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CNN Live Today

Richard Ricci's Wife Testifies Before Federal Grand Jury

Aired June 27, 2002 - 14:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now on to Utah, where new questions are being raised in the kidnapping case of Elizabeth Smart.

A neighbor of Richard Ricci says he's been asked to testify. Ricci once worked for the Smart family as a carpenter.

CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us from Salt Lake City, Utah, and he's got the latest from there.

Hi there, Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Fredricka.

Well, here in Salt Lake City over the last couple of days, there have been witnesses brought forth to a federal grand jury here as law officials and law enforcement investigators try to put together everybody's stories on record. They want to be able to get all of this on the record, so if anyone tries to change their story later on, they'll have something to come back to and hold people accountable to what they've said so far.

That's why you're seeing Richard Ricci's wife, Angela Ricci, testify before the grand jury -- the federal grand jury. And we also understand that Ricci's neighbor in the trailer park community where he lives is also at the federal grand jury today speaking with the grand jury.

Now, law enforcement sources now tell CNN -- a new development here we want to pass along -- that the reason that they were looking -- if you remember, they've been trying to put together a timeline of what Richard Ricci was doing between May 31 and June 8 of this year. And specifically, what they're trying to nail down at this point is where his cars were at the time -- during this time period.

Specifically now we understand the Jeep Cherokee that was given to Ricci as payment for work he did at the Smart family home. Now, Ricci has told investigators that he put that car in the shop for a specific amount of time, but as it turns out that as investigators have done their work, sources tell us that that car came out of the shop with 1,000 more miles on the odometer than it went in with it.

Now what all this means and how it might play out is still up in the air at this point as investigators do the legwork on trying to figuring out -- we understand they're trying to do some sort of testing on the car and on the rims inside of the car -- the wheel base, so they can figure out where the car might have been; if it might have traveled outside of the area, over rugged terrain, or anything like that.

Now there's a new development, and all this going on apart from what the federal grand jury is doing.

This morning the family -- the Smart family, back at, Ed and Lois Smart, not attending this mornings press briefing. But Ed Smarts' brothers and siblings also out here, talking, reiterating the emotional roller coaster that they've been through here in the last three weeks as they continue in the search effort, continue to thank people for all the work they've been doing as the search effort continues. And at this point, they're realistic and they know they're holding out for a miracle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE SMART, ELIZABETH'S UNCLE: You know, when it comes to the odds and the statistics out there, we're fully aware of those, but we are -- I think as a nation, and the e-mails we've been getting, the hugs that we've been getting from people, and the prayers that are going out for a miracle to happen -- miracles happen every day. And its how we view those miracles. And we believe that Elizabeth is out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Fredricka, one final note.

If you remember, Richard Ricci was picked up on a parole violation, and one of the reasons he violated his parole was because he admitted to burglary.

And essentially, what we've learned from some court documents is that he has admitted that he took some items from the Smart family home last year, as he was doing work on the house. And that was one of the reasons they were able to pick him up and hold on to him in jail here in Salt Lake City -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ed. Thank you very much.

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