| Ricci Blamed Long Criminal History on 'Heroin ... Prescription Narcotics' |
Sunday, September 1, 2002 |
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Like many career criminals, Richard Albert Ricci had a long-standing drug problem. Ricci, who died Friday at age 48, failed four times at parole during his lifetime, either for committing new crimes or violating release terms. And while in prison, he would repeatedly claim to have overcome his drug addiction, yet continued to use drugs, according to Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. "Ricci's a hard one to figure out,'' Region III Adult Probation & Parole spokesman Bradley Bassi said Wednesday, prior to Ricci's death from a brain hemorrhage. ''The ones who usually have problems have chips on their shoulders. Ricci does not." Ricci's first criminal conviction as an adult was for second-degree burglary in October 1972. Granted a parole in December 1974, Ricci was back to prison within two years after he pleaded guilty to attempted burglary and attempted vehicle burglary. According to parole records, Ricci absconded in 1978 when he failed to return from an Easter weekend home visit. Paroled again in March 1979, Ricci was back in prison a year later for associating with a known felon, as well as two new criminal allegations: a burglary arrest in Pima County, Ariz., and a Salt Lake County conviction for possession of burglary tools -- a pair of gloves, pliers and a screwdriver. Ricci won a new parole date of June 1981, but was returned to prison five months later for breaking into a Carbon County tavern. Ricci, who used a screwdriver to break into the jukebox, change machine and a safe, had filled a trash can with $250 in coins, according to police. Despite the new conviction, Ricci was granted a March 1984 parole date. But he once again absconded during a home furlough. While a fugitive, he robbed a fast-food restaurant and shot at a police officer during a drugstore burglary. Ricci told a parole hearing officer that drugs were the motivation behind the August 1983 break-in at the Sugar House pharmacy. When the Salt Lake City police officer shot at Ricci, he fired back with a sawed-off shotgun, inflicting minor wounds. Charged in that incident with a handful of felonies, Ricci pleaded guilty to first-degree felony counts of attempted murder and aggravated robbery and was sentenced to prison for up to life. "I was a wreck 10 years ago," Ricci said during a 1993 parole hearing. "I was in self-destruct mode." At a subsequent parole hearing, Ricci said his drug of choice was "heroin . . . or any kind of prescription narcotics." Based on good prison behavior, he was granted a June 1995 parole date. But he was soon involved in new criminal activity. Ricci was living with his fiancee and her three sons in Elsinore, Sevier County, and working for a landscaping company when he loaned his pickup truck to some friends, who used it to steal more than $2,500 in donated items from a local food bank. Ricci denied any involvement or foreknowledge of the Jan. 2, 1996, burglary, but admitted he accepted food he knew was stolen. Ricci pleaded guilty to third-degree felony theft and a burglary count was dismissed. Ricci was subsequently given a July 2000 parole date, which was bumped back two months because he again used drugs in prison. He was paroled Sept. 12, 2000. |
| Suspect's Death Failed to Bring Closure in a Similar Case |
Sunday, September 1, 2002 |
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Richard Ricci's death doesn't change the fact that police still believe he was involved in Elizabeth Smart's disappearance, and that is where their focus will remain. Simply put: Police have no solid evidence suggesting otherwise. Then there's Occam's razor -- the principle that the least complicated theory is most likely the right one. But there is such a thing as too simple, and for one Florida family, such logic may have cost them the chance to find a loved one. On March 19, 1984, 15-year-old Colleen Orsborn disappeared from a Daytona Beach mall. At first, family members and police considered her a runaway. It wouldn't have been the first time. But as time went by, and more girls turned up dead or missing, police focused their attention on Christopher Wilder, a millionaire developer whose hobbies included car racing and torturing teenage girls. Wilder had been spotted at the mall where Colleen was last seen, and he had a pattern of luring girls from such places with promises of modeling work. He eluded authorities for two months, going on a coast-to-coast killing spree, raping and murdering a dozen women in 1984. Three survived and identified Wilder as the culprit. He died in a shoot-out with New Hampshire state troopers before he could be charged with any crimes. After Wilder was killed, Florida authorities stopped investigating Colleen Orsborn's disappearance, said her brother, Bruce Orsborn. "When they lost him they lost their best lead," he said. "They said they kept the files open but we never heard from them again." Then, in February 2001, Orsborn received an anonymous letter from Manchester, N.H. The author said he was dying of cirrhosis of the liver and needed to unburden his soul. "I killed your beloved Colleen nearly 15 years ago," he wrote. "For that I can only beg your forgiveness. I can only hope to make amends buy [sic] disclosing to you where her innocent little body is." The letter said he buried Colleen and her belongings along the Tomaka River off Route 415 near Daytona Beach. It was signed with the Christian fish symbol. The author knew Colleen was petite and seemed familiar with the area. Even the county sheriff's office believed the letter was legitimate. But by then, the stretch of swamp where the author said the body was buried was covered by urban sprawl and authorities said a search would be futile. For the family, letting go again is not so simple. "It opened old wounds again," Orsborn said. "My sisters want closure and finally put her to rest. But it's like the sheriff's office just forgot all about it again." Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse insists Ricci's death will not torpedo the investigation into Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping. Nor do police have any intention of giving up on the search for Elizabeth, he said. But police believed Ricci was a big key to solving the mystery, and now that he is dead, it is difficult to know just what direction police will go in. "We said all along Mr. Ricci is somebody we have a lot of interest in. He's at the top of our list. There are questions about things that he did and things he says he didn't do," Dinse said. "Our priorities have always been finding her and prosecuting the individual who did it," the police chief said. "They're both equal priorities, but if I had a choice I'd want to find her for sure." |