JONBENET RAMSEY - 6 yo (1996) - Boulder CO

thank you - they have DNA how can they still not have a match -

Sept. 28, 2010 Break Emerging in JonBenet Ramsey Case?

Expert: Boulder, Colo. Police Want to Talk to Her Brother, Now 23, Who Was Nine When She Was Killed, as Possible Witness

CBS) An expert on the JonBenet murder case says his sources confirm reports that investigators in Boulder, Colo. would like to speak again to her older brother, Burke Ramsey, in case he saw something at the time that could help them connect some newly-surfaced dots now.

Burke was nine when his little sister, a 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant, was slain in December 1996, in what went on to become one of the most famous unsolved killings in recent times.

He's now 23.

Lawrence Schiller, a contributor to The Daily Beast, founder of the Norman Mailer Writers Colony and author of one of the definitive books on the Ramsey case, "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town," told "Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez Tuesday he called some sources in Boulder on Monday.

"They said the police had sent on their business cards and asked Burke, if his time permitted, if he could get in touch with them," Schiller said.

Rodriguez noted that the Ramsey family attorney tells "The Early Show" Burke hasn't been questioned yet.

Burke "was questioned and exonerated" in the aftermath of his sister's death, Rodriguez pointed out. Why would they be trying to question him again 14 years later?

"You have to remember," Schiller explained, "number one, he was 9 years old, a frail kid. Not very large in size. His sister was younger. There's a lot of evidence that has still been unexplained over the years. Footprints have been identified, but some have not. Handprints and palm prints have been identified in the room where her body was found. Some still not. In essence, the body was placed there. It wasn't dragged in. And then it was wrapped in a blanket.

"Now, if he was a witness to some event that night, something that may, in essence, now connect with something else, you have to remember, this murder took place in a community that was embarrassed by it. Wasn't prepared for it. Did not have a history of violence. The police are never going to give up on this case. There's no statute of limitation on murder."

"In other words," Rodriguez asked, "(probers) may have discovered some new evidence that wouldn't necessarily make (Burke) a suspect, but to which he could possibly speak?"

"That's correct," Schiller responded. "He was exonerated by DNA, by many, many methods that the police used at that point. But the question is, in his own mind now, this many years away, has he locked away the facts of this murder? Has he, in essence, put it in a room, closed the door, and doesn't want to think about it? So how helpful can he be? You know, just because questions are unanswered doesn't mean somebody is withholding the answer."

Schiller says it's not surprising that Boulder police are staying mum on the new reports and that the Ramsey family lawyer says Burke hasn't met with them again yet.

"If there is a real lead, nobody's gonna tell you about it!" Schiller exclaimed.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/28/earlyshow/main6907384.shtml

Boulder Police meet with JonBenet Ramsey's now adult brother


Julie Hayden Reporter
September 20, 2010DENVER - FOX31 News has learned that Boulder Police detectives recently met with Burke Ramsey, the brother of six year old JonBenet Ramsey, to talk with him about his sister's murder.

JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered in her family's Boulder home in December of 1996. Burke was 9 years old at the time.

He is now 23 and recently graduated from college. Sources tell Fox31 News that detectives traveled out of state in the past few weeks to re-interview Burke about the case.

Burke has never been considered a serious suspect, but he was in the house the night of the murder.

His parents claimed he was asleep. But at least some investigators are skeptical.

Some believe you can hear Burke's voice in the background of a 9-1-1 call Patsy Ramsey made to report her daughter had been kidnapped.

Shortly after that, Burke was sent to stay with a family friend. And hours later, his father found JonBenet's body in a basement room in the house.

Boulder Police are not commenting, except to say it is an open and active investigation

 
http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-police-ramsey-brother-txt,0,6492962.story?track=rss
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i wonder if they will retract this -

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0005/31/lkl.00.html
THOMAS: And why would pediatric medical experts that the Boulder Police Department brought into this case swear out, via affidavit, that JonBenet had been subjected to prior vaginal trauma. J. RAMSEY: You're lying. You're lying, Steve. That is a lie. KING: Wait a minute. You're saying they didn't say that? J. RAMSEY: Our pediatrician, who saw JonBenet a dozen times each year for the past three years before this happened, has sworn and testified in public that he saw no evidence of sexual abuse. KING: And what was evidence your pediatrician saw? THOMAS: Well, my pediatrician, pediatric experts that were brought into this case, a blue ribbon medical panel. J. RAMSEY: Who are they, Steve? Can I ask you who they are? KING: Said? Said? THOMAS: Said that this little girl, prior to the night she died, had been subjected to previous vaginal trauma. P. RAMSEY: That is a lie.
the transcript is pretty long -

I followed this case very closely, and JonBenet was brought to the pediatrician many times for "bladder infections."

