Smart Case, July 23, 2002

07/23/02 | Jolly Green

[Jolly Green]

Wild-Eyed Speculation, Half-baked Theories and Myths
Theory(?)	Facts
Richard Ricci has been identified as the prime suspect in the case, though several of his "theme park" pals are under suspicion.	- Ricci is a 5-time loser, having been convicted of burglarizing a food bank and shooting a police officer. He has recently been indicted on three additional state charges including theft at the Smart residence and burglary of a Smart neighbor. Additionally, he has been recently indicted on three federal charges related to two bank robberies. - Ricci worked for the Smarts last year for several months and was paid with a white Jeep in lieu of cash. He had full access to the house and may very well have had a key to the Smart residence. Ricci and two others were fired when some items were stolen from the home. Ricci later approached Ed Smart and said he wasn't involved and wanted his job back. Ed Smart declined to rehire him. - Ricci lives in a trailer park in West Jordan that is now referred to as a "theme park" because of the large number of Ricci convicted felon friends living there. - Ricci has no credible alibi for the period during and shortly after the abduction. He is believed to have put an additional 1000 miles on the Jeep during a period when he claimed the Jeep was in Moul's shop. Moul also reported that Ricci removed several trash bags, the seat covers and a post hole digger and carried them across the street. - Ricci had both opportunity and motive.
Ed Smart and Richard Ricci were gay lovers. This is based upon Ed Smart's pleading before the media for Ricci to come clean, where he used phrases like "Help me, Richard".	This theory was eloquently refuted by Jengaio and it hasn't reared its ugly head recently.
Elizabeth Smart had a nose ring, must have been rebellious and ran away. Later, proponents shifted emphasis to "piercings" so as not to offend those who believe this to be utter nonsense.	Numerous photographs of Elizabeth Smart show no indication of a nose ring and the existence of a nose ring has never been reported by any credible news source.
Moul, the mechanic, lied to the grand jury and in TV interviews. Some of the scenarios: He knows more than he is telling; his eyesight is bad; he made it up; he is in cahoots with Ricci; he used Ricci's Jeep without Ricci's permission.	Moul has no criminal record and no motive. What's more his vehicle logs corroborate his testimony.
Elizabeth Smart's aunt, in a televised interview said the police "are working with us". Implications: This surely must mean that the Smarts and their influential friends and church must be controlling/thwarting the 100-man SLCPD/FBI task force	While this is "grasping" of the highest order, we will ask Jengaio to analyze the phrazing.

[GovernmentShrinker]

What is the purpose of having a sketch artist? I thought it was for the public consumption to help locate the girl.

Is it so unthinkable that it is for the police to use in helping identify possible suspects? I'm sure they have their reasons for not releasing it. One possible reason is that they think it's not very accurate, and that it is more likely to result in some wacko being "sure" he knows who it is and meting out vigilante justice, than to result in a sane citizen reporting a useful tip.

[GovernmentShrinker]

It would be interesting to know, but I seriously doubt it has any bearing on the case. Investigators have no doubt interviewed the older children in the family, as well as other people who had contact with the Smarts that day, and anything having any bearing on the case would have come out. With six kids, and end-of-school-year activities for all but the youngest (who, as I recall, is 3), it's not hard to imagine how the schedule could break down.

[cherry]

Based on the quotes from Smart in that article, I read that there is a known associate of Ricci's, that LE has revealed to the Smarts (possibly in a photo if they don't know the associate), and that MK's recollections, whether visual or otherwise revealing, match up to that suspect's identity.

which would make the sketches totally bogus because the "associates" pics have been everywhere...a sketch after all the pics are public is totally useless

[GovernmentShrinker]

Even if Boylan didn't have weird methods (a "psychic artist", eh?), I can't imagine that serious investigators would put much faith in a sketch produced by her at this stage of the game. She's obviously been following the case, and the sketches of Ricci and of the "missing tooth man" have been circulated widely, as have TV images of many family members. When an artist is not working by scientific, technical methods, but rather "by feel", these outside influences can be pretty powerful, especially when the witness is a 9 year old who saw the perp in the dark and may have been half asleep at the time.

