.

By now, everyone knows of the sad end to the search for Annie Le.  Her body was discovered earlier this week in the walls of a Yale campus research building.  Many hoped her disappearance would lead to her safe return to her family and fiancé.  The 24 year old went missing a week ago,  and less than seven days before her wedding was to take place.

An arrest was made on Wednesday.  Raymond Clark, III, a custodian on Yale’s payroll, has been charged with murder.  Unlike other well-publicized American homicide cases, the authorities involved with this case have remained tight-lipped.  In a peculiar statement that was released by police that reads, in part, “…charges will be filed against anyone whose DNA matches evidence found at the crime scene”, it almost appears as though there might be other persons of interest.  Still, these same authorities insist they’re nearly certain Clark is the only suspect.

The irony is that Clark is described as a control freak who complained to the victim that he didn’t like the way she handled the lab mice.  His duties included cleaning cages and other custodial work.  In an email that hasn’t been released, it’s said Le apologized and assured Clark she would take his complaints into consideration.  If he’s found guilty, his control issues will only serve as a hindrance as he attempts to adjust to life in prison.  He didn’t enter a plea during his arraignment in Connecticut on Thursday and only replied when the judge asked him if he understood his Miranda rights.  He remains in jail on a $3 million dollar bond and will most likely remain there since he doesn’t have the financial resources to meet the obligations of posting bail.

The police chief in this case stated this case had little to do with university crime, domestic crime or urban crime, but rather it’s a clear cut example of workplace violence.  He then goes on to say it’s a growing concern in this country.

Just as Le had a fiancé who now must pick up the pieces, Clark too has left behind a stunned fiancé who surely must be trying to figure out how someone she loves could be accused of such a heinous crime.

Drew Peterson

I can’t be the only one who’s at a loss for words over Drew Peterson’s recent announcement that’s he’s engaged again.  And like his current wife, his intended is only 23 years old.  You can’t help but wonder about this woman’s psychological make-up that would allow her warning signs to snooze through the reality she’s very likely engaged to not only a married man, but a double murderer as well.  It’s bad enough this man is still walking around as though he’s the victim, has hired a publicist to handle his new “fame” and puts on a show for the cameras when he needs to demonstrate his excellent fathering skills.  Now, he’s proposed to a woman who can’t claim she wasn’t aware of the months of constant media attention when his fourth wife went missing; she lives only fifteen minutes away from Stacy Peterson’s home.  For whatever reasons, no one is telling her name.  It’s yet to be seen if it’s at her request or if it’s just Drew Peterson’s attempt at more media attention.  He has a way of releasing just enough details of sightings of his missing wife, letters that he’s received that she supposedly has written and declarations of knowing she’s with another man, yet not telling why he believes it or where she might be hiding, all to keep his image splashed across the internet and major news networks.  I’m confident this is just another carefully guarded detail that he’ll release when it’s most advantageous to him.  Then again, the new fiancé may not have built enough courage or whatever else it might take to tell her family who the new member will soon be.  Who knows?  Still, there are two families who continue to grieve for their own missing and/or murdered members. 

Most women would consider accusations of being a murderer a deal breaker for anyone they’re considering marrying.  For that matter, most of us would steer clear of even considering spending one minute of our time with a narcissistic fruitcake most are convinced this man is.  Besides, isn’t it a social faux pas to become engaged to a married person?  It’s like being a “little bit” pregnant - you either are or you’re not; and the same with marriage - you’re a married man or you’re not.  We have to remember though, he’s married legally.  He may already know he’s a widower and free to remarry.  But if he were to reveal that tidbit of information, it might result in another accurate title of being a convicted murderer.

His announcement is a kick in the teeth to two families, his own children and the same legal system he once worked to protect in his role as a police officer.  If there’s any justice in this world, the special grand jury that’s been convened will find enough to justify an indictment before he has the chance to walk down the aisle for the fifth time.  One thing’s for sure; it’s unlikely he’ll use desertion as his own justification for divorcing Stacy since in Illinois, he would be required to prove he had nothing to do with the desertion.