9/8 Annie Marie Le missing from Yale University (BODY FOUND)

[Northern Rose]

Rumor control: No 2nd arrest pending
Updated: Friday, 18 Sep 2009, 6:28 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 18 Sep 2009, 6:25 PM EDT

By: Annie Rourke
New Haven (WTNH) - There is no known motive behind Annie Le's killing yet, but police feel confident in telling News Channel 8 that so far, the evidence points to just one person.

In the hours after the murder, the days of Annie Le's disappearance, did Raymond Clark have an accomplice?

New Haven Police Chief James Lewis says that is a false rumor.

"There's no second arrest pending," Lewis said.

They are not actively pursuing a warrant to arrest anyone else in the murder of Yale graduate student Annie Le at this time.

In a sit-down interview with News Channel 8, the chief said he is limited on what he can comment on as the arrest warrant affidavit was sealed by the courts, so he could not answer directly if he believes Clark acted alone.

"I can't talk about that now cause that's in the sealed document," Lewis said.

But he says no other arrests are pending.

Speculation has been widespread because Clark's fiance, sister and brother-in-law all work at Yale, all at 10 Amistad St., the scene of the crime.


MORE...

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/crime/news_wtnh_rumor_control_no_2nd_arrest_pending_200909171823

[cece]

TY for the updates Northern Rose.
Very good article about the death penalty in Conn. & the chances of DP.
(Posted by Northern Rose)

(page 2 of 2):

http://abcnews.go.com/US/raymond-clark-alleged-annie-le-murderer-death-penalty/Story?id=8613554&page=2

[cece]

http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2009/09/sen-martin-looneys-aide-played.html


Sen. Martin Looney's Aide Played Softball Sunday Against Suspect in Yale Killing; Raymond Clark Played Shortstop
By
Christopher Keating
 on September 18, 2009 4:50 PM

A top aide to Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney played softball Sunday against the suspect in the high-profile killing of Ph.D. candidate Annie Le at Yale University, the Associated Press is reporting.

Veteran reporter Susan Haigh says that lab technician Raymond Clark III "was playing softball the day the victim's body was found.''

One of the players against Clark was Vinnie Mauro, a 36-year-old bearded attorney who is a well-known figure at the state Capitol. Mauro, a longtime New Haven Democrat, was pitching on one team, while Clark was playing shortstop on the other.

Haigh reports that Mauro "calls Clark 'nondescript' and says he didn't lose his temper or even interact much with other players. Mauro says he usually recognizes Clark by the Mets jersey he wears with player David Wright's name on the back. Mauro says his team defeated Clark's Wild Hogs in the playoff game.''

It has been previously reported that undercover narcotics agents were watching Clark on Sunday because he had been identified in the case as a person of interest.

Clark has since been arrested and charged with murder in the death of Le, a promising student who was the valedictorian at her high school.

[Blonde]

Police Chief Says Motive For Annie Le's Killing May Never Be Known
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — -  Without a confession from a Yale University technician charged with killing a graduate student and bride-to-be in the medical school lab where they worked, authorities may never know the motive, the police chief said.

"The only person who knows the motive is the suspect," Chief James Lewis told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday. "It's true in many cases. You never know absolutely unless the person confesses, and in this case it's too early to tell."

Raymond Clark III, a technician in the lab where Annie Le conducted research, was arrested Thursday, a day after authorities took DNA samples from him to compare with evidence from the crime scene. Le's body was found hidden behind a wall on what should have been her wedding day.

Clark's bond was set at $3 million, and he did not enter a plea.

A telephone message seeking comment from the public defenders' office, which is representing Clark, was not immediately returned Friday.

Lewis said Friday that no further arrests were expected, but investigators were sifting through hundreds of pieces of evidence. He said police had trailed other people before they zeroed in on Clark as a suspect.

