Smart Case, July 25, 2002

07/25/02 | 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".	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. If Moul had "borrowed" the Jeep, he certainly would have washed it to remove the bugs, mud and pine needles.
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	We will ask Jengaio to analyze the phrazing.

Motive	Possible Suspect	Details
Kidnapping	All	- The SLCPD has said there has not been any credible ransom demands. This may be due to the massive search and media blitz within 5 hours of the abduction i.e. the perps may have realized that their chances of getting caught were very high and they decided to get rid of the evidence.
	Ricci & cronies	- Ricci and his colleagues have recently been indicted for several Utah bank robberies, each producing only a modest amount of cash i.e. $1800 split 3 ways. It is likely that they were looking for a bigger "score".
	Unknown	N/A
Burglary	Ricci	- Ricci has five previous convictions for theft, burglary, and assault (shooting a police officer). He has recently been indicted on three additional state charges including burglary of a Smart neigbor while they were sleeping (a M.O. similar to the Smart kidnapping) and theft of the Smart home. He has also been indicted on three federal charges including two bank robberies. - The Smarts, like most people, wouldn't keep large amounts of cash around. It seems likely that a simple burglary would not produce much in the way of cash or jewelery. - The SLCPD has said some things were taken but haven't identified those items.
	Unknown	N/A
Burglary Gone Wrong	Ricci	- The Smart perpetrator may have been surprised by Elizabeth Smart and decided to remove the only witness.
	Unknown	Same as above
Sexual Predator	Ricci	- Fox News reported Ricci had attempted an "inappropriate relationship" with one of his old girlfriends 16 yr old daughters.
	Unknown	N/A
Revenge	Ricci	- Ed Smart wouldn't rehire Ricci even though Ricci claimed he had no involvement in the theft of the Smart house.
	Unknown	N/A
Runaway	Elizabeth Smart	Unknown possible motive
	Unknown	N/A

Significant Links
Date	Title	Comments
06/16/02	Sister reported the abduction relatively quickly Wait was quite short for child, an expert says	Certified forensic psychologist Gerald P. Koocher said it is remarkable the child notified the parents as soon as she did. Koocher, dean of Health Studies at Boston's Simmon's College and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, pointed out that in other scenarios such as sexual abuse, a child will refrain from telling on or speaking ab
07/24/02	Katie Couric Boylan Interview on NBC	Complements of Neenah. See post #74

[GovernmentShrinker]

I certainly had no interest in boys at 14, and neither did most of my ballet school friends of the same age, nor many of my regular school friends (at a pretty "exclusive" girls' prep school). Actually, I think especially attractive girls are less likely to be interested in boys early, as they often get a lot of unwanted attention from boys before they want it, and it is embarassing and annoying.

[varina davis]

I certainly had no interest in boys at 14, and neither did most of my ballet school friends of the same age, nor many of my regular school friends (at a pretty "exclusive" girls' prep school).

Such a sheltered life! I expect it might be a tad more difficult to mingle with the opposite sex at a "pretty exclusive girls' prep school."

I do believe Elizabeth attended a co-ed public school.

[Palladin]

Oh, I don't think it was naievete (sp) or carelessness, but rather a conscious business decision to cut costs. Transients applying for day work at the Travelers Aid will probably work for $5-6 an hour, as opposed to union laboreres, who get $20-25 an hour. Pennywise and poundfoolish--and downright stupid to let unknown persons of dubious character into your home and near your children, without so much as a background check. And Ed doesn't feel the slightest pang of guilt about this?

He strikes me more and more as a narcissistic personality--all he cares about is Ed Smart and Ed Smart's bottom line.

[MiloMarch]

>Seem to recall in initial news stories that she was described as very slim and petite -- hardly the "size of a woman." Certainly the photos distributed are not those of a "woman."


Well, the Elizabeth Smart web site says she is 5’6”. Does that sound like a child to you? My wife is 5’4”, and she says she isn’t short – she’s average.

I specifically recall one of the relatives telling reporters that they were NOT looking for a child – they were looking for a young woman.

