Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 22

6/27/02 - Thursday | Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 22

[stlnative]

Wednesday was an interesting day... but still the Smart Family does not have Elizabeth back home with them.
I pray that today will bring the Smart family closer to knowing where their daughter is.

[stlnative]

(((PING))) - Day 22

[JudyB1938]

Looks like we have our night crew and our day crew on this thread. That means prayers are going up continuously for Elizabeth. I so hope she is still alive!

[cherry]

yes...lets keep praying no matter what...

This is what bothers me ....I hope some lawyers out there can help

why a grand jury?...Are they trying to get the wife on record ?....

she has to know that if she lies its perjury and she is on parole,yes?

wouldn't that be a parole violation?

Are they trying to get her to fess up as to what the cops realy thought happened?

Could this be a ransom driven kidnapping by the two of themmm?

wish we knew for sure what friends they had over to their house that evening and if anyone saw them on the way to church on the 5th.....+

and the big question....why a FEDERAL GRAND jury...do they think ricci crossed state lines to do this>

[Jolly Green]

why a FEDERAL GRAND jury

Kidnapping is a federal offense.

[cherry]

Kidnapping is a federal offense

that it is..

the other not good news that I heard tonite in my brief tv watching is that the FBI could not make anything out on those tapes from the hospital....that security guard was very good....right on the ball...too bad the cops did not come soon enough to intercept the cars and too bad the video equipment did not work well...

[Shermy]

Is there something special about the hospital cars? They sounded suspicious - could be a drug deal or something. Any thoughts?

[stlnative]

A better picture of the shoes Elizabeth was wearing


These are the type of shoes that Elizabeth Smart's abductor allowed her to take from her home. They are white Polo shoes with light blue trim and suction cup bottoms in a size eight.

[stlnative]

I think they had problems with a parking lot light causing too much of a glare, but the are still working on the tape and also may have another one to look at from a different angle or from another camera that is near the hospital. It could be that they may catch the cars driving by the hospital when they came into the hospital parking lot or when they left it.

[stlnative]

from http://www.ksl.com/dump/news/cc/breaking/missing.htm

June 26, 2002

People went in and out of the federal courthouse all day Wednesday, apparently testifying in front of a federal grand jury about what they know about Elizabeth's Smart's disappearance.

News Specialist Stacey Butler reports that Richard Ricci's wife and neighbor, and possibly other family members, apparently were questioned by the grand jury.

Ricci's lawyer says it's an unusual move, one that might clearly point to Ricci as a suspect, not just someone wanted for questioning, as police have indicated.

Ricci's neighbor, Andy Thurber, is one of the people who apparently appeared before the grand jury. He told police Ricci started digging in his backyard the morning Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped. Police investigated his yard for any evidence.

Ricci's private attorney, David Smith says, "He was fixing a wall, siding to the mobile home, to keep the cats from going under the mobile home."

Police maintain Ricci's alibi for the night before Elizabeth dissapeared is questionable. But Smith says he was at home with his wife and stepson and two LDS missionaries

.

"Mr. Ricci's stepson, her son, was being taught a missionary lesson for the LDS Church. He was preparing to be baptized."

And in the early morning hours, Smith says Ricci's wife is adamant he was asleep by her side.

But police are still not convinced about where Ricci was from May 31st to June 8th, and specifically his whereabouts the morning of June 5th.

Ricci is now being held at the Utah State Prison on parole violation charges unrelated to the Smart case.

Elizabeth's uncle Tom Smart said during a morning news briefing that he could neither confirm nor deny any information about the grand jury.

Elizabeth was taken June 5 from her bedroom, where her 9-year-old sister, Mary-Katherine, was also sleeping. Based on the 9-year-old's descriptions, police said last week they think the abductor is 30-40 years old, nicely dressed and soft-spoken.

Ricci, 48, worked at the Smart home as a handyman more than a year ago. He is now in custody on an unrelated charge and has not been charged in the Smart case. A jail mug shot shows him with a thick mustache and long hair.

Both the girl's father and Ricci's current boss at a nursery said they doubted Ricci was the abductor, despite his criminal history that includes convictions beginning almost three decades ago.

"He seemed to be fairly competent. I had absolutely no knowledge of his background or I never would have hired him," Ed Smart said. "He seemed nice enough."

Police on Tuesday handed out fliers with pictures of three cars Ricci has driven, a white 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass, a tan 1992 four-door Taurus and a white 1990 four-door Jeep Cherokee.

Investigators wanted to hear from anyone who saw Ricci in one of the vehicles around the time Smart disappeared.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

[Pistacio]

to all;
Anything more on Edmunds or the body found in Cottonwood?