The whole case was bungled from the onset. I find it hard to believe at this late date, they have anything new.

http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/extra/ramsey/autopsy.html

autopsy report

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/ramseycase/9716777/detail.html

http://jonbenetramsey.pbworks.com/The-Body#PossibleStunGunInjuries

Boulder investigators still receive tips in Ramsey case, 14 years later

Julie Hayden KDVR Denver

October 11, 2010
BOULDER - Boulder DA Stan Garnett says he personally gets five or more tips each month on the JonBenet Ramsey murder mystery.

In the past 14 years, investigators have received thousands of tips.

Many of them have potential and are passed on to the Boulder Police Department's Major Case Unit.

But Garnett says others are ridiculous. He cites one inmate who writes him from prison on a regular basis, claiming he's solved the murder and if Garnett will just send $1,000 to the inmate's prison account, he'll reveal the killer.

"It's an enduring, epic mystery. Everybody would like to know who killed little JonBenet," said legal analyst Craig Silverman, who has covered the Ramsey case from the beginning.

But in spite of the tips and leads and theories that regularly pour into investigation, Garnett says there is really nothing new.

Silverman says lack of evidence was never the problem in the Ramsey case.

"There were never no clues. There were too many clues. It's a matter of putting them all together, putting the pieces into a puzzle that tells the truth about what happened Christmas, 1996," he said.

Some of the evidence points in different directions. For instance, in the ransom note, some experts believe Patsy Ramsey could have written it.

But other experts conclude it is not her handwriting. Some feel evidence inside the home points to an intruder, but others believe it leads to an insider.

"The Ramsey case is like a Rubic's Cube, said Garnett. "To file charges so you could prove it, you would need to line up every part of the case from the ransom note to the DNA to all the other pieces of the case."

Even DNA evidence usually a slam dunk kind of evidence, is viewed differently by different experts.

"And just when you feel you have one side lined up and it makes sense, you turn it around and then you say well the rest of this isn't explained now," said Garnett.

Silverman believes it would take one of two things to convict someone in the murder.

A DNA match to someone who has committed similar crimes or a confession backed by the rest of the evidence.
http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-jonbenet-leads-txt,0,3943738.story?track=rss

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/6502/primer/primer_cover.html

i had no idea there were so many forums dedicated to this case - wow, just wow.

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/jonbent_ramsey_new_evidence_brother_burke_secret_files/celebrity/69564

Just felt like expounding my theory today. Two things stand out that tell a lot about the killer IMO. Using a garrote is a very particular method. It was very well made. You could say professionally done. The person definitely knew how to make one. The Foreign Legion teaches making and using a garrote.They are almost famous for it.
In the first sentence of the ransom note, he says "we are a group of individuals who represent a small foreign faction".
I think whoever did this has either been in the Foreign Legion or fantasizes about the Foreign Legion. Any individual from any country can join the FL, although background checks will be carried out. We know the individual who left his DNA has no record.
Another angle is that Spain used the garrote as a means of execution until the 70's. Latin America used it too. It's fundamentally a foreign thing and whoever wrote the ransom note is saying he's a member of a foreign group. He's giving away the fact he is foreign IMO. He could be of Spanish or Latin American heritage IMO.
Can't they tell from the dna what race someone is? Has anything been published about that?

Aphrodite Jones Opens Up the 'JonBenet Pandora`s Box' Once Again!

