Posted on 06/23/2002 10:08:41 PM PDT by stlnative
If Smart's used to working on a strictly-cash basis, this could actually make a lot of sense. Suppose Ricci's car is broken down or unreliable, so he can't make it to work. Smart trades him carfare for wages, and both guys save some money.
And the tidbit about Ricci having burglarized the Smart home last year.....I wonder why that has been kept under wraps. I don't recall hearing that the Smarts had ever had trouble with break-ins before.......
That would fall into the SLCPD's "we're not telling you all we know" bucket.
And this revelation gives more credence to my speculation that Ricci, or somebody Ricci knew, had the key to the Smart's house. They got in by walking in the front door.
As a result of focusing the investigation on those who had access to the Smarts' home, they talked again to the man and are checking out his alibi, said Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse.
"At this point in time, he is not a charged suspect, but he is very interesting," he said.
Police have been questioning Richard Albert Ricci, a man who worked in the Smart home more than a year ago.
He was arrested on an unrelated parole violation June 14, police spokesman Fred Louis said. That was nine days after Elizabeth Smart was reportedly taken at gunpoint from her bedroom in an affluent Salt Lake City neighborhood.
Despite having had Ricci in custody for 11 days, police haven't been able to pin down the man's whereabouts on the morning of the abduction, Dinse said. Ricci has not been charged in the kidnapping.
"We have questions about his actions between May 31 and June 8," Dinse said.
AP-ES-06-24-02 1320EDT
Such as one Mary Katherine Smart, eh?
I wonder if Ricci had anybody who worked with/for him?
Then...they switched back to the family spokesman, who was being asked at that time.." How long did Recci work for Ed ? " , and to that, he replied..." Maybe 2 months, or three..A VERY SHORT TIME '.
Now, giving him the benefit, maybe he doesn't know how long the guy worked for Ed. It just sounded strange that they broke in with a Bulletin, and then the ans. to the question was different.
There's definitely something really strange with this entire case.
Tom took a lot of heat on these threads last week for deciding not allow a Mark Klaas-selected sketch artist to meet with Mary Katherine, even though the parents had been heard earlier to support the idea on the grounds that "we need all the help we can get". It subsequently came to light that Mark Klaas' involvement in the case was due his being paid by Fox news, the artist was to be paid by Fox News, and that SLC police did not want any sketch distributed. Most likely, Tom knew these facts before the parents, because the parents had asked him to act a spokesman and he was having more regular contact with various sources than they were. When they heard why he didn't think the Klaas-selected artist should be brought in, they probably just said, "oh, we didn't know that; okay you're right, let's not get her involved".
From this type of thing, some freepers have decided that there is some secret Mormon system for empowering certain male family members to control the lives of others, and are determined to get the low-down on the secret system. Get a grip, folks!
Not unusual at all. Often, lower income people ASK to be paid with goods they need...and it can work ou to advantage of employer as well. Barter is a way of life for many jobless or poor people. I.E: husband of a woman who cleaned for me absolutely begged me to pay with old rusty van sitting forgotten in garage. He was mechanically inclined, but van had no value to us as it would cost more to fix it than book value...anyway, these little deals take place all the time.
I hope this creep didn't kidnap Elizabeth. As others have said, there's slim chance she'd be found alive if he did. We were better off with our rather creative conspiraciy theories, most of which offered a reason why perp would want to keep her alive.
The man, Richard Albert Ricci, was arrested on an unrelated parole violation June 14, police spokesman Fred Louis said. That was nine days after Elizabeth Smart was reportedly taken at gunpoint from her bedroom in an affluent Salt Lake City neighborhood.
Police Chief Rick Dinse told KSTU television on Sunday that investigators haven't been able to pin down the man's whereabouts on the morning of the abduction. Detectives have been questioning the man for more than a week; he has not been charged in the kidnapping.
"He is potentially a big piece of the puzzle," Dinse told KSTU. "Just how big, we're not sure at this point.
"We haven't been able to satisfy ourselves that he was not involved."
Ricci, 48, had been living in the Salt Lake City suburb of Kearns. He has a long criminal history in Utah, beginning with a burglary conviction in 1973. He was been in and out of prison for the past three decades, and was most recently freed on parole in 2000.
Ricci's convictions also include aggravated robbery, attempted homicide and a prison escape.
Chris Thomas, who has been acting as a spokesman for the girl's family, said Ricci last worked in the Smart's Federal Heights home more than a year ago, painting and doing handyman work.
Authorities scheduled a news conference for Monday in Salt Lake City about their interview of Bret Michael Edmunds, whom they had sought for two weeks for questioning in the abduction investigation.
Edmunds was interviewed at a West Virginia hospital by FBI agents and Salt Lake City police detectives.
Investigators were analyzing the interviews, Louis said.
FBI spokesman Kevin Eaton didn't return messages left by The Associated Press. He said Saturday that questioning Edmunds, 26, likely would not substantially change the Smart case because he was a possible witness and not a suspect.
A milkman helped police trace a car owned by Edmunds that was spotted in the family's neighborhood two mornings before her June 5 abduction.
The car was seen in a suburban Salt Lake subdivision in the days following the girl's disappearance, but searchers recovered nothing after dogs picked up a possible scent in the area on Friday.
Edmunds checked himself into a hospital in Martinsburg, W.Va., on Thursday for treatment of drug-related liver damage. He was listed in serious but stable condition Monday, hospital officials said.
Authorities said Edmunds was cooperative with investigators and allowed a search of his vehicle.
AP-ES-06-24-02 1253EDT
I suspect there are many FReepers who not only advocate this sort of dealing, but do it extensively themselves. For years now it's been called the "underground economy," and/or the barter system. It's a very common practice, especially in the building trades, to work on a cash basis. It only seems odd here because it's a kidnapping case.
If you look at Ricci's record, there are very good reasons for him to avoid taxes: if he's paying them, they know where he lives. And in case you missed it, he was originally picked up on parole violations. When the choice is between jail and unemployment....
First Ricci was known to the family. They likely thought they were helping out someone who was down on his luck, and both parties were benefitting. Ricci was probably working for less than market wages, because he couldn't get a proper job where they checked references.
Ricci may have been attempting a kidnapping, but the ransom demand was foiled when it became apparent that MK was in the room and had heard his voice.
The ONE thing I can't get over is the mean-spirited blame it on the victim's family mentality that seems to prevail in these threads. Perhaps the poster who said that these vicious theories stem from a desperate need to convince oneself that "it couldn't happen to me," is right.
UNcle Tom took a lot of hear because of his bizarre statements
You make an EXCELLENT point.
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