Smart Case, July 26, 2002

07/26/02 | Jolly Green

[Jolly Green]

Time Line
05/30/02	Thursday	~ Ricci returns to pick up his Jeep at the auto repair shop before the shop has a chance to fully fix it He tells the repairman that it needed for an emergency.
06/04/02	Tuesday	~ Ricci is at work from about 9am to 5:30pm ~ Ricci claims he spends the evening with friends
06/05/02	Wednesday	~ 1:05am - 2 cars are spotted on the SLC Shriner's Hospital Parking Lot by a hospital security guard, two blocks from the Smart residence ~ 1:30am (approx) - Elizabeth is kidnapped from her home ~ 1:30am - Ricci claims to be in bed asleep with his with wife. ~ Ricci is scheduled to be off work all day today. ~ 7:21am - Rachel/Amber alert is issued and national media is involved. ~ 8:30am - Ricci and his neighbor talk about the kidnapping of Elizabeth, Ricci seems to know too much information about it. ~ Sometime during this day Ricci is visited by police in regards to Elizabeth's kidnapping as reported by Angela Ricci (Richard A. Ricci's Wife which is an ex-convict herself) ~ Ricci is seen by his neighbor digging a hole by his (Ricci's) trailer early in the morning. (heard the neighbor say this on TV)
06/06/02	Thursday	~ Ricci is scheduled to work from 9am to 5:30pm today, but instead works from 10:30am to 7:00pm ~ Police talk to Ricci this day about the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping. (The media is reporting this, so it could be wrong)
06/08/02	Saturday	~ Ricci returns the Jeep to the repair shop to get it fixed. The Jeep is muddy and the repair shop owner sees Ricci remove seat covers from the back of the jeep and place them into a plastic garbage bag that already contains other stuff in it. Also the repair shop owner said a muddy post hole digger was in the back of the Jeep, Ricci removes this also. Ricci has a man waiting across the street to give him a ride. Ricci takes the plastic bag and contents along with the post hole digger with him. Also there is 500 to 1000 extra miles on the Jeep since Ricci picked it up on May 30th, 2002.
06/14/02	Friday	~ Ricci is taken into custody for a parole violation, this being the 2001 robbery of the Smart Home in which he admitted to.
Special thanks to Brigette for starting this timeline.

[Jolly Green]

Also Thursday, Ricci's mechanic said Ricci was acting strangely when he dropped off his 1990 white Jeep Cherokee for repairs just three days after Elizabeth's kidnapping.

Have you got links for these?

[freedox]

Re the issue of when and for how long Ricci worked at the Smart home, I recall there being some conflicting statements made early on. This matter was discussed pretty extensively on earlier threads, and I believe that the final determination from Ed was that Ricci's employment with him ended in either April or June of 2001, depending on which statement was correct. For whatever reasons, Ed seemed either unwilling or unable to provide specific dates of employment.

One issue that was discussed on the earlier threads was that of vehicle ownership. Ed DID make it clear that Ricci had been in full possession of the Jeep for several months prior to a title transfer in September or October of 2001. Several of us were very curious about the fact that Ricci was allowed full personal use of the vehicle while it was still legally in Ed's name. Who was carrying insurance on the vehicle during that time? Why would Ed, a successful businessman with a family, risk the liability of allowing an ex-con full use of his vehicle for several months prior to a legal title transfer?

As I recall, these were among a number of questions that were never answered.

[Sherlock]

http://pub37.ezboard.com/felizabethsmartcaseforumfrm13.showMessage?topicID=9.topic

There are several similar articles, these are near the bottom.

[Pistacio]

Come on now...don't drop this tidbit and leave. I followed the Sund/Pelosso case closely....
Is your family friend's with the Stayner's? The Merced paper had one of the best collection of articles on the Sund/Pelosso case at the time. Esp. after Cary was arrested and the connection was made to Steven's case.
The Stayner family was dysfunctinal at best, even before Steven was kidnapped I understand.

I haven't been here all day...so did not see your post to me. No, I do not know the family personally. I did follow it. The case just gives me the heebee geebees.
I imagine your right about the dyfunction.

[joyce11111]

you have done good work on this thread. Thanks for the ping.

