This murder was committed in 2009 and we've barely heard a peep about it since. This lapse in media coverage is largely due to the gag order on the case, probably placed because of the Yale connection and the details of the case garnering such an unusual amount of press and public interest. But while that explains the gag order, why the inordinate length of time between this brutal murder and a trial or adjudication of some kind?
I remember reading about the murder when it happened, it began as a "disappearance" of Yale graduate student Annie Le, who was supposed to be getting married within 48 hours of her disappearance. As the heartbreaking hours passed, each one lead authorities to consider the worst about Ms. Le's disappearance; The longer someone is missing, the more likely it becomes that that he or she has crossed paths with a predator and foul play of some kind. And tragically, this often means a homicide, the violent end of a life.
Annie Le's decomposing body was eventually found stuffed into a wall crawlspace in the Yale medical building, several days after she went missing. This was the same building where she worked everyday, as part of her graduate work studies program. Raymond Clarke the third, a coworker/ lab technician was a suspect early in the investigation, due to erratic and suspicious behavior on the day that Ms.. Le went missing, as well during cursory Police questioning that was carried out with all Yale employees who had key card access to the building where Le worked.
Police spoke with all laboratory personnel as part of the initial stages of their criminal investigation and Clarke, hostile and jumpy, became a person of interest swiftly, and police began surveillance of him in case he tried to flee the state. Fortunately, he didn't have time to run as DNA evidence sealed the deal once again, producing a match between bits of DNA under LE'S nails as well as other damning forensic evidence.
At the time, when the Gag order was imposed, what much of the general public knew was that there had been some kind of work or personal disagreement between Clarke and Annie Le, and that this argument might have led to a confrontation, which ultimately ended in Clarke perhaps becoming violent with Ms Le, perhaps hitting her, Then the police speculate, probably realizing how much trouble this would bring him criminally, in a panic he " finished the job" this as many murderers who start out "only" intending to rape their victims, also claim. The really depraved part of all of this was the harried stuffing of Anne Le's body into a crawlspace, even breaking her bones post mortem, in order to "make" her body fit.
There are plenty of strange things on the periphery of this crime and one of them is the suspect's history of stalking former girlfriends, as well as his interest in Asia women-who happen to be known for their subservient behavior when compared to their American counterparts. This points to dominance and control issues with women on multiple levels. Clarke was even a member of the "Asian club" at Bradford High School, although not Asian nor having any apparent connection to the Asian culture.
