A sad but not surprising ending. Edited for brevity.
Officials in Sarasota, Fla., said they have found the body of Carlie Brucia and have charged a suspect in the case with murder. Sarasota County Sheriff Bill Balkwill refused to say where Carlie was found, saying it is an active crime seen. But CNN reported that the slain child’s body was found behind a church off of Interstate 75 in Sarasota. An unemployed mechanic with a criminal record has now been charged with kidnapping and murder. Joseph P. Smith, 37, continued to refuse to answer questions about the 11-year-old girl. He has been held without bail since Tuesday on an alleged probation violation stemming from a cocaine possession conviction. Smith has been convicted previously on felony drug charges. South Florida authorities said Thursday that "strong evidence" links Smith to Brucia’s kidnapping. Authorities believe Smith is the tattooed man in a mechanic’s shirt on the tape. He was taken into custody on a tip from a woman who lives with him.
State records show that Smith has been arrested at least 13 times in Florida since 1993. He was arrested in 1997 on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges -- but was acquitted a year later. Other arrests range from misdemeanor battery to felony drug possession charges. Investigators were searching for a pink backpack Carlie was carrying when she disappeared and urged TV stations to continue showing images of Smith’s car, a Buick Century station wagon. "We are certain that the ’92 Buick station wagon that we have is the vehicle used in the abduction," Balkwill said. Meanwhile, investigators in Sarasota say NASA’s attempt at enhancing images of Brucia’s abduction has not been that helpful. Sheriff’s officials said the quality of the enhanced images is not much better than the originals.
Florida have the death penalty? |