BBM, FWIW, Yes LE wrongly fingered Richard Ricci for Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping. But IMO, he was rightly arrested for robberies uncovered during the investigation. He was a repeat offender who previously went to prison for attempted murder of a cop. He was facing a three strikes out situation.
Elizabeth Smart kidnapping - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ultimately, the Salt Lake City police signaled that their prime person of interest was Richard Ricci, being held in custody for unrelated reasons. Ricci, a handyman hired by the Smarts, was on parole for a 1983 attempted murder of police officer Mike Hill. He was charged with felony burglaries of homes in the area similar in circumstances to the break-in at the Smarts. Ricci later died in jail from a
Cerebral hemorrhage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia a few weeks after he refused to provide a confession to Utah corrections officers.
[23] With his death, it seemed that all leads were exhausted. Upon discovery of the actual kidnappers, Ricci's widow issued a statement expressing relief at Smart's safe return and her husband's innocence.