Yale Student Annie Le Murder Suspect Tried to Hide Blood, Says Paper
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CBS/AP) Police discovered DNA evidence in a ceiling and in the wall where a Yale graduate student's body was found, implicating lab technician Raymond Clark III in her death, according to a newspaper report Friday.
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A law enforcement official told The Hartford Courant that Raymond Clark III tried to hide blood-spattered equipment and cleaned up areas Annie Le was in before she vanished Sept. 8. Her body was found five days later on what was to be her wedding day.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity, and New Haven police wouldn't confirm the information to The Associated Press.
Police charged Clark, 24, with murder on Thursday, arresting him at a motel a day after taking hair, fingernail and saliva samples from him to compare with the evidence from the crime scene.
Bond was set at $3 million for Clark. He did not enter a plea.
A law enforcement official — who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the investigation continues 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 whether the theory will ultimately lead to a motive but don't believe they'll need to establish one when Clark goes to trial because of strong forensic evidence, the official said.
Authorities would not discuss a motive, largely because Clark has not been talking to police, the official said. They also would not disclose the DNA test results or how they connected Clark to the slaying.
Security guards continued their street patrols Friday 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.
Kristin Dugan, who works in the building where Le was found dead, said she did not fear for her safety there before Le's killing or afterward.
"Things happen; you can't stop evil," she said. "If evil's going to happen, it's going to happen anywhere."
Photos: Who is Raymond Clark III?
Photos: Raymond Clark & Fiancée in Love
Photos: Yale Holds Vigil for Slain Student
Photos: Student Found Dead on Wedding Day
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