A law enforcement official who talked to the AP on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing and many details remained sealed said Thursday that co-workers called Clark a "control freak" who was territorial about the mice whose cages he cleaned. Authorities are investigating whether that attitude might have set off a clash between Clark and Le.

Clark tried to hide evidence even as investigators worked in the basement lab around him, authorities said, then coolly played a softball game on the day Le's body was found stuffed inside a nearby wall.

An investigator observed Clark trying to hide cleaning equipment that contained blood splatters as teams probed the disappearance of Le, who was 24, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation who spoke to The Hartford Courant.

Investigators have records of Clark, also 24, cleaning areas that Le was in before she was reported missing Sept. 8, the official told the Courant, speaking on condition of anonymity.

But despite Clark's efforts, investigators found the DNA of both suspect and victim in the ceiling and in the wall recess where Le's body was hidden, the official told the paper. New Haven police wouldn't confirm that information to the AP.

The body of Le, a pharmacology student from Placerville, Calif., was recovered Sunday, the day she was to get married on New York's Long Island.

Also that day, Clark played shortstop in a softball playoff game for his team, the New Haven Wild Hogs, an opposing player said. And he played under the gaze of undercover police officers who had been trailing him 24 hours a day for several days before his arrest.

One of the opposing players, Vinnie Mauro, of New Haven, said he knew Clark as a plain, calm New York Mets fan who usually wore a David Wright jersey.

"You couldn't tell anything," Mauro told the AP. "There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. He was just nondescript, kept to himself."

Prosecutors may face difficult questions in Clark's trial about why they didn't restrict access to the lab after Le was reported missing, legal experts said. Le disappeared on a Tuesday, and authorities didn't close it until the weekend.

"If a jury is looking for something to grab onto, then this could be something for them to grab onto," said Hugh Keefe, a top state defense attorney.

Le's work involved experiments on mice that were part of research into enzymes that could have implications for treatment of cancer, diabetes and muscular dystrophy, while Clark's technician job involved cleaning floors and mouse cages.

Ann Turner, executive director of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, acknowledges "there is a gulf" between technicians and the researchers they interact with, but said a gap in education levels shouldn't necessarily lead to tension.

"If there is a culture of trust and a culture of respect, the researchers will respect the animal care technicians, and vice versa," Turner said.

A memorial service for Le is planned at the Huntington, N.Y., temple her fiance's family attends between the high holidays of Rosh Hashanah, beginning sundown Friday, and Yom Kippur on Sept. 28, cantor Sandra Sherry said.

The family of fiance Jonathan Widawsky, a graduate student at Columbia University, had already announced it would not attend services "for the foreseeable future" to ease things for the synagogue, Sherry said.

Clark is jailed in Suffield, about 20 miles north of Hartford. His next scheduled court date is Oct. 6.

___
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/yale-annie-le/hc-raymond-clark-motive-unknown,0,6995500.story

[AZSunny]

Thanks Blonde for all the info you provide us!

[AZSunny]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,552521,00.html

Police investigating the murder of Yale graduate student Annie Le are still collecting evidence, including a car they towed from a motel where the suspected killer, Raymond Clark III, was arrested.

Police wouldn't confirm who owns the Ford Taurus they towed Friday night from the Super 8 motel in Cromwell, Conn. The father of the Yale lab technician charged with the murder of Annie Le checked into the motel before his son was arrested Thursday.

Clark was arrested Thursday, a day after police took DNA samples from him to compare with evidence from the crime scene. His bond was set at $3 million, and he did not enter a plea.

PHOTOS: Yale Graduate Student Murdered

A state trooper who took part in the car seizure confirmed that it was related to Clark's arrest. It's not clear if the suspect's father is still staying at the Super 8, and police did not enter the motel.

New Haven police spokesman Joe Avery said he knew nothing about the seizure. Cromwell police referred questions to the New Haven police department.

Clark's parents, Raymond John Clark Jr. and Diane Clark, are separated, according to a person familiar with the family who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the nature of the charges.

