Father defends accused murderer Clark
By Alison Griswold
Staff Reporter
The Yale Daily News
Published Thursday, June 17, 2010
The father of Raymond Clark III spoke out Wednesday in support of his son for the first time since he was charged with the murder of Annie Le GRD '13 in September.
Clark appeared in Connecticut Superior Court for a brief hearing, in which Judge Roland Fasano continued the case until July 26. In a statement given outside the court after the hearing, Clark's father, Raymond Clark Jr., called his son “a loving, caring, kind-hearted son, brother, fiance and friend, unlike the picture that has been painted of him."
Clark’s father was accompanied by his wife, Diane,...
#1 By ha 1:15p.m. on June 17, 2010
Too soon for a book! It can't be the "true story" if a verdict hasn't been reached yet. I really hate that the tragedy that shook my community and caused so much pain for Le's friends and family is being used for this kind of sensationalist BS.
#2 By Chris 5:53p.m. on June 17, 2010
This is beyound self centered and arrogant. I can understand unconditionally loving a child. I can understand wanting to believe the best about a family member, but to not even offer a sentence of sympathy for the true victim here, which of course is Annie is extremely selfish and shows again the true character of the Clark family. Do they really believe Ray didn't do the crime or simply that he was justified? Why do these cowards still have their Yake jobs? Sickening.
#3 By escalation 1:31a.m. on June 18, 2010
In post #2, how do we get from a father's quote to "they" and "the true character of the Clark family" to "these cowards"?
This escalation is frightening.
PK
#4 By y09 2:55a.m. on June 18, 2010
shame on you, Stella Sands and St. Martin's. trying to sensationalize then profit off the murder of a young girl is disgusting.
#5 By Sandy 7:13a.m. on June 18, 2010
Raymond Clark III is absolutely killer. He should be sent to jail forever.
#6 By BKW 10:42a.m. on June 18, 2010
The family still has their jobs because they did nothing wrong. The Clark family is just doing what any other family would in that situation. What happened to Annie was tragic, but that does not mean that we should immediately judge Clark without a fair trial or hold his family responsible.
#7 By b 3:40p.m. on June 18, 2010
Yeah, let's all skip our judicial system and just convict him already. Sheesh, everyone knows he did it, right? Who needs courts or a chance to defend themselves? Good point, Chris.
#8 By chris 3:18a.m. on June 19, 2010
This is not about Ray Clarks chance for a fair trial, its about the Clark family making public press releases, which I have every right to judge. The family did not bother to even mention Annie Le in their statements, and to me that is classless and shameful given the circumstances. The "they" in my previous statement of course refers to the Clark family, and the escalation is justified given the audacity of the Clark families behavior.
#9 By Merlin 7:01a.m. on June 19, 2010
DNA and forensics is the bread and butter of investigations , especially murder cases and the ensuing trial.
Unfortunately the New Haven PD relies on eyewitness and informants testimony alone to arrest , convict suspects, and most of the time it does not hold water , end up releasing wrongly imprisoned prisoners due to witness recanting a testimony.
The Police had/have access to informant funds,which sadly can be part of the problem as we had a Det. arrested for misappropriation of said monies.
#10 By Max 11:32p.m. on June 19, 2010
Strong, loving and supportive families give rise to strong, loving and supportive killers, it appears.
#11 By Ecalation 11:09a.m. on June 20, 2010
@ #8:
Rush to judgment is what our entire judicial system is designed to thwart.
[PK]
#12 By shameful 1:56p.m. on June 20, 2010
Stella Sands is despicable.
#13 By mark 2:07a.m. on June 22, 2010
whos Stella Sands?
#14 By Newsreview 8:34a.m. on June 22, 2010
If there is DNA evidence, then Raymond's father should let the evidence acquit his son if he believes he is “a loving, caring, kind-hearted son, brother, fiance and friend, unlike the picture that has been painted of him."
#15 By scientist 11:40p.m. on June 22, 2010
To Newsreview, check how DNA evidence really works, and you would not put so much faith in it. Unfortunately judges and jurors are seldom properly equipped to cope with this kind of evidence using anything more than stereotypes and emotions.
#16 By mook 3:24a.m. on June 24, 2010
to scientist,
So clearly from the tone of your statement you believe Ray Clark is innocent?
#17 By Annie's friend 11:28a.m. on June 28, 2010
What about Annie? :-(
She was a loving, caring, kind hearted sister, daughter, fiance and friend as well. Clearly a much better one than Mr. Clark. How dare this family shame the memory of Annie like this. And how dare they continue to work here and give us a constant reminder of our pain????