[GovernmentShrinker]

We were hardly sheltered. It was in the middle of Washington, D.C. and we had a number of co-ed classes with an affiliated boys school. Ted Kennedy's daughter Kara was in my class, and by 8th grade was answering her home phone "Joan's Whorehouse" in reference to her mother's tabloid-headlining lifestyle (it was a separate line for the kids, but apparently it was frequently called by people needing to reach Ted senior when his line was busy). Another classmate had to have a nose job in 10th grade, as a result of years of heavy cocaine use in her family's living room, supplied by her coke-head parents and often shared with like-minded classmates. The class mostly consisted of intellectual/academic types, drug devotees, and a few jocks. Some of the druggies were into boys by 14, I guess, as long as the boys were supplying drugs (or buying -- a couple of the girls were pretty serious dealers, and eventually got kicked out for it). But the brains and jocks showed precious little interest in the opposite sex before 11th grade, or even 12th.

[varina davis]

I guess you were lucky to escape intact.

[varina davis]

He strikes me more and more as a narcissistic personality--all he cares about is Ed Smart and Ed Smart's bottom line.

Narcissistic, possibly. Noticed in the video that he said he couldn't understand how anyone "could do this to us," instead of saying do this to Elizabeth.

[lakey]

What, in your opinion, would be the motive of LE to "cover up" who the kidnapper is? That is, if they aren't covering up for someone in the Smart family.

[dalebert]

"trusted" elite is possible.

[lakey]

Thanks for going to the trouble. Do you have a date for the Larry King transcript?

Last Tuesday night, I looked up KTVX Salt Lake City & found "ABC Primetime Thursday Has Exclusive Evidence," dated June 27th, by John Quinones.

4th paragraph: "Much of this new evidence comes from a local auto body shop. The Ricci's claim their Jeep was at the body shop the night Elizabeth disappeared but a new witness counters that claim."

5th paragraph: "A worker at the shops says the car wasn't there the whole time the Ricci's claim it was. He says he saw Ricci take something out of the car, walk across the street to another car."

"A worker at the shops...."

Last paragraph: "Tonight on Primetime you'll see how Angela Ricci reacts to what we were told about her husband by this mechanic. Plus, ...." etc.etc.

[seeker41]

Ed Smart is bizarre and so is his brother Tom. They know more then they're telling.

[Jolly Green]

he said he couldn't understand how anyone "could do this to us," instead of saying do this to Elizabeth.

Do you think "us" might refer to a family in a very family oriented culture??? Some of this hip-shooting analysis is pretty lame.

[varina davis]

Do you think "us" might refer to a family in a very family oriented culture??? Some of this hip-shooting analysis is pretty lame.

Yes, it's possible. But my opinions and theories are no more "hip-shooting" than yours or others on this thread. We're all just trying to figure out why this young girl disappeared.

[dalebert]

Did anyone see Angelas reaction at being confronted with evidence that Ricci took the jeep?

[Jolly Green]

What, in your opinion, would be the motive of LE to "cover up" who the kidnapper is?

That is the point. There is no motive. LE wants to solve the case and get a conviction(s). To cover up would require a conspiracy of over a 100 people in the SLCPD/FBI/family all under the nose of the media, who would bust the story wide open if they had even an inkling that it were true.

[Jolly Green]

Ed Smart is bizarre and so is his brother Tom. They know more then they're telling.

And of course you have facts to support your claim, so be sure to share them with us, will you?

[dalebert]

Do you think that Mr. Smart is going to the public out of frustration with the investigation? It seem reasonable to me that in light of no new clues he would be willing to try anything. I would.

[seeker41]

It will come out in the end, no need for me to elaborate at this time.

[GovernmentShrinker]

You didn't ask me, but ... if they have a strong suspect, but lack solid proof, and that suspect is a high profile person in the business and/or church community, or a close relative of same, they might well be much more hesitant to arrest or publicly cast suspicion on that person, because of the potential fallout. If they're wrong, or more likely just can't prove they're right, there would be huge (and likely successful) lawsuits, and heads would roll in the SLPD. Hauling in a lowlife like Ricci is safe -- one could hardly argue that it wasn't reasonable to suspect him, given his extensive criminal record and close contact with the Smart home and family.

And just from an ethical standpoint, if they cast suspicion on someone like Ricci publicly, it's not like they're destroying his life, even if they're wrong. He's scum, and he's going to spend most of the rest of his life in prison for other things, even if he's found to have had nothing to do with Elizabeth's disappearance. On the other hand, casting suspicion on someone who earns a living, and perhaps supports a family, as an owner or executive of a major business, or otherwise has a lot to lose by having his reputation sullied, needs to be done with a much higher level of evidence and certainty about guilt.

[lakey]

No, I didn't see Angela's reaction. Maybe Utah girl did.