New Haven Police Chief James Lewis told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday that the investigation was continuing, although they didn't expect more arrests. Lewis said authorities may never know the motive for the killing of Le, whose body was found hidden behind a wall on what should have been her wedding day.

"The only person who knows the motive is the suspect," Lewis said. "It's true in many cases. You never know absolutely unless the person confesses, and in this case it's too early to tell."

Clark, a technician in the lab where Le conducted research, was arrested a day after authorities took DNA samples from him to compare with evidence from the crime scene.

[trimmonthelake]

Thanks for the updates.   

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.wesh.com/news/21004626/detail.html
Experts: Defense In Yale Killing Has Tough Job
Annie Le Found Dead On What Would Have Been Her Wedding Day
MICHAEL HILL, Associated Press Writers

POSTED: 9:19 am EDT September 19, 2009
UPDATED: 4:16 pm EDT September 19, 2009
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Defending a Yale lab technician charged with murder against what appears to be a mountain of forensic evidence might mean trying to convince jurors that the crime scene was contaminated because police didn't immediately shut down the lab where the victim was eventually found, legal experts said.

Raymond Clark III, 24, is charged with murder for the death of Yale graduate student Annie Le. She vanished from a research building in Yale's medical school complex on Sept. 8; her body was found hidden in a wall recess five days later, on what was to be her wedding day.

Police charged Clark after reviewing some 300 pieces of evidence, including DNA samples taken from Clark a day before he was arrested. Officials reportedly found DNA from Le and Clark in the ceiling and in the recess where Le's body was found.

The evidence is so overwhelming that police believe they don't necessarily have to uncover Clark's motive for the killing to convince jurors of his guilt, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
That likely leaves Clark's attorneys with going after how that evidence was gathered -- rather than what it showed -- and have prosecutors defend their decision not to seal the lab building until Le's body was found.

"You attempt to attack the investigative process as well as the conclusions," said William Dow III, a prominent New Haven-based defense lawyer, who does not represent anyone in this case.

Clark's court-appointed attorneys did not return calls seeking comment Saturday.

Yale students were allowed into the basement of the research building for at least three days after Le disappeared. The Hartford Courant reported that Clark was in the lab cleaning while police were conducting interviews shortly after the grad student disappeared, and tried to hide lab cleaning equipment that they later discovered contained blood spatters.

At the time, police said they were not sure whether the Le case was a homicide or a missing persons case. The building wasn't sealed until Le's body was found and the case declared a homicide.
Prosecutors won't be able to deny that the area where the body was found was different from the scene when the murder took place, attorneys said.

"DNA can be transferred in many, many ways, and when people work together, DNA can be transferred in ways that are very legitimate," said Michael Georgetti, a Hartford defense attorney.

But the attorneys also said the prosecutor's case appears very strong.

If they have Clark's DNA in the crawl space where the body was found, Le's DNA on his clothing, scratches that an expert can say were defensive wounds, and more, it will be much harder to base a defense on problems with collecting that evidence.

"If a jury is looking for something to grab on to, then this could be something for them to grab on to," said Hugh Keefe, another top Connecticut defense attorney. "But stepping back, and going just on what I have read in the newspapers, this is a tough case from a defense standpoint."

Police said Friday they didn't expect more arrests in the case, but they're continuing to gather evidence. On Friday, they towed a Ford Taurus from the parking lot of the Super 8 hotel in Cromwell, Conn., where Clark was arrested the previous day.
Police wouldn't confirm who owns the car, but said the seizure was part of the Yale murder investigation. Clark's father, Raymond John Clark Jr., was registered at the hotel through Saturday and had been staying there at times, according to a person familiar with the family who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the nature of the charges.

Clark was a technician in the lab where Le conducted research. The law enforcement official who spoke to the AP said co-workers called Clark a "control freak" who was territorial about the mice whose cages he cleaned. Authorities are investigating whether that attitude might have set off a clash between Clark and Le.