#18 By Guilt-by- association? 10:53a.m. on July 1, 2010
Presuming Mr. Clark to be guilty (which our system of justice does NOT do), the comments of #17 smack of guilt-by-association, a kind of McCarthyism.
And are we so self-centered that our inability not to be reminded of this horrible murder when we encounter the relatives and fiancee of the ACCUSED murderer in our daily work routine, requires that these people be purged from our presence?
Far better for us to work on our OWN emotions, than to go around the world exiling from our presence people who trigger those emotions.
PK
M. Div. '80
#19 By @18 3:46p.m. on July 1, 2010
yes, precisely. our JUSTICE SYSTEM does not do that. In accordance, there are 13 people in this entire world that cannot presume "Ray-Ray" to be guilty before conviction, The judge and the jury. We will, most likely, not be included in that figure, and so therefore I (author of comment #17, and not a member of the justice system)freely presume him to be guilty because I (1) have a brain and (2) have a heart. I have a right to do so as a free citizen and as a human.
So, yes, anyone with any decency whatsoever (clearly, the Clarks, Kents, and Jennifer Hromadka are not included in this pool)would want to leave this place in which they are associated with such pain, out of respect for the victim, and perhaps (I know this is a long shot) to reevaluate their own lives in which they have chosen to stand by and support a cold-blooded killer. I think those who are thinking first of the comfort of said cold-blooded killer and his family before Annie should be ashamed. But hey, I could be wrong...
#20 By don 4:35p.m. on July 2, 2010
well said 19!
#21 By randy troup 5:19p.m. on July 2, 2010
@ 17/19
But hey, yeah, you could be wrong...
#22 By Civilized 8:55p.m. on July 2, 2010
@ 17/19
You are entitled to every feeling and freedom you lay claim to. You are also free to elevate yourself above your emotions and reserve judgment/vitriol.
That is what being civilized means.
PK
M.Div '80
#23 By what 9:38p.m. on July 2, 2010
Hey 21,
Wrong about what exactly? That Annie was a kind and loving friend, sister, girlfriend. daughter, etc...? She certainly was those things.
#24 By Observer 11:13p.m. on July 3, 2010
I want this trial to to happen soon. All this waiting is bad, not only for the accused, but for the victim's family.
I personally am siding on the side of innocent until proven guilty. The evidence in the warrants didn't give me enough information to say that Clark did it or that it was the work of one person. It sounded like more of a crime of opportunity than in the heat of passion (i.e. an argument that just erupted).
Clark's father and family is allowed to put out some positive information on their son. The media has focused mostly on the police and DA's case against Clark, emphasizing evidence that may not even point to his guilt, but to the casual reader, it may look like he really committed murder.
When the trial happens, I hope that many of the unanswered questions are addressed.
#25 By Observer 11:27p.m. on July 3, 2010
@#23
I think it was a reference to Clark, not to how Annie was characterized.
If Clark is guilty, then I will be the first to say that I hope that he gets serious jail time.
But like I've said, I'm not convinced on the evidence as presented in the warrants. On the one hand, they were able to identify Clark's DNA on some material fairly quickly, and yet on other evidence, they could not find his DNA. In fact, the lab coat they found they said contained DNA of an unknown male. And they seem to be relying too heavily on the card scans into the rooms, and as many will know, does not prove the person using the card is the same person assigned the card. And lastly, they did not secure the basement area, so items they found related to the crime may have been placed in their locations some time after the crime.
#26 By Spare me the adolescent lectures on civilization. 1:03a.m. on July 4, 2010
Civilized also means not beating and murdering a young woman who never had a harsh word for anyone. It also means mourning the loss of an incredible human being and feeling anger at the injustice at the selfish and arrogant acts of a family that could not spare one word word of sympathy for the loved ones that were actually victimized in all this.
#27 By observr 1:36p.m. on July 4, 2010
I can understand your point of view better knowing you believe there is a chance that Clark is innocent. I agree the waiting is bad for everyone involved.
I suppose there is a small chance he did not do it, even if its very remote, but realistically, seeing all the information that has been released and judging him by his actions after the crime, he is very guilty. It is not only DNA evidence that implicates Clark, although the DNA evidence is damning. There are the defensive wounds, the card swipe behavior, the stashed clothes (his) and his lost pen under her body, his missing shoelace on his boot (possible what he used to strangle her), and his body language leaving the building before anyone knew Annie Le had been killed. All the blood in his Mothers car and in their apartment. His families behavior after Sept 8, staying home from work, etc...
