PA PA - Ray Gricar, 59, former district attorney, Bellefonte, 15 Apr 2005 - #17

[J. J. in Phila]

I'm asking for a different reason, not a Grocer connection. I wasn't aware of God be before that article. Was he sent to prison for the last time in 1988? TIA

Hodne's conviction in NY state in August of 1988. As it was murder, it is almost impossible for him not to go to jail immediately upon conviction.

This was pre-RFG coming to Centre County, so I was not familiar with the case either. This had a minor connection with PSU, and it didn't look like Paterno pulling any strings to get Hodne off, and, in fact, he was convicted.

 

[bykerladi]

Is there any indication that Ray's daughter might know what happened to Ray? That is, if he, in fact, walked away, daughter isn't worried because after declaring him dead and getting the money he contacted her?

 

[Ironhorse 332]

the problem with this whole thing is the laptop disposal.

Also he did this in broad daylight in clear view of others.

mOO

Was there witnesses that saw him tossing the laptop in the river?

It was done during daylight hours?

 

[minazoe]

yes he was seen in broad daylight

 

[Ironhorse 332]

My memory is bad or our news never reported witnesses seeing him toss the laptop.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Hodne's conviction in NY state in August of 1988. As it was murder, it is almost impossible for him not to go to jail immediately upon conviction.

This was pre-RFG coming to Centre County, so I was not familiar with the case either. This had a minor connection with PSU, and it didn't look like Paterno pulling any strings to get Hodne off, and, in fact, he was convicted.

bbm
He didn't pull any strings in the murder conviction (it was in NY), but according to this article, Paterno had made contact with at least one of Hodne's PSU rape victims and allegedly tried to interfere with witness testimony by one of Hodne's teammates. But these events were long before RFG coming to PA.
ESPN Publishes Investigative Report On Late Penn State Linebacker's Serial Rapes | Oxygen Official Site

RFG could have had info on the computer about another offender related to the PSU program that has never became public knowledge. This seems at least somewhat plausible, given the pattern of the program's association with Hodne and Sandusky. But since there's no other evidence of this, I'm inclined to think it was more likely he was getting rid of personal/financial info on the hard drive.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

My memory is bad or our news never reported witnesses seeing him toss the laptop.

No one saw him toss the laptop. Several people saw him in the area from which the drive was likely tossed carrying something. Someone saw him in Lewisburg in the Mini "fiddling" with the laptop.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

bbm
He didn't pull any strings in the murder conviction (it was in NY), but according to this article, Paterno had made contact with at least one of Hodne's PSU rape victims and allegedly tried to interfere with witness testimony by one of Hodne's teammates. But these events were long before RFG coming to PA.
ESPN Publishes Investigative Report On Late Penn State Linebacker's Serial Rapes | Oxygen Official Site

If you read the article on that, it was not to intimidate the victim. It was an attempt to comfort her. Paterno expressed the opinion that Hodne was guilty. The trial for one victim was in Centre County.

He did not want his players testifying for Hodne, i.e. as character witnesses. He didn't want them to attend the trial.

RFG could have had info on the computer about another offender related to the PSU program that has never became public knowledge. This seems at least somewhat plausible, given the pattern of the program's association with Hodne and Sandusky. But since there's no other evidence of this, I'm inclined to think it was more likely he was getting rid of personal/financial info on the hard drive.

Like many schools, there have been problems with players over the years. If there was something on the laptop, no one other than RFG would it was there or that it wasn't copied to another location.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Is there any indication that Ray's daughter might know what happened to Ray? That is, if he, in fact, walked away, daughter isn't worried because after declaring him dead and getting the money he contacted her?

So long as she didn't know when she testified, I don't see any legal trouble. If she had communicated with him prior to her testimony and after 4/16/05, we would be talking about perjury and fraud. I hope that RFG would not have put his daughter in that position, if he did walk away.

Could there have been indirect contact? Yes. 20/20 Vision is an example of something that could have been a message. She was 10 or 11 when RFG brought the book home, and she might have read it.

Could RFG have asked someone to look her up and tell her about the tall man with an American accent who mentioned some things that only her father would know? Sure, it is possible. There is zero evidence that it happened.

I honestly think that, if RFG walked away, he did not tell LAG or PEF.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

I'm asking for a different reason, not a Grocer connection. I wasn't aware of God be before that article. Was he sent to prison for the last time in 1988? TIA

I should not 1) use speech to text, 2) write posts when I'm half asleep, and 3) use the swipe feature on my keyboard to try to correct the speech to text while half asleep...because....auto correct and lack of proofing. So, let me repost using the words I intended. My apologies for the word salad!