The JonBenet Ramsey case is fascinating on many levels. The crime
itself, the way it was investigated by the Boulder Police, and the
sensationalized coverage by the media, all contribute to its notoriety.
True Crime with Aphrodite Jones, which was broadcast last night on
Investigation Discovery, did a good job at reanimating the dynamics of
the JonBenet mystery. Last
night I did a Google search of JonBenet, in order to get up to speed on
the case. I set the record function on my DVR to the 10:00 PM setting
on ID, knowing full and well I had an appointment with the Sandman on
this breezy spring evening. I`m reviewing the taping this morning and
putting things back in there proper place. Let`s
see, there`s that odd looking Hansel and Gretel cottage of the
Ramsey`s, tabloids of the radiant beauty pageant child, footage of the
anguished couple, and then there`s Jon Mark Carr, a diversionary
dead-end that entertaining nonetheless. Just the images alone captivate
your attention. Yet, so many details were lost. Aphrodite
Jones exposes many of these new angles, that were obviously overlooked
by the Boulder Police, who remained focused on the parents, John and
Patsy Ramsey. But the theory that two intruders came in and killed
JonBenet is now growing in confidence amongst investigators. I will
mention just four of the clues that were news to me. The first
one that caught my eye, is a suitcase was left beneath a window to the
basement, that was likely used by the intruder/killers. Why wasn`t this
mentioned before? The intruders left it there so they could use it as a
makeshift stepladder to make a getaway after doing what they did. Lou
Smit, a homicide investigator, points out this massive omission. The
next new clue, and possibly breakthrough evidence, is that two
footprints were left in the basement. This proves that two outsiders
were in the Ramsey`s home on December 26th, 1996. One footprint can be
traced to a particular boot, made by a company called High Tech. This
ties in handily with what I`ll say in just a minute. An open
house Christmas party a few days before the crime is touched on next.
This was an opportunity for the criminals to case the Ramsey home. I
believe this is exactly what happened. The Ramseys must have known the
intruders, albeit if only a distant acquaintance. One witness
who was at one of JonBenet`s beauty pageants, shortly before she was
murdered, said a man went up and talked with JBR, posing as her father.
Could this man have something to do with it? This was new information
for me. Why wasn`t this suspicious incident reported in the news? The
last clue I want to mention, revealed in this groundbreaking special,
was the questionable suicide of 26 year old Michael Helgot, the day
after Alex Hunter`s stunning press conference, when he said the search
for the killer is narrowing to one. You`ll want to rewind the tape to
the blonde-haired suspect scene several times over. A stun-gun was
found. High Tech boots were found. In the introduction,
Aphrodite Jones says that other than Jack The Ripper, JonBenet is the
ONE in terms of importance to both the public and to law enforcement
specialists. As for myself, I take an interest in the historiography of
JonBenet. I want to look back at how the crime was reported in
news stories and in books. This is equally fascinating as the confusing
barrage of evidence that makes little sense. Aphrodite Jones opens up
Pandora`s Box again, but what we see is entirely different. Rocky Mountain News " Topic: JonBenet Ramsey http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/special-reports/jonbenet/

Fifteen years have passed since JonBenet Ramsey was killed in her
Boulder, Colo. home over the Christmas holiday and the brutal murder of
the child beauty queen still remains unsolved to this day. Had JonBenet
lived, she would be turning 21-years-old this Saturday, August 6.

On Dec. 26, 1996, 6-year-old JonBenet was found bludgeoned and
strangled to death in the basement of her family home. A ransom note
from an anonymous group of individuals "that represent a foreign
faction" asking for $118,000 in exchange for the safe return of JonBenet
was found just hours before but no call ever came from a kidnapper and
it was never linked to a murderer. See the full text of the ransom note
originally published by Vanity Fair magazine here.

John and Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet's parents were prime suspects for
years and repeatedly appeared on news channels defending their innocence
and demanding justice for the murder of their young daughter. The
entire Ramsey family was cleared of any involvement in the murder of
JonBenet back in 2008, thanks to then newly discovered DNA evidence, according to 9News.
Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet's mother, died 2 years earlier in 2006 of
ovarian cancer, tragically, she was still considered a possible suspect when she died.

Beginning in 2010, investigators reopened the case and launched a
fresh round of interviews with witnesses that could provide more insight
into the murder, according to ABC News, but nothing fruitful came of those interviews.

The DNA evidence still points to an "unexplained third party" that
serves as a vague lead for authorities still pursuing the case, TIME magazine reported.

According to 7News, Boulder police have tested more than 150 DNA samples and investigated
nearly the same amount of potential suspects in their ongoing
investigation, but none have ever been linked to the crime.

After all these years, Boulder police have received thousands of tips
about her murder and still receive several monthly. Boulder District
Attorney Stan Garnett said in 2010 that he personally gets five or more tips each month, according to Fox31.
The ones that have potential are passed along to Boulder police's Major
Case Unit. There have been plenty of false leads as well, including
most famously Mark Karr -- who bizarrely admitted to being with JonBenet
the night of her death, but DNA evidence later cleared him of any
wrongdoing in this case, MSNBC reported. Craig Silverman, talk radio legal analyst
on 630 KHOW that has covered the unsolved murder since it first broke,
spoke to Fox31 about the public's interest in the case:
It's an enduring, epic mystery. Everybody would like to know who killed little JonBenet.

Silverman went on to say on his Huffington Post blog,
"This JonBenet murder mystery has never been lacking for clues. There
are too many clues. It is putting all the puzzle pieces together that matters."

