Police focus on Yale murder suspect's
attitude
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Staffers in white coats reported to work
Friday at the end of an extraordinary week at Yale as police
considered whether a graduate student's grisly death might have
stemmed from a dispute with an animal research technician described
as an overbearing "control freak."
A law enforcement official said police are looking into the
possibility that Raymond Clark III's attitude led to a deadly
workplace confrontation with 24-year-old Annie Le. She vanished
Sept. 8, and her body was found in a utility compartment in a Yale
medical school building five days later, on what was to be her
wedding day.
Police charged Clark, 24, with murder on Thursday, arresting him
at a motel a day after taking hair, fingernail and saliva samples
to compare with evidence from the grisly crime scene.
Bond was set at $3 million for Clark, who kept his head down and
said "Yes, your honor," when asked whether he understood his
rights. He did not enter a plea.
The official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of
anonymity because the investigation is ongoing and many details
remain sealed, said Yale workers told police that Clark was a
"control freak" who clashed with scientists and their proteges in
the lab where they both worked at the Ivy League school.
Investigators haven't decided if the theory will ultimately lead
to a motive, but don't believe that they'll need to establish one
when Clark goes to trial because they have an abundance of strong
forensic evidence, the official said.
Authorities are offering few details about the crime. They would
not discuss a motive, largely because Clark will not talk to
police, and would not disclose the DNA test results or how they
connected Clark to the slaying.
Security guards continued their street patrols Friday morning
and news crews set up for another day of staking out the college's
medical complex. A makeshift memorial of candles and flowers was
arranged at the entrance to a park across the street from the lab
building, in an area of squat, utilitarian buildings about a mile
from the majestic main campus.
Yale students are relieved that a suspect is in custody, yet
shaken that the crime happened there.
"I think it's important to the community to know that
something's been done and that somebody's actually being brought to
justice," Juliana Biondo said Thursday.
But that doesn't bring full comfort to Doug Lindsay.
"Despite the fact that they found somebody ... it was still, to
me, kind of scary," he said.
Le's work at the university 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.
At a news conference Thursday, New Haven Police Chief James
Lewis called Le's death a case of workplace violence. He would not
elaborate except to say reports that the two had a romantic
relationship were untrue.
"It is important to note that this is not about urban crime,
university crime, domestic crime but an issue of workplace
violence, which is becoming a growing concern around the country,"
Lewis said, adding that he would not rule out additional
charges.
The Rev. Dennis Smith, a Le family spokesman, said he was not
authorized to comment on the arrest. Smith said he did not know
whether Le had ever complained about Clark.
Clark appeared in court with two public defenders who were new
to the case. A private-practice attorney who had represented him
during the investigation did not attend the hearing and said
Thursday he no longer represents Clark. The attorney declined to
give a reason.
Public defender Joseph Lopez said he was still reviewing the
case and declined to comment.
Two friends of Clark's since childhood, appearing on CNN's Larry
King Live on Thursday night, said they were stunned by the murder
allegations and could not reconcile them with the young man they've
known for years.
"That's not the Raymond Clark I've talked to my whole entire
life," Bobby Heslin said.
"I just can't picture him doing something like this," Maurice
Perry said.
The New York Times reported that Clark at times grew angry if
lab workers did not wear shoe covers. "He would make a big deal of
it, instead of just requesting that they wear them," said a
researcher who asked not to be identified.
ABC News reported that Clark sent a text message to Le on the
day she vanished requesting a meeting to discuss the cleanliness of
mouse cages in the research lab.
Reached at their homes after work Thursday, several of Le's
co-workers at the lab declined to comment on her or Clark.
The Connecticut medical examiner said Wednesday that Le died of
"traumatic asphyxiation," which could indicate a choke hold or some
other form of suffocation caused by a hand or an object such as a
pipe.
Investigators focused on Clark early in the investigation and
searched his apartment Tuesday, when they labeled him a person of
interest. He remained under constant surveillance after he was
released early Wednesday and found a room at the Super 8 motel in
Cromwell, Conn.
Clark was arrested about 8 a.m. Thursday. Details of the warrant
remained sealed.
The New Haven Register printed a rare extra edition announcing
Clark's arrest, wrapping it around Thursday's daily newspaper and
selling it on the streets, editor Jack Kramer said.
Brian Garnett, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of
Correction, confirmed that Clark was being held Thursday night at
the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, a high-security
facility in Suffield, about 20 miles north of Hartford.
Garnett said it was unclear whether Clark would remain there
until his next scheduled court date Oct. 6.
Yale President Richard Levin released a statement shortly after
the arrest, saying Clark's employment history raised no
suspicions.
"This incident could have happened in any city, in any
university, or in any workplace. It says more about the dark side
of the human soul than it does about the extent of security
measures," Levin said in a message sent to the Yale community.
--AP