Thomas MacMillan File Photo
New details on the killing of Yale grad student Annie Le may be released soon, as a judge plans to issue a memorandum on opening a final search warrant affidavit for public view.
Judge Roland Fasano made that announcement Wednesday in the case of Ray Clark, who was charged with strangling Le and hiding her body in a basement wall of a Yale lab building where they both worked.
Clark, a former Yale lab tech, was charged with murder Sept. 17, four days after Le’s body was found. He entered a pro forma not guilty plea on Jan. 26.
Clark waived his right to appear at a brief court hearing Wednesday in state Superior Court on Church Street. In his absence, Judge Fasano considered the defense’s request to extend the seal on a final search warrant affidavit.
Fasano unsealed redacted versions of eight other search warrant affidavits in Clark’s case in December. The documents revealed a trove of new information on what led police to justify searching the body and possessions of 24-year-old Clark in the days leading up to his arrest. They revealed, for example, that police claimed they found blood “in plain view” on the kitchen floor of Clark’s Middletown apartment.
One more affidavit remains under seal by request of the defense, Judge Fasano said Wednesday. The search warrant was issued sometime after Clark’s arrest, he said. Clark’s lawyers, Public Defenders Beth Merkin and Joseph Lopez, requested the seal be extended. Fasano turned down that request. He said Wednesday that he intends to redact the 10th affidavit and issue a memorandum on his intent to unseal it.
The judge will probably issue that memorandum within the next two weeks, according to a court spokeswoman. After that, the seal would remain for three working days, allowing time for appeals.
Clark was given a new court date of April 7.
Previous coverage of the Annie Le case:
Tuesday, Jan. 26
• Annie Le’s Alleged Killer Pleads Not Guilty
Wednesday, Dec. 2
• Annie Le Warrants: Blood Found In Kitchen, Car
Tuesday, Nov. 17
• Seal Extended On Annie Le Warrants
Friday, Nov. 13
• Annie Le Warrant: Bloody Boots Read “Ray‑C”
Friday, Nov. 6
• Annie Le Documents To Be Unsealed
Tuesday, Nov. 3
• Hearing Continued For Annie Le Suspect; Judge Will Rule By Week’s End On Warrants: Live Blog
Tuesday, Oct. 20
• Annie Le Suspect Enters No Plea; Warrants Remain Sealed
Tuesday, Oct. 6
• Live Blog: Lawyer For Annie Le Murder Suspect Wants To See The Evidence
Friday, Sept. 25
• Warrant In Annie Le Murder To Stay Sealed
Thursday, Sept. 24
• Cops Back At Annie Le’s Lab Building
Monday, Sept. 21
• What Annie Le Story?
• Public Defender: I Don’t Want Annie Le Reporters Investigated
Thursday, Sept. 17
• After Annie Le Murder, Union Chief Sends Rallying Call
• Annie Le Suspect Knew Cops Were On His Tail
• Cops Arrest Lab Tech In Annie Le Murder
• Suspect Arraigned (live blog)
Wednesday, Sept. 16:
• Ex-Girlfriend “Shocked” About Annie Le Target
• Cops Stake Out Annie Le Target’s Motel
• Annie Le Case: It’s Coming Down To The DNA
• Annie Le Was Strangled
Tuesday, Sept. 15:
• City, Yale Learned From Jovin In Annie Le Case
• Suspect In Annie Le Case Has Fiancee
• NBC Producer Trampled At Annie Le “Briefing”
• Cops Take DNA From Annie Le Target
• Was That Annie Le’s Killer?
Monday, Sept. 14:
• Body Identified As Annie Le
• “Serious” Suspect In Annie Le Case
• You Can Get In The Wall With A “Butter Knife”
• Lab Building Shuts Down
Sunday, Sept. 13:
• Remains Of Annie Le Believed Found; “A Time For Compassion,” Levin Says
• Annie Le Hunt Extends To Hartford
Saturday, Sept. 12
• Focus In Annie Le Probe Less On “State Lines”
Friday, Sept. 11, 2009
• City Cops Join Search For Annie Le; $10,000 Reward Posted