Le's work involved experiments on mice that were part of research into enzymes that could have implications for treatment of cancer, diabetes and muscular dystrophy. She is originally from Placerville, Calif.

[Ariana]

   I haven't commented on this case yet.  I am afraid we are about to see the first test of the concept that animals and people are equally important.  I may be totally wrong about this.  But, early reports were that Annie's murderer was upset at her treatment of the mice and that many members of his family work at the lab.  I find this so upsetting and concerning.

What I don't get, if he felt that Annie was not taking proper care of the mice, why was he even working in a lab? If he loves all animals, one would think that would not be the line of work to be in. I know there is no way I could work in a place like that, I would be to emotional. Something more is going on, I really believe that, maybe the mice were part of it, but I sure don't think that was all.

To answer your question, I have a friend who currently works at an Animal Hospital and will physically hurt you if she sees you hurt a dog in any way.  She also used to volunteer at the local animal shelter which euthanizes.  She said she wanted all the animals to be adopted, she understood that they couldn't be, but she also felt being euthanized was better than them being locked up in the cages for weeks or months on end.  Maybe in Clark's mind he understood the need for testing on animals to ensure human safety but felt that by taking care of the animals he was providing what little comfort and solace he could for the things they went through.  Knowing why something "has" to be done and watching someone unnecessarily hurting an animal are in fact 2 different things.  As I said before, I personally know some animal freaks who are basically animal lovers who would love for all animal abusers to get the death penalty. 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.ktvu.com/news/21023908/detail.html
Yale Student's Body Returned To NorCal For Funeral

[SunnyinTX]

http://www.ktvu.com/news/21023908/detail.html
Yale Student's Body Returned To NorCal For Funeral

Hi Miz    thanks.....I was wondering when she would be buried. I notice the article says the family has requested that all information be kept confidential.  Bless their hearts.

[Gypsy DD]

   I haven't commented on this case yet.  I am afraid we are about to see the first test of the concept that animals and people are equally important.  I may be totally wrong about this.  But, early reports were that Annie's murderer was upset at her treatment of the mice and that many members of his family work at the lab.  I find this so upsetting and concerning.

What I don't get, if he felt that Annie was not taking proper care of the mice, why was he even working in a lab? If he loves all animals, one would think that would not be the line of work to be in. I know there is no way I could work in a place like that, I would be to emotional. Something more is going on, I really believe that, maybe the mice were part of it, but I sure don't think that was all.

To answer your question, I have a friend who currently works at an Animal Hospital and will physically hurt you if she sees you hurt a dog in any way.  She also used to volunteer at the local animal shelter which euthanizes.  She said she wanted all the animals to be adopted, she understood that they couldn't be, but she also felt being euthanized was better than them being locked up in the cages for weeks or months on end.  Maybe in Clark's mind he understood the need for testing on animals to ensure human safety but felt that by taking care of the animals he was providing what little comfort and solace he could for the things they went through.  Knowing why something "has" to be done and watching someone unnecessarily hurting an animal are in fact 2 different things.  As I said before, I personally know some animal freaks who are basically animal lovers who would love for all animal abusers to get the death penalty. 

Ariana,

I understand what you are saying about people loving animals and being able to work in an animal hospital and at an animal shelter.

But this is a totally different sort of premise.  They would be working at a place where animals are used in testing protocals for drugs.  This means the animals would be in harms way..an understood point from the beginning.

 I don't see how an animal advocate who felt strongly enough about the care and treatment of animals  that they would muirder for that reason could have or would have lasted 5 years in an animal testing lab.  That just doesn't make any sense to me.

I think there is much more to this then animal testing in a lab or the care of those animals.  He has been doing this for 5 years.  Something other then that set him off in my opinion..I don't think unless he or his friends say more we will ever know what lead to this action on his part.