It seems to me, regardless of who took her or why, that if it was well planned, at least to the point of specifically selecting a victim from her home. That it would not be for just one night of victimizing the victim. This is where the white/sex slave sounds the most logical. In which case, she could be still alive and being kept under wraps until this blows over. I just wonder if they have the right guy. If ricci is the right suspect, why couldn't his wife be in on the scam. especially if money is involved...hmm just some thoughts. The only other thing I can think of is Klass style, in which case ...chances are she is no longer alive.
sad in any case.
stash

[Tiger28]

did you see Ricci's wife on tv last night? when asked if he was there all night she said she could only be certain he (ricci) was in bed asleep when she went to bed (1am) and that she couldnt account for him while she was asleep- or something to this effect- and a lawyer on afterward thought this was terribly incriminating and that she should have kept her mouth shut

[The G Man]

I was amazed that her attorney let her go on with Greta last night. My nothing-to-base-it-on suspicion is that the wife is in on it also.

Surprised to learn that the SLPD was AT THEIR HOUSE 12 HOURS AFTER THE ABDUCTION!!

And what was that bit about the SLPD took something from the house but the wife and attorney werent allowed to comment on it because it would jeopardize the investigation??

Also, this was a SCHEDULED day off for Ricci, but the wife was unable to offer an explanation as to what he had planned for the day

[Truth'sBabyGirl]

Everything about the case (the kidnapper's knowledge of the house, etc) leads me to think that this was a planned crime, not an act by and opportunistic sicko. That's why I never bought the "open garage door" story. Perhaps that is how the guy eventually got in, but he must have had another plan in mind, before he got to the scene. I don't really know where I'm going with this, except that Pistacio, I agree with you that since this was a planned crime, the criminal probably had Elizabeth's destination in mind long before.

[Vinomori]

The Today Show this morning said that Ricci's neighbor saw him removing seat covers from the Jeep. Also, the police have expanded their search to a 500 mile radius due to Ricci's odometer indicating he travelled 1,000 miles during some period of time around the kidnapping. They also have located a machete at Ricci's father-in-law's house. John Walsh said last night that kids should scream and yell and put up a loud scene if they are ever kidnapped. One wonders whether Elizabeth and MK would both have been so quiet unless they knew this guy.

[Grig]

"Police maintain Ricci's alibi for the night before Elizabeth dissapeared is
questionable. But Smith says he was at home with his wife and stepson and two
LDS missionaries"

That's no alibi, LDS missioinaries are supposed to be back in their appartments at 9:30pm and in bed by 10:30. Lots of time after 9:30 for this guy to get to the Smart's home and take Elizebeth.

It is possible that they were there later than they were supposed to, but not likely, and it would be easy to find them and confirm when they left.

[cherry]

did you see Ricci's wife on tv last night? when asked if he was there all night she said she could only be certain he (ricci) was in bed asleep when she went to bed (1am) and that she couldnt account for him while she was asleep- or something to this effect- and a lawyer on afterward thought this was terribly incriminating and that she should have kept her mouth shut

you have to remember that she is a parolee, and if she lies to the grand jury its up the river for her...so I think she can honestly say that she went to bed at 1:00 am and saw him again at 6am without jeapadizing her integrity..afterall, what do you see when you are asleep ,,really asleep.....not much....she doesn't want to go back to jail and she does have a 11 year old son to worry about...

she might have sung like a tweety bird before the grand jury...we don't know

curious though that both her and her husband have the same attorney

that neighbor looks like he starred in "deliverance"....he looks scary all by himself

but if he saw the seat covers being removed, wow,,,that is something

timeline..if ricci did this, it would take 30"minutes toget there and 30" to get back...how far could he have gotten?

he must be on meth or coccaine to be able to pull this off..work all day....be up most of the night...get up early...

and then there is the "why"....if he wanted money it would have been easier to rob a gas station

[twigs]

If I were just to look at this logically, then I would assume that Ricci was not involved, or at least was not the brains behind the operation. He had a steady job and a new family. He had just spent many, many years in jail. Why would he want to jeopardize his new life and return? The man even enjoyed gardening! I could see his getting involved, probably against his better judgment, for several reasons: 1) his wife wanted him to do it, you know, to supplement the family income; or 2) he was part of a larger scheme where he was hired to take a role. I'm not sure that he was the one who took her, even if he was involved. Given his background, he would certainly have shady contacts with people who could do dasterdly deeds. He might also have contacts with respectable people who wanted her gone for their own reasons. Even the night watchman at the Shriner's Hospital knew him! I wouldn't think that he harmed her either. If he was involved, he handed her over to someone else IMHO.

[Vinomori]

and then there is the "why"....if he wanted money it would have been easier to rob a gas station

Let's hope the police already have a "why."