could be very possible that he was not. They said they would not leave any stone unturned, it time to stop looking under Ricci's stone.

They don't seem to be reporting the news in the case on other thread.

If they do post the articles, the same article is posted a dozen times. I get tired of reading the same thing that many times hoping to not miss something important.

Daughter's abductor likely had help, father says

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.

Daughter's abductor likely had help, father says

Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart has been missing since June 5.

Sept. 2, 2002--

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.

My condolences to Angela Ricci and the Ricci family on the death of their husband and son. However, Angela is quite delusional if she thought she was going to have a happy ending with Rick. Unfortunately, happy endings are mighty scarce with a habitual criminal in the grip of a deadly heroin habit.

Brigette: I heard someone on the news, FNC I think, mention that someone in Neth's family, a brother-in-law, I think, had doubted his veracity. I was not listening closely and did not catch the segment. I have not heard it mentioned elsewhere, but would like to hear more about that. BTW, the person who mentioned it believed Neth, not the family member.