Annie Le: Yale grad student touted as 'next Einstein' was murdered by lab technician days before her wedding
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT: Annie Le, a 24-year-old doctoral student at the Yale School of Medicine's Department of Pharmacology, was last seen in a research building on the New Haven campus on September 8, 2009. On September 13, she was found dead inside the building, her body hidden behind a utility panel in the basement of the laboratory building. Incidentally, it was also her wedding day. Le was a Vietnamese-American student who was valedictorian of her graduating class at Union Mine High School further north in El Dorado, California. After graduating from the University of Rochester in New York with $160,000 in scholarship money, she was accepted into a graduate program at Yale and was on her way to earn a doctorate in pharmacology. But her dream of becoming "the next Einstein" was dashed when she went missing more than a decade ago. The mysterious circumstances behind her murder form the crux of the latest episode of Investigation Discovery's 'See No Evil' which will air on June 24.
Le goes missing
Yale Alumni Magazine reported that that one of the 70 CCTV cameras placed around the university campus captured Le going into the laboratory building at the School of Medicine on the morning of September 8, but none of them captured her coming out. After she had been missing for more than 48 hours, students, faculty, and staff grew increasingly worried. Yale offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts. The police were informed that her fiancé flew in from New York while her family members were called in from California. Her disappearance quickly became national news. More than 100 investigators joined the search for the missing student. Four days later they discovered bloody clothing hidden above a ceiling tile inside the lab building.
Le's body is found
Five days later -- the day she was supposed to tie the knot with her fiancé, Jonathan Widawsky -- Le's remains were discovered behind a wall of the Yale Animal Research Center where she did medical experiments. According to prosecutors, her bra was pushed up and her panties pulled down. Semen was found on Le's pantyliner, which was found to be a match with another Yale student, Raymond J Clark III, 24, who worked in the same lab building as the victim. The cause of her death was strangulation. Her jaw and collarbone were broken.
Clark's sentencing
Clark, an animal research technician, pleaded guilty to the murder charge on March 17, 2011, but for the attempted sexual assault count he pleaded under the Alford doctrine, which meant he did not necessarily admit to guilt but understood that if he went to trial he would likely be found guilty by the jury. He was sentenced to 44 years in prison for murder and 20 years for first-degree attempted sexual assault, which was to run concurrently on June 3 of the same year.
Le's parents and fiancé appeared during his sentencing. Throughout the investigation, the police had not been able to establish a motive. Clark offered an apology to the victim's family and loved ones before being handed his verdict but again did not offer any reason behind murdering the victim. "I take full responsibility for my actions," he said. "I alone am responsible for the death of Annie Le and causing tremendous pain to all who loved and cared about Annie."
He added: "I am truly sorry I took Annie away from her friends, her family, and most of all, her fiance. I have always tried to do the right thing and stay out of trouble but I failed. I took a life and continued to lie about it while Annie's friends, family and fiance sat and waited. I really never wanted to harm anyone or cause emotional pain to anyone. All I wanted was to be a good son, a good brother and a good fiance, but again, I failed. I blame only myself and there are no excuses for what I have done. Annie was and will always be a wonderful person, by far a better person than I will ever be in my life. I'm sorry I lied, I'm sorry I ruined lives and I'm sorry for taking Annie Le's life."
Superior Court Judge Roland Fasano said, "The suffering, the anguish of the families is heartbreaking," before adding that the plea agreement was appropriate because it's a substantial sentence and avoids putting the families through a trial. After the verdict, Joe Tacopina, the attorney for Le's mother, said Clark's statement was "unsatisfying" because "he had no answers as to what caused him to do what he did." At the time, Yale officials released a statement noting "the university community's thoughts are with those most affected by Annie Le's death: her fiance, her family and her many close friends at Yale and elsewhere," adding, "The university will continue to honor Annie's memory and her inspiring Yale legacy through the fellowship established in her name."