Ricci sends Smarts 'sincerest apologies'

Ricci

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (CNN) -- The attorney representing Richard Ricci said Thursday his client sends "his sincerest apologies" to the family of missing 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart and prays for her safe return.

Police say Ricci, 48, a handyman who once worked in the Smart home, is a focus of their investigation, although they have not named him a suspect.

Ricci's attorney, David Smith, maintained his client was not involved in the kidnapping, but he told reporters Ricci did want him to convey a message to the family: He sends "his sincerest apologies and he -- like you -- prays for Elizabeth's safe return."

Asked what Ricci was apologizing for, Smith said "for any hurt that they may feel as a result of whatever he may have done. I'm not going to go into whatever he has done, but, yes, he feels badly."

Smith did not elaborate further. But as far as the kidnapping goes, he said, "[Ricci's] position is he had nothing to do with it. He doesn't have any idea where she is and he -- like everybody else -- would like her to be found."

The attorney made his comments hours after police charged Ricci, who is being held in the Utah State Prison on parole violation allegations, with two counts of theft and one count of burglary unrelated to the girl's abduction.

One of the theft counts relates to items he allegedly stole from the Smart home on or about June 6, 2001 -- nearly one year to the date before Elizabeth disappeared.

The items taken were worth an estimated $3,500 and included jewelry, a bottle of perfume and a wine glass filled with seashells, according to court documents.

Ricci faces life

Ricci, who has a 30-year criminal record, was charged under the habitual criminal statute, which means he could get life in prison if convicted.

Ricci also was charged with burglary and theft from another home in the same Federal Heights neighborhood.

Authorities said he stole $300 in cash and jewelry during a break-in on April 1, 2001. Court documents said the break-in occurred while family members were sleeping.

Ricci is to be brought before a court Friday or Monday to hear the charges.

Elizabeth was abducted at gunpoint from the family's 6,600-square-foot home in the early hours of June 5 while her parents and four brothers slept. Her younger sister, who was in the bedroom with Elizabeth, witnessed the abduction.

RESOURCES Read the charges against Richard Ricci:  • Smart residence (Utah v. Ricci)  • Adams residence (Utah v. Ricci)  FindLaw documents; PDF format    EXTRA INFORMATION Images of Elizabeth Smart  • Missing children facts     Suspect description White male 30 to 40 years old 5 feet 8 inches tall to 5 feet 10 Medium build Dark hair Dark hair on arms and backs of hands Source: Salt Lake City police Elizabeth Smart information Web site: ElizabethSmart.com Tip lines: 800-932-0190 or 801-799-3000

Ricci's attorney said his client was saddened and depressed that he is a focus of the girl's disappearance.

"He adamantly states that he didn't do this," Smith told CNN's "Larry King Live."

Smith, who deals mainly with civil cases, said it was "very likely" he would soon be handing over the case to a criminal defense attorney.

In his earlier news conference, Smith said he believed Thursday's charges were an effort by authorities to bring "as much pressure to bear" on Ricci as possible.

"They're trying to do whatever they can to bring some closure to [the case], even if it means trying to have him pinned down as much as possible," Smith said.

He said Ricci had "worked in every room of the Smart home doing repairs and other things." Smith said his client has spoken about Elizabeth with him.

At times when he was working at the home, Ricci could hear Elizabeth and her younger sister playing their harps.

"He thought that was just a beautiful, almost ethereal, thing to hear while he was working," Smith said.

Ricci twice turned down deal

A law enforcement source told CNN that one issue that continues to make police wonder about Ricci's connection to the abduction is his repeated denial that he took his white Jeep Cherokee out of an auto body shop shortly before Elizabeth's disappearance and returned it shortly after.

The owner of the shop, whom law enforcement officials believe is a credible witness, has said Ricci was the man who took the Jeep.

The source told CNN that Ricci twice was offered a deal: If he would tell officials what happened to the Jeep, and if it involved another crime, he would not be prosecuted.

In another development, authorities said enhancement of a videotape taken from a security camera in a hospital parking lot across from the Smart family home yielded no useful clues.

"The video quality, obviously, was not what we would like it to be," said FBI Special Agent James Burris. Still, he said, "we're still looking at it. It's not a dead end, but it's not the quality we would like to have seen."

The family still holds hope that the missing girl will be returned. Dave Smart, Elizabeth's uncle, once again appealed to the abductor.

"We'd ask that they send us some credible information about Elizabeth, so that we know that they do have her," he said. "We're willing to communicate with him to bring Elizabeth back in any way, shape or form that we possibly can."

Investigators are still working on a number of theories about why the kidnapping occurred, including that it was a botched burglary, a sex crime or a kidnapping for ransom.