|
I can think of no prison term long enough, nor any
form of punishment brutal enough for a man who would commit such a terrible act
against a child. The death penalty is certainly justified and will be obtained,
but even that falls short of the proper punishment. Carlie Brucia Found Dead Friday, February 06, 2004 SARASOTA,
Fla. — The body of missing 11-year-old Florida girl Carlie Brucia (search) has been found, the local sheriff announced
Friday morning, choking back tears. "The
body of a beautiful 11-year-old girl has been found," Sarasota County Sheriff Bill Balkwill (search) said,
thanking the community for helping to find the body. The
sheriff said suspect Joseph P. Smith
(search), 37, had been charged with the girl's abduction and
murder. Balkwill
refused to say where Carlie was found, saying it is an active crime scene. The
Associated Press reported that a law enforcement source said her body was found
around 1 a.m. EST in a church parking lot near the car wash where she was
abducted. "Our
prayers on behalf of everybody here in Sarasota County go out to the
family," Balkwill said. He said
Smith, a mechanic, has been charged with her murder. He is believed to be the
tattooed man in a mechanic's shirt who was seen in a car wash surveillance
video leading Carlie away by the arm Sunday evening, authorities said. "We
now stand ready to complete our obligation, and assure you that he will pay the
ultimate price for what he did to her," Capt. Jeff Bell said. FBI Agent
Carl Whitehead extended his condolences to Carlie's family at a morning press
conference. "We
had hoped we could have brought her safely back home but unfortunately, the
circumstances did not allow that to be," Whitehead said. "We will
continue this effort to process the evidence to ensure that Mr. Smith is
successfully prosecuted for this horrendous crime." Family
and friends had kept vigil outside Carlie's ranch-style house which was
decorated with banners and posters reading, "We love you, Carlie." Carlie
was described by friends as a beautiful girl who loved singer-actress Jennifer
Lopez, going to the mall and hanging out. The youngster was known for greeting
friends with warm hugs. She was heading home from a slumber party when she was
abducted. She had a cat named Charlie. "I
just want to thank everybody for all they've done," Carlie's father said
during the press conference. Smith had
been held without bail since Tuesday on an alleged probation violation stemming
from a cocaine possession conviction. A home
where Smith recently lived was cordoned off with yellow police tape late
Wednesday night and several paper bags, presumably holding evidence, were
carried out by investigators. His station wagon was also seized. Smith has
been arrested at least 13 times in Florida since 1993, according to state
records. He was arrested in 1997 in Manatee County on kidnapping and false
imprisonment charges, but was acquitted a year later. He served
17 months in state prison for heroin possession and prescription drug fraud and
was released on New Year's Day 2003. He was arrested eight days later on a
cocaine possession charge and was placed on probation for three years. He also
was placed on probation for aggravated battery in 1993 and heroin charges in
1999. A state
Department of Corrections official said Thursday that a probation officer had
asked a judge on Dec. 30 to declare Smith in violation of his probation because
he had not paid all his fines and court costs. Probation
official Joe Papy said Circuit Judge Harry Rapkin declined to find Smith in
violation, which could have returned him to jail. An aide
to Smith's public defender, Adam Tebrugge, declined comment Thursday. |
<<image001.gif>>
______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List
"Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
