Person of Interest Freed in Yale Killing
Police released a Yale University animal research technician on Wednesday after collecting DNA samples and questioning him in the killing of a graduate student who worked in the same lab.
Raymond Clark III was taken into custody Tuesday night at his apartment in Middletown, Conn., and was released into the custody of his attorney about 3 a.m. Wednesday, New Haven police said.
Police left the apartment Wednesday morning after searching the scene for hours overnight looking for evidence in the killing of Annie Le.
Clark has been described as a person of interest, not a suspect, in Le's death. Her body was found stuffed behind a wall in the laboratory Sunday, which was to have been her wedding day.
Overnight, state police officers sorted through items on a card table set up outside the apartment's door.
A tow truck took away a red Ford Mustang neighbors say was used by Clark.
"This is a case where there's a lot of evidence and they've now got to distill it into something pure," forensic psychiatrist Dr. Michael Welner told CBS's "The Early Show" Wednesday.
A resident of the complex, Rick Tarallo said he, his wife and 6-month-old daughter live in a unit next to Clark and his fiancee, Jennifer Hromodka.
He said the couple was "really quiet" and lived with an older man, whom he speculated was one of their fathers.
"He seemed like a good guy," Tarallo said of Clark. "They didn't strike me as someone who would try to kill somebody."
Tarallo said he was anxious about a murder suspect living next door.
Police started tearing down the yellow crime scene as daylight broke about 6:45 a.m. At that point there had been no sign of Clark's return to his apartment, and neighbors said they hadn't seen Hromodka in the area for days.
Dawn Brooks, a 36-year-old high school Spanish teacher, said she heard loud noises, including knocking sounds, when police served the search warrant on Clark's apartment Tuesday night. She said doesn't know Clark, but said he and his girlfriend were "pretty quiet people."
She said it was "scary" that he would be released after the DNA testing.
Investigators are hoping to figure out within days whether Clark can be ruled out as the killer.
More from the Crimesider blog on the investigation into Annie Le's murder
Will Suspect be Charged Today in Yale Student Annie Le Murder Case? Not Likely, Say Police
Photos: Yale Holds Vigil for Slain Student
Police Close in on Killer
Yale Says Goodbye to Annie Le at Candlelight Vigil
Annie Le Suspect Failed Polygraph, Says Police Source
Photos: Student Found Dead on Wedding Day
Clark's fiancee last year dismissed allegations in blog entries that he was having an affair, the New York Post reported Wednesday.
"He is a bit naive, doesn't always use the best judgement, definitely is not the best judge of character but, he is a good guy," Jennifer Hromadka, 23, wrote of Clark, who police took into custody Tuesday.
More on the Annie Le investigation at CBSNews.com
"The Early Show:" Yale 'Unnerved' By Murder
Yale Student's Slaying an Inside Job?
Cops: Yale Student Killing Not Random Act
Tragic Find In Search for Yale Student
"The Early Show:" Yale Student's Body Found