[cookie]

on NG now...NG Weekend...
is this a repeat? If so, I haven't seen this one...

[AZSunny]

In my Opinion, it isn't about the care of the animals, or what testing has been done on them, I think it is about control. It is more about these are my animals, and my job is to feed them and clean their cages and we have rules and protocols.  ie: where shoes in the lab, it is about trying to be more important, and in charge than they acutally are.  Rules are rules, and everyone must follow the rules!

[San]

Slain grad student's body mashedBones broken to fit in holeBy REBECCA ROSENBERG

Last Updated: 5:57 AM, September 21, 2009
Posted: 5:42 AM, September 21, 2009

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/slain_grad_student_body_mashed_m4kbEBcSjtrH2luFH8HrtI

Accused murderer Ray Clark was so desperate to hide his heinous handiwork that he allegedly broke the bones and mangled the body of a strangled Yale grad student to fit it through a wall opening the size of a computer screen, The Post has learned.

"He just crushed her in there. She was like mush -- she was so smashed up you couldn't recognize her," said a source, who gave The Post disturbing new details of Clark's moves after Annie Le's gruesome slaying.

Le's body, the source said, was found in a utility space in a bathroom wall near the basement lab where she had been working the day she vanished.

In his haste to cover his tracks after Le was killed, Clark accidentally tripped a fire alarm -- possibly with his own or Le's employee swipe card, the source said.

Clark had used both his and Le's cards to access various areas of the lab after her murder -- and those swipe cards can be used to sound a fire alert, according to the source.

"He didn't mean to set off the alarm," the source said.

Clark was seen on video after the building was evacuated, holding his head in his hands.

Before Le was even reported missing, two rookie cops who talked to Clark after the fire alarm went off suspected he was up to no good, the source noted.

"They knew something was off with the guy -- he was nervous," said the source.

"He was acting weird, he was ghost white. His answers weren't making any sense. He was stuttering, and trying to stand in front of a chemistry tray with his arms crossed, trying to hide something."

Investigators have said Clark aroused suspicion when he was seen trying to clean the lab and hide equipment that later turned out to contain blood splatters.

According to the source, Clark was "a control freak" who insisted on lab cleanliness and "had issues" with the way Le kept her lab and her research mice.

"She wasn't clean, and it made him mad."

Le was last seen entering her lab building at around 10 a.m. on Sept. 8 and was reported missing that night. Her body was found Sept. 13, the same day she was to wed Columbia grad student Jonathan Widawsky on Long Island.

A "foul odor" led investigators to her body, the source said.

The space where Le was found -- 8 inches deep and covered by a metal panel "the size of a computer screen" -- houses a vertical and a horizontal water pipe.

Her killer had to maneuver her body around the pipes, according to the source.

"I've been doing this a long time, and I've never seen anything like that. This guy's twisted."

[Blonde]

Annie Le Murder: Raymond Clark's Public Defender Troubled By Leaks In Case

By JEFFREY B. COHEN The Hartford Courant

September 21, 2009
Video at link also


New Haven's head public defender sent a letter last week to state prosecutors investigating the killing of Annie Le, frustrated by apparent leaks in the case that disclosed her alleged killer's name and his whereabouts at least twice before he was arrested.

"I think it's outrageous that there are law enforcement authorities that are releasing details, and it's inappropriate and something should be done about it," public defender Thomas Ullmann said Sunday night. "I called for an investigation and I also feel that, if it's discovered who's leaking this information, they should be fired."

Police say that Le, a 24-year-old Yale University graduate student just days away from her wedding, was killed by lab technician Raymond Clark III. Police arrested Clark, 24, last week; he is due back in court in October.

The case caught national attention after Le disappeared nearly two weeks ago, in part because of the circumstances that made it compelling for average news consumers.

Richard Slotkin, professor emeritus of American Studies at Wesleyan University, said Sunday that the circumstances of Le's death — in a secure workplace, just days before her wedding — made it the kind of story that can captivate an audience.

