Raymond Clark III, Yale Lab Tech, Arrested In Annie Le’s Death
Posted by: Jessica Wakeman
Filed in:
news
9:20AM, Thursday September 17th 2009
More sad news today: Connecticut police have arrested a Yale lab technician, 24-year-old Raymond Clark III, for grad student Annie Le‘s death. Clark, who mostly did janitorial work in the same building as Le, was arrested this morning at a motel. Police said Clark failed a lie detector test and had scratch marks on his body.
Le, who had planned to marry her fiancé, Jonathan Widawsky, this weekend, went missing last Tuesday. Friends and family ruled out that Le might be a “runaway bride” and focused on the Yale School of Medicine building Le was last seen entering (on video). According to the New York Daily News, campus swipe cards showed Le and Clark had been in the same room together the day she went missing and Clark had also swiped his card to access the area where Le’s body was found, on what was supposed to be her wedding day, inside a wall. Le’s cause of death is asphyxiation, but, fortunately, New Haven Police Chief James Lewis said Le was not sexually assaulted prior to her death.
We’ve been watching this terrible story unfold for the past week and, once again, our hearts go out to Widawsky and Le’s family. [NY Daily News]
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retro chic
wrote on September 17 2009 @ 02:45 pm: [report]
Wow I didn’t know they call janitors “techs” these days. Ugh, this is scarier – he had access and knowledge of everywhere and hired with low-level background checks.
Nice how they’re positioning this: Workplace Violence – not University Campus Violence, even tho Annie, the victim, was a student on Univ campus grounds, performing student activities. It probably changes the Univ’s culpability and must disassociate from any student legal/financial backlash.
Just a note: her Cause of Death is TRAUMATIC Asphyxiation, ie, she was STRANGLED; this is an important distinction. The other way implies she was just suffocated with a pillow or bag (that’s bad enough). She died in a violent struggle while he choked the life out of her up close and personal. This is one of the most violent ways to kill someone ‘cause of the direct intimate hand to victim contact, the strength and the length of time to do it. This will go very bad for him.
I think he had a fixation on her that she never disclosed or didn’t take seriously, believing she can handle herself – being described by her friends as scrappy and tough. Too sad.
_jsw_
wrote on September 17 2009 @ 02:53 pm: [report]
Wow, it’s too bad the poor guy is somber, shocked, and nervous as he’s in jail for the first time. I really feel sorry for him, and he must feel really lonely in solitary.
I’d love to see him locked in a room with some 6’6” 350 lb guy and strangled in exactly the way he strangled her. I’m not usually an “eye for an eye” guy, but in this case, I am.
retro chic
wrote on September 17 2009 @ 04:07 pm: [report]
@jsw: Yep. But *first,* I’d like to see him stuffed inside a wall doing his stint in Solitary for a seriously long time-out awaiting trial.
GreenAura
wrote on September 17 2009 @ 04:16 pm: [report]
Such a sad case. I’m a small girl, comparitive to Annie’s size, and I always put up this front that I am scappy and tough (like how her friends described her). But truly, when faced with someone much bigger than you, it would be so hard to escape. Don’t get me wrong, the motherf**ker would HAVE to kill me, because I would fight so hard. Its just scary being so much smaller than the majority of the population. Its almost like you dont even have a chance sometimes. I have trained myself very well to be completely aware of my surroundings at all times, and I always carry some kind of defense (pepper spray, knife, etc.) But I think I may go after my concealed weapons permit now. This world is going to sh*t quick.
powplz
wrote on September 17 2009 @ 04:21 pm: [report]
@GreenAura - Arizona is the land of open carry, permit only required if you want to cover it up
GreenAura
wrote on September 17 2009 @ 04:31 pm: [report]
@ joyy - yeah, I want it concealed. Strangely enough, it feels safer to me that way.
retro chic
wrote on September 18 2009 @ 08:58 am: [report]
Finally… Thank god there’s been some outrage over the term “Workplace Violence for this crime!” (ie, bomb threats, shooting sprees which are rare). “Today” interviewees claim it diminishes (and I agree!) and skews the personal, heinous nature of Clarke’s crime on Le. It is this kind of spin and posturing that always sends the wrong message, esp to would-be perps and the authorities/investigators, skewing the justice process. I fault the Univ’s self-serving influence on the police for this. This was a one-on-one stalker crime and they know it. [insert collective Duh! here]
It was also confirmed he had been sending her “personal” emails, the final of which she took him to task about the disposal of lab rats, with his heated response that directed her to the lab area where she was murdered. Freakin’ stalker perv.