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Annie Le’s 2009 Yale Murder Revisited as Lab Technician Serves 44-Year Term

Retrospective coverage underscores an unresolved motive despite a conviction secured by forensic evidence.

Overview

  • The 24-year-old doctoral student vanished on September 8, 2009 after entering Yale’s Amistad Building, with her belongings found inside.
  • Her remains were discovered on September 13, the day she was to be married, concealed upside down within a wall cavity in the building’s basement.
  • The medical examiner determined the cause of death was traumatic asphyxiation by neck compression, with injuries sustained while alive and evidence of sexual assault.
  • DNA evidence identified lab technician Ray Clark, who was arrested on September 17, pleaded guilty to murder, entered an Alford plea to attempted sexual assault, and received a 44-year sentence.
  • Surveillance controls, blood-stained clothing found in the lab ceiling, and the detection of decomposition informed the investigation, yet a clear motive has never been established.