But another answer to the question of why this story hooked so much local, national and cable news attention could well be because someone in law enforcement was feeding information to the media, said Ullmann, the public defender. And that kind of leaking of information has the potential to damage an investigation, the people involved in it, and, in this case, Clark's right to a fair trial, he said.

"There were hecklers that night out in Middletown," Ullmann said, referring to onlookers on the night of Sept. 15 when Clark was taken into custody, but not arrested, so police could collect DNA samples. "That's a safety problem, too."

"Law enforcement people who are professional don't go talking to the press and don't go making anonymous phone calls to sources in the media releasing details when they know they're not supposed to do that," Ullmann said.

Efforts to reach a New Haven police spokesman late Sunday were not successful.

Ullmann said he knows that any internal investigation to find out who leaked information would be hard to complete.

"But they should be sending a message that this is improper, and that if they find out who's doing it, there will be consequences," he said.

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/yale-annie-le/hc-public-defender-protests0921.artsep21,0,4781675.story

[no rose colored glasses]

Accused murderer Ray Clark was so desperate to hide his heinous handiwork that he allegedly broke the bones and mangled the body of a strangled Yale grad student to fit it through a wall opening the size of a computer screen, The Post has learned.

"He just crushed her in there. She was like mush -- she was so smashed up you couldn't recognize her," said a source, who gave The Post disturbing new details of Clark's moves after Annie Le's gruesome slaying.
    This sick SOB needs to rot in a jail cell for the rest of his sick existence 

[SunnyinTX]

Accused murderer Ray Clark was so desperate to hide his heinous handiwork that he allegedly broke the bones and mangled the body of a strangled Yale grad student to fit it through a wall opening the size of a computer screen, The Post has learned.

"He just crushed her in there. She was like mush -- she was so smashed up you couldn't recognize her," said a source, who gave The Post disturbing new details of Clark's moves after Annie Le's gruesome slaying.
    This sick SOB needs to rot in a jail cell for the rest of his sick existence 

This is terrible to read. He is a sick bastard!! I can't think of a punishment that is terrible enough for him!!  Oh his parents must be proud!!  IMO there MUST be things in his background that his parents knew about that were warnings of his potential!!

[Fanny Mae]

Accused murderer Ray Clark was so desperate to hide his heinous handiwork that he allegedly broke the bones and mangled the body of a strangled Yale grad student to fit it through a wall opening the size of a computer screen, The Post has learned.

"He just crushed her in there. She was like mush -- she was so smashed up you couldn't recognize her," said a source, who gave The Post disturbing new details of Clark's moves after Annie Le's gruesome slaying.
    This sick SOB needs to rot in a jail cell for the rest of his sick existence 

And after all the things he did, the police, pubic and anyone else the head of the public defender can think of are on the hotseat in his view. Here we go again. Blame everyone, except the perp!  What a pig the perp is!! And no word about how awful what happened to Annie Le was! RIP Annie.

[N2WISHN]

Accused murderer Ray Clark was so desperate to hide his heinous handiwork that he allegedly broke the bones and mangled the body of a strangled Yale grad student to fit it through a wall opening the size of a computer screen, The Post has learned.

"He just crushed her in there. She was like mush -- she was so smashed up you couldn't recognize her," said a source, who gave The Post disturbing new details of Clark's moves after Annie Le's gruesome slaying.
    This sick SOB needs to rot in a jail cell for the rest of his sick existence 

This is terrible to read. He is a sick bastard!! I can't think of a punishment that is terrible enough for him!!  Oh his parents must be proud!!  IMO there MUST be things in his background that his parents knew about that were warnings of his potential!!

This information supports why it took so long to identify the body and goes along with the report that her body was "taken apart".  That explains why the words dismembered or cut apart weren't used. I don't even have words to express my disgust with what he has done. Bad enough that he killed her, but to mutilate her body like that is beyond description........