I'm asking for a different reason, not a Gricar connection. I wasn't aware of Hodne before that article. Was he sent to prison for the last time in 1988? TIA

 

[SeekingJana]

No one saw him toss the laptop. Several people saw him in the area from which the drive was likely tossed carrying something. Someone saw him in Lewisburg in the Mini "fiddling" with the laptop.

As far as the public knows, no one was ever directly seen throwing the laptop or the separated HD in the river. However, the story goes that a mother with her young child found the HD on the sandy bottom of the shallows very close to the time the laptop body was recovered. Someone I am close to thinks this is extremely unlikely to be the way it actually happened with the HD. He thinks it was found and that led to the finding of the rest of the old computer. Not that it really matters this far out.

I personally think Lara's mother, Barbara Gray, is the one person Ray would trust enough to tell if he was making plans to leave, especially because Lara had money left to her. He might have waited until he was told by Barbara that the polygraphs were done and were negative. I believe she knows IF he did, in fact, disappear voluntarily. He had to trust one person, and I believe it was her for several reasons.

PSU and CSA cases have nothing at all to do with Ray's disappearance. This line of inquiry so many years later has a lot of unsavory overtones towards a man with OOOOO history of any wrongdoing. The only thing left of Ray Gricar is his good name and I think the besmirching without any reason whatsoever is not in the spirit of how we discuss VICTIMS on WS. Respectfully, IMO.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

I have often talked abut the "inner circle," people close to RFG who could be the "helper" that helped walk away, if that is what he did. At the top of my list is his first ex-wife BG.

If I were LE:

1. Where BG was on 4/15-16/05.

2. If she purchased or rented a car in March or April of 2005 and the location of any vehicle she owned.

3. Where she was on the Memorial Day weekend of 2005.

It may turn out that the answers to 1 and 3 are that she was in State College and that she had no other vehicle, but is where I would start looking.

 

[minazoe]

do they not have the answers to these questions ? would they ask? probable cause right? so they could question her. The fact that his friend seems to think Ray took a walk..makes me think he actually knows .

 

[DeeperSecrets]

As far as the public knows, no one was ever directly seen throwing the laptop or the separated HD in the river.
PSU and CSA cases have nothing at all to do with Ray's disappearance. This line of inquiry so many years later has a lot of unsavory overtones towards a man with OOOOO history of any wrongdoing. The only thing left of Ray Gricar is his good name and I think the besmirching without any reason whatsoever is not in the spirit of how we discuss VICTIMS on WS. Respectfully, IMO.

It would be unwise, imo, to dismiss a possible connection.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

do they not have the answers to these questions ? would they ask? probable cause right? so they could question her. The fact that his friend seems to think Ray took a walk..makes me think he actually knows .

I do not know. I know that she was not polygraphed and I don't think she was ever formally questioned.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

For bodies in the lower Susquehanna River, here is yet another example of a body being recovered from the river. Fingerprints confirm body pulled from Susquehanna River was man shot by Harrisburg police

 

[J. J. in Phila]

It would be unwise, imo, to dismiss a possible connection.

This is unfortunately the case with most foul play scenarios. They involve RFG meeting a lover, or getting a payoff.

Even "revenge killer" has logic problems:

1. How did a revenge killer know that RFG would be in Lewisburg?
2. Why would a revenge killer target RFG in a relatively populated area, where the killer could be seen?

 

[DeeperSecrets]

This is unfortunately the case with most foul play scenarios. They involve RFG meeting a lover, or getting a payoff.

Even "revenge killer" has logic problems:

1. How did a revenge killer know that RFG would be in Lewisburg?
2. Why would a revenge killer target RFG in a relatively populated area, where the killer could be seen?

I was referring to it being unwise to dismiss a possible Gricar disappearance/PSU CSA connection. And it wouldn't be foul play...it could still fit in with voluntary disappearance.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

I was referring to it being unwise to dismiss a possible Gricar disappearance/PSU CSA connection. And it wouldn't be foul play...it could still fit in with voluntary disappearance.

The only place where I could tie Sandusky to a voluntary disappearance is a reason I gave prior anything coming out about Sandusky. RFG may have not wanted to be "the ex-DA." He may not have wanted to be badgered about what he did in previous cases, for basically the last 25 years in PA.

That said, I know of nothing that RFG did in the Sandusky case that was illegal or unethical under the legal canons. He made, IMO, a very poor judgment call, but not one that was illegal or unethical.

 

[DeeperSecrets]

The only place where I could tie Sandusky to a voluntary disappearance is a reason I gave prior anything coming out about Sandusky. RFG may have not wanted to be "the ex-DA." He may not have wanted to be badgered about what he did in previous cases, for basically the last 25 years in PA.

That said, I know of nothing that RFG did in the Sandusky case that was illegal or unethical under the legal canons. He made, IMO, a very poor judgment call, but not one that was illegal or unethical.

It could go beyond just Sandusky.