Even looking at his fathers statement, if Clark were innocent it would read differently. It would not go out of its way to avoid mentioning Annie Le. It would have read something like,
" We are all terrible saddened by this horrific crime and we hope justice will be served in this case. Please know our son did not commit this crime and we have always known him to be a loving, caring and thoughtful son, brother, fiance, and friend. Thank you for respecting our privacy during these difficult times"
Something like that.
In fact, the Clark family would have been screaming Clark's innocence sense day one. They have not. Why is that? probably because they know he did it and they simply believe it was justified in some way, and have accepted it and feel no remorse over the crime. Which is sickening. Hence the vitriol over a self centered family.
#28 By Caution 8:05p.m. on July 4, 2010
The trouble with making an arrest and charging a crime is that if the person turns out to be innocent, a lot of valuable time is wasted which could have been used to follow other leads.
This scenario has played itself out time and again in our history of jurisprudence, not merely with the post DNA testing era.
Do we do the best we can with the legal tools we've got or do we leap too soon?
PK
#29 By author of 17, 19 10:29a.m. on July 6, 2010
"In fact, the Clark family would have been screaming Clark's innocence sense day one. They have not. Why is that? probably because they know he did it and they simply believe it was justified in some way, and have accepted it and feel no remorse over the crime. Which is sickening. Hence the vitriol over a self centered family." -author #27
perfect explanation. thank you.
"You are entitled to every feeling and freedom you lay claim to. You are also free to elevate yourself above your emotions and reserve judgment/vitriol.
That is what being civilized means." -author of #22
no, part of being civilized means that we are more than animals, and more than robots. We have hearts, souls, and minds that I do not intend to waste. Emotions are part of what make us human, and I am not only thankful for them, but I think it shameful if someone thinks it to be wrong to embrace them. Sure, there is such a thing as excess emotion, like anger, that may result in... oh, murder. clearly, i believe this is uncivilized, as do you. However, compassion and sympathy can NEVER be called uncivilized, no matter what society you are in, PK. Please do not tell me I am uncivilized because i possess such emotions.
oh, and one more note, about the lab coat with "unidentified male DNA": this document that mentioned this evidence was one of the search warrants, part of the reason why they wanted clark's DNA, to match his DNA to the "unidentified". I'm guessing it matched, since they did not seek other DNA.
#30 By Observer 9:27p.m. on July 6, 2010
Sure, we can talk about civilized behavior, which truly does go out the window when strong emotions are involved, such as the untimely death of a loved one. Unfortunately, the desire to find blame and exact revenge results in justice not being served. There have been many wrongly convicted because of this narrow minded belief in justice.
Raymond Clark's situation is different than say someone being seen murdering another person, or someone being video recorded committing a murder.
Nobody saw the murder. Nobody saw the body being moved. Nobody saw any of the blood, even though we are to believe there was quite a bit. Nobody saw a person walking around in bloodied clothing. And most importantly, people were able to come and go from that lab area the days leading up to the body's discovery, compromising a lot of the integrity of the evidence.
We may find out some interesting things during the trial. I just hope that the lynch mob will accept Ray Clark's innocence, if he is not found guilty.
#31 By PK 8:05p.m. on July 7, 2010
#29
Nobody's calling you "uncivilized". And I would be the LAST person to advocate stuffing emotions. I'm the king of Blowing Your Top. HOWEVER, I agree with #30-----there is a line past which venting one's emotions approaches a
"lynch" mentality.
Imperfect as it is, let American justice do its work.
PK
PS Where are all the Law student opinions on this matter?
#32 By Newsreview 8:38p.m. on July 7, 2010
He should be sent to jail forever.
#33 By Voice of Reason 1:54a.m. on July 8, 2010
First of all, please stop using blanket statements to describe Annie such as, "she never had a mean thing to say about anyone" as that just tarnishes her memory. She was human. She made mistakes. Yes, she was a good person, but saying that she was 'perfect'? No. And you discredit yourself with that statement.
She was an exceptional human and it is the worlds loss that she is not with us anymore.
Also, no one posting or reading here has seen all of the evidence. All we have seen is what the detectives have wanted us to see, or what was released. That was just enough evidence to arrest Clark and keep him locked up.
Wait for the trial to make your judgements towards a person. And just because you cannot express your anger towards him, try not to let it out against his family. When a press agent asks them what they think about their son, what else are they suppose to say?
#34 By CHAOS 9:31a.m. on July 8, 2010
# 27 suggests the family should have said something like this:"We are all terrible saddened by this horrific crime and we hope justice will be served in this case. Please know our son did not commit this crime and we have always known him to be a loving, caring and thoughtful son, brother, fiance, and friend. Thank you for respecting our privacy during these difficult times."