[cherry]

I just don't have the feeling that the abductor and Elizabeth walked too far. I think a car was parked maybe a few blocks away and they had to go through back yards and probably brush and trees to reach it in a secluded spot where it was left.

dogs lead investigators right to the curb I believe...scent would have been followed thru the yards and brush

[GovernmentShrinker]

Y'all want me to work on the gay angle? "Juicier," I suppose....

No, no, the gay angle is so yesterday. Please work on the Mormon-polygamist-eugenicist cult angle (per post #46). I think that one shows a lot more promise (of juice, at least).

[MadisonA]

1. Who do YOU believe is the most responsible for Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping?

A) Richard Ricci and associates
(can't decide if it was a 1 person job or not. If not, he probably only had 1 other accomplice he trusts in on it. The second party could've only helped hide or clean up evidence)

2. Whose fault is it that this case has not been solved yet?

A) Richard Ricci and associates because they left very little evidence
( because I think he/they had enough time after the kidnapping and he wasn't focused closely enough by police. He had more than enough time to cover his tracks)

B) The Smart family and/or the extended family
(only because unknowingly they let people into the house and may have contaminated the crime scene--Not sure how long people were in the house and if they touched anything significant like MK and E's bedroom doorknob etc.)

D) The police and FBI because they are incompetant
(I think if they kept track of top suspects, especially all workers who had access to the home, in the immediate days after they could've possibly intercepted key evidence which obviously they didn't do because Ricci was galavanting around for many days, returning the Jeep etc.)

F) no body found, if it was buried/decomposes/exposed to harsh weather, many forensic clues will be lost or never found.

3. Do you believe that Elizabeth is alive?

B) NO

[GovernmentShrinker]

If Ricci had nothing to do with the kidnapping, then the mechanic, Keith Moul, must be lying big time.

I haven't seen any info on how well Moul knew Ricci. Is this a place where Ricci had had his vehicles serviced regularly over a long period of time, or a place he's used only a handful of times? If the latter, Moul might have handed the Jeep over to someone he thought was Ricci, but who actually wasn't. Didn't Moul say that Angela Ricci called to say Ricci would be picking up the Jeep, but Angela says she never made such a call and passed a polygraph test? Could somebody else, who knows Ricci and his wife's name and knew where his Jeep was, have had someone make the call and then gone to pick up the Jeep? Has Moul been polygraphed? If he isn't really sure now that the guy who picked up and returned the Jeep was really Ricci, I can think of a reason or two that he wouldn't want to admit what really happened? Would you take your car to be serviced at a garage where you knew the proprietor (or mechanic -- not sure what Moul's position is) had turned over someone's vehicle to a complete stranger?

[Sherlock]

1. Who do YOU believe is the most responsible for Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping?

E) A person or group not yet named by police or media helped by Ricci

2. Whose fault is it that this case has not been solved yet?

D) The police and FBI because they are incompetant

3. Do you believe that Elizabeth is alive?

B) NO

[Sherlock]

This case will be solved by meticolous police work; all loose ends will be tied together; all the dots will be connected and Elizabeth will be freed from her captivity.

We all hope you are right.

[Sherlock]

I have yet to read an explanation of why Elizabeth and her parents/family missed the awards ceremony and recital the day before she disappeared and welcome any comments on this.

I'm very tired of hearing this untrue, worn out story about the family missing an awards ceremony and recital the day before Elizabeth disappeared. It's simply not true. Either provide a reference for it or stop cluttering this board with this silly innuendo that was a misunderstanding by a poster a long time ago and is kept alive by the sick element of Smart family haters that lack the legal perspective to understand this case.

[Sherlock]

Well, at least there seem to be three of us here who are on the same page.......or at least close to it.

Don't forget Bella.

[Sherlock]

RE: Fox report that there is now a sketch--why bother, if they're not going to release it? Why are they playing these games?

It's probably one of the last loose ends of evidence they had to tie up. They've known who the kidnapper was since a few days after the kidnapping.