[joyce11111]

I think this entire investigation is fishy. It stinks.

Are the Smarts controling this investigation?

[joyce11111]

I think that Ed Smart talks in riddles, or am I just dense?

[joyce11111]

Sounds to me as though the family was trying to make sure that they could control what got out to the public, and what was kept secret. One has to wonder what those secrets were, that it was better to hamper the search for their daughter than to reveal them.

It all seems as though the Smarts want to keep a whole lot of secrets, and, stay busy doing that. I can't understand their attitude at all. I never have understood that family. They all seem very secretive.

[Jolly Green]

It all seems as though the Smarts want to keep a whole lot of secrets, and, stay busy doing that. I can't understand their attitude at all. I never have understood that family. They all seem very secretive.

The Smarts have repeatedly stated their confidence in the SLCPD and the FBI and consequently are largely doing what they ask i.e. keep those things secret which they are told to keep secret. Some FReepers believe that they have started to break out on their own of late, but I haven't really seen any evidence of that.

[Jolly Green]

you have done good work on this thread. Thanks for the ping.

Thanks, but Brigette deserves a lot of the credit.

[stlnative]

Awwwwwwwww! Jolly your so sweet!

BTW the SLC Tribune News reports are being added to the Elizabeth Smart Case Forum (in the archives) I am up to June 27, 2002 (I'll stop at after June 30th is done tonight and will do July when I have a chance.) Again there is alot there not read yet by me or others.

[lakey]

# 48 Good post! Very thoughtful post!! Yes, your theory does account for what we've seen.

As for your theory of a trailer park boy, I rather suspect someone closer to his 40s, as money would soon become an issue.

Re: LE, I'd prefer to see more emphasis placed on the investigation of the neighbors/family. Has everyone been accounted for - fingerprints, vacationers, etc.

I asked this question quite some time ago, why was the Smart home up for sale? They had only lived there 7 years, so Elizabeth was 7 when they moved there. People of the Smarts' means are usually "planted" until their children finish school.

Somebody wrote on one of these threads that the Smarts were getting a divorce. With no documentation, it is purely rumor.

They have praised their neighbors. I've only seen a couple of the immediate neighbors interviewed. With such great neighbors, a beautiful home, why would the Smarts decide to sell? Could there be a neighbor they don't like?

One day Lois said, "Just let her walk out." Another time (the last time I saw her on t.v.), she said "...you think can have her to yourself, but it won't work."

Just sharing my thoughts....

[Jolly Green]

Elizabeth Smart Case - July 27th, 2002

[Jolly Green]

I asked this question quite some time ago, why was the Smart home up for sale? They had only lived there 7 years

That is Ed's business i.e. buying or building a house and selling it. One of the Smart sisters said they were "downsizing". SLC had been in a boom mode for several years going into the Olympics, but I'm sure that has softened since then along with the rest of the economy.

[hergus]

Thanks Pistacio (my favorite nut BTW) ;-p

[Bella]

Maybe he doesn't trust them. On the other hand, maybe he just doesn't like the direction that the official investigation has taken.

Don't forget, the cops were unaware of a news conference that Ed gave without their knowledge..The cops arrived at the news conference just before it was over and took Ed aside to discuss this event with him, guess they weren't elated about Ed doing this without their knowledge.

[Bella]

My understandig is he did rehire him as Ricci worked in the home up until September of 2001 and the theft was known to happen in June 2001.

This is what I heard and read also.

[Bella]

I understand what you are saying, but that contradicts what I saw i.e. Ed saying all three were fired at the same time and none were hired back, even though Ricci came around later and asked for the job back.

Those oddities keep popping up all the time, don't they..

[Bella]

Theft is the word here... Burglary is entering a home when your not suppose to be in it. Ricci took the things while he worked there. But Ed Smart had several people working in the home at the time. I guess Ed should have took the Jeep back and paid out cash to Ricci. Whatever the deal was it had to be sticky for Ed and not a wise choice as we all now know. What do you think happened on the Ed & Ricci deal? Do you recall hearing Ed say that Ricci was still working in the home as of September 2001? (I am not sure how to take your message)

Don't forget that Ed FORGOT to transfer the Jeep over to Ricci..