This suggestion seems like the coldhearted sound-bite mentality of a lawyer or even a media-savvy minister.
The family was in CHAOS and SHOCK: One day they had a son, the next day they had an accused murderer and target of police surveillance.
How does one expect them to react with such poise, formulaic-media-manipulative-sound bite-prose when they are FRANTIC?
Has CHAOS never come into your life?
For heaven's sake.
PK
#35 By Bob 1:52p.m. on July 8, 2010
Also, no one posting or reading here has seen all of the evidence. All we have seen is what the detectives have wanted us to see, or what was released. That was just enough evidence to arrest Clark and keep him locked up.
Wait for the trial to make your judgements towards a person. And just because you cannot express your anger towards him, try not to let it out against his family. When a press agent asks them what they think about their son, what else are they suppose to say?
----
The press did no ask the Clarks what they thought about their son. The Clarks made a calculated move to all show up in court and issue a statement to the press. Very different. That was a decision they or their lawyers made to get to an end. And in doing so they chose not to even take the time to mention Annie Le. A Classless and self centered move that had no justification.
There was not "Just enough evidence to arrest and lock Clark up" there was incredible amounts of evidence from DNA to very suspicious behavior, to damning tracked movements, to a failed lie detector test, and wounds on his body. Plus the pen and the missing shoelace on his boot and his multiple changes of clothes.
The bottom line is he was the last person to contact her to arrange a meeting the last to see her alive, as well as the last person in the room where she was ultimately found.
Is that the bare minimum?
And whether Annie Le was perfect or not has nothing to do with the crime. There is no possible scenario that could justify Clarks alleged actions. There is literally nothing Annie could have done to cause this outcome, even if she was a terrible person. This is all Ray Clark. This is not an, "it took two to tango" situation. And Annie was not terrible, she was extremely remarkable in almost every way, "perfect" or not.
#36 By chris 8:01p.m. on July 8, 2010
The Clark family was not asked by reporters what they thought of their son, they read a pre-written statement after a very choreographed showing of the whole family showed up in court. That is very different then what you described and as such it is less forgivable that they could not spare a mention of Annie Le, the real victim here.
#37 By #27 3:07a.m. on July 10, 2010
How does one expect them to react with such poise, formulaic-media-manipulative-sound bite-prose when they are FRANTIC?
Has CHAOS never come into your life?
For heaven's sake.
-----
Frantic? They issued a choreographed and written statement ten months after the murder. How were they frantic? where is the Chaos? It was a scheduled court date and a preplanned media statement by the Clarks and approved by their lawyer. There was nothing chaotic or frantic about this situation.
#38 By Helen Li 5:17a.m. on July 10, 2010
Well done, #35 Bob. A well-written, fair, and calm appraisal. There are those who keep shouting that there is "not enough evidence." We will let the jury to decide on that. The Police, as they say, are NOT looking at any other suspect. We have to let justice take its course. Rest in peace, Annie. You are a caring, loving, brilliant, and beautiful human being always in our hearts; and you are every bit as nice and good as the media and the public think of you. As we Chinese say, "justice and right is in the heart of the public."
#39 By Day One 8:45a.m. on July 10, 2010
About "day one" # 27 says:"In fact, the Clark family would have been screaming Clark's innocence sense day one. They have not. Why is that? probably because they know he did it and they simply believe it was justified in some way, and have accepted it and feel no remorse over the crime. Which is sickening. Hence the vitriol over a self centered family."
I have a different interpretation. Perhaps they FEAR in their heart of hearts that he is guilty. Perhaps what you call "self centered" is the highest expression of family loyalty they can summon to the occassion.
Perhaps they have too much integrity to use a sound-byte about their being "terribly saddened" by Ms. Li's death, to manipulate the media and the public.
CHAOS in the heart does not go away simply because your lawyer writes a statement for you to read.
The passion and vitriol in these posts toward the family, not the accused, is precisely the reason our system of justice slows things down and clogs them up with procedure and protocol.
Am still waiting for a Law School poster.
PK
#40 By Voice of Reason 12:45p.m. on July 10, 2010
I also agree with #38 that #35's post was 'well-written, fair and calm appraisal'. No reason to not have a civilized discussion about this.
My point about the evidence is that it is tainted because it is coming from one angle. That is why I always wait till the trial to decide. I like to see things from both sides and then come to a conclusion.
Yes, there is damning evidence against Clark. He would not have been arrested if there hadn't been. And yes, I agree, that there is an extremely high likelihood that he committed this crime based on the evidence we have seen. I, however, will not make a final assessment until I have seen everything.
In regards to the family, I am basing my observations on what other possibilities they had at the time. They did not commit the crime, or at least the evidence at hand does not suggest they did. They also have not spoken to any press since their son was arrested. Regardless of anything else, their son is on trial for murder. He has not confessed and has plead not guilty. To keep quiet, as they have in the past, would suggest that they already know of his guilt. A lot of people have mentioned that in the past actually.
I am not trying to defend Clark or his family. Their actions speak for themselves and most people will base their opinions of the them off of their own criteria. I am just trying to be my name and trying to look at this from all angles and all sides. Until a verdict has been decided or a confession been issued, that is how I will always try to look at things.
Also, #35, I was not trying to justify Clark's actions by saying that Annie was not perfect. I was pointing that out to several posters who gave blanket statements suggesting that she was. You are right. There is not reason that any of this should have happened to such a brilliant, hard working young lady with a bright future ahead of her.
# 41 By C. Green 6:39p.m. on July 10, 2010
Probably did it. If they show the evidence and is tried by a jury i hope he gets life w/o possibility of ever seeing freedom again . But a scene like this left unsecured for days !? Was this a set up ? Like a lab set up or even a crime scene set up ? Having anybody and their Mother walking in and out of this joint , And then calling in the outside police agencies. Warm the place up for them huh ? All set up nicey nice, one suspect.
Even with that blazing hot trail of the Jovin case they bungled it , this is an ice cold case in comparison.
Press : " Do we have any evidence officer"?
police : "We have bags of stuff from Clark's abode and car"
Press : " Could it be bloody clothes"?
Police : " Of course "
Was there any suspicious person inside of this building after the first missing persons report when out ?
It's a sad feeling of Deja Vu , capture and release again,
#42 By Observer 2:08p.m. on July 17, 2010
There was a lot of problems with the evidence they mentioned in the warrants. Some of the blood samples they claimed they found in his car and his kitchen were not explained. They could have said if they were human at least, but they never went to that detail. The warrant is meant to get someone arrested, I agree, but shouldn't it really be based on real evidence that points to someone rather than vaguely insinuates someone is guilty? The $3million bail was extremely excessive, especially for someone who was never in trouble with the law before. Considering that he was never seen or video recorded committing the crime, does it make sense to set bail so high that his family couldn't pay it?
Why the family never said anything from the beginning has to do with their legal advise. They've probably been instructed not to say anything. Besides, no matter how much they claimed their son was innocent, people with their minds made up of Clark's guilt would just dismiss the family's comments. Just like they are doing now. So how does saying anything to the media help their cause?
#43 By Nick 5:07a.m. on July 18, 2010
The 3 million bail was based on the severity of the crime, not on Clark's history. This was not a DUI, it was a cruel barbaric cold blooded murder and its attempted cover up.
#44 By to obersever 3:14p.m. on July 18, 2010
Your "observations" are ill-advised at best. What problems? What were not explained? What were vague?
Instead, I think your comments are extremely vague and intending only to acquit of a murderer.
We have seen your biased "observations" in every YDN article on the case. I don't know what your intention is.
#45 By Observer 7:20p.m. on July 30, 2010
@Nick
The crime is alleged to have been committed by Raymond Clark. Since he had no motive, and no one witnessed the crime and they haven't placed his DNA on the victim as far as we know, then $3 million bond sounds more like they've already convicted him. What does he get if he's found innocent? I don't think an apology will be enough.
#46 By joed 10:49a.m. on August 3, 2010
You people are messed up. I hope you get arrested and they skip due process so you can be quickly prosecuted. What the hell is wrong with you? I, for one, surely do not want to convict ANYONE without first PROVING that they, in fact, BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT, did actually commit the crime for which they are accused. YOU should be so lucky to be afforded the same protections. If you don't like it, go live somewhere where they cut off hands or heads without a trial!
#47 By anon 1:03a.m. on August 8, 2010
so joe, I take it Clark is innocent in your mind?
#48 By Observer 11:16a.m. on August 8, 2010
Joe isn't saying that and neither am I. On the other hand, the people who condemn Clark for his actions are determined to believe he is guilty.
I'm taking a wait an see approach. As I've mentioned before, the evidence given in the warrants doesn't give me enough reason to suspect Clark. I don't see how he could have killed someone, left a trail of bloody clothes and a bloody crime scene, then hid a body in a place he may not even have been familiar with, and NOBODY saw anything.
And he still showed up for work and was fully co-operative with police, as if he had no idea what had happened, or that Annie Le was missing. Unless he has some kind of split personality, I can't see him acting so cool with police around and a body just around the corner.
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