It remains one of the most notorious murders in U.S. history and a
decade and a half later there is still no justice for JonBenet.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/05/jonbenet-ramsey-murdered-_n_919553.html#s323615

Part 1 of 3: Boulder detectives still seek answers in JonBenét Ramsey case

Posted June 28, 2012, 6:30 am MT
By Kirk Mitchell

Continued series to be published until June 30

On his death bed in August of 2010, famed Colorado Springs Det. Lou Smit could have spoken about the 200 murder cases he’d solved during a storied career going back three decades. Instead, he chose to talk about the one he hadn’t solved: the case of JonBenét Patricia Ramsey, the 6-year-old beauty queen from Boulder found bludgeoned and garroted in the basement of her own home on Dec. 26, 1996.



The case had become one of the most perplexing murder mysteries in the U.S. of the 20th century.

Though his work hadn’t put a killer in prison, as far as Smit was concerned it kept the innocent parents of the victim, John and Patsy Ramsey, out of prison. And he said he believed that was one of the greatest achievements of his life.

His work also gave detectives a blueprint he hoped would guide them to JonBenét’s real killer or killers after his death on Aug. 11, 2010. But Smit’s opinion is just one of a plethora of theories about what happened to the tiny beauty queen.

Despite a public declaration by former Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy and DNA found on the girl’s underwear and body that does not match anyone in her family, the parents of the young girl should not be excluded as suspects, according to some respected experts.

Former Denver homicide lieutenant Jon Priest, a consultant who gives seminars around the world about evidence collection and crime investigation, said the DNA may not have belonged to the killer at all.

“Who knows how it got on her clothes,” Priest said in a recent interview.

READ MORE: http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/2012/06/28/boulder-jonbenet-ramsey-boulder-beaten/4464/

Posted June 29, 2012, 5:57 am MT

Part 2 of 3: Boulder detective Smit questioned JonBenet Ramsey past investigation

By Kirk Mitchell

Continued series to be published until June 30

After Lou Smit had been working the case for some time he met with prosecutors and fellow investigators and confronted them with something startling.

“I hope I won’t offend anybody. Are we sure we’re looking at the right suspects?”

It was blasphemy. He said the room temperature dropped 20 degrees. Many officials were speechless.

Boulder authorities had made it crystal clear to international hordes of media swarming the college town for any tidbit of information about the case that one or more of the Ramseys killed JonBenét.

Smit said when he first heard details of the case it seemed like a rock solid case against one of JonBenét’s family members. Hand-writing experts had claimed that the so-called ransom letter.

One strong piece of evidence was that there was so much snow on the ground that an intruder couldn’t have made it inside the home without leaving footprints, particularly rimming the basement window where the intruder was supposed to have entered the home.

Boulder police believe that the Ramseys left false evidence on the inside of the window of a break-in.

But when Smit saw photographs of the Ramsey home taken on Dec. 26, 1996, the driveway was clear of snow and offered a path directly to the basement window in the back of the home.

Smit found corroborating evidence that an intruder did break into the basement window.

He said crime scene photographs showed that there were leaves and dust on the outside window ledges of all the other basement windows but not the one where an intruder entered the home.

On the inside of other basement windows were cobwebs, but not the window where the intruder entered.

Boulder police had concluded that the window was too small for a grown man to enter. Smit flashed pictures on his basement wall showing him crawling in through the window and than out again.

Smit investigated the backgrounds of the Ramseys. Even though he already knew a lot about the case that may have been the most publicized murder case in Colorado history, he was determined to look at it from a different vantage point.

He went through the Ramsey house looking at all the family photographs.

The public had a largely negative view of JonBenét’s heavy involvement in beauty pageants at such a young age. The belief was that Patsy was flying her around the country, obsessively forcing JonBenét to live out her dreams and expectations, depriving her of a normal childhood.

More darkly, the implication was that Patsy was so fixated on her daughter that if the girl acted out of line her response would be explosive, violent, Smit said.

But Smit had a different way of looking at that.

Read more: http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/2012/06/29/boulder-jonbenet-ramsey-murder-lou-smit/4569/

Posted June 30, 2012, 7:00 am MT

Part 3 of 3: Archived timeline of the JonBenét Ramsey case

By Kirk Mitchell

Part 3 of three-part series

Chronology based on scores of articles in The Denver Post beginning on Dec. 27, 1997, the day after JonBenet Ramsey’s death in her Boulder home.

1977 – Patsy Ramsey named Miss West Virginia.

1990: Aug. 6 – JonBenet Patricia Ramsey is born in Atlanta.

1991 – The Ramseys move from Atlanta to Boulder.

1995 – JonBenet Ramsey crowned Little Miss Colorado

1996 – JonBenet wins America’s Tiny Little Miss contest

Dec. 26: 5:52 a.m. – Patsy Ramsey calls 911 from her 15-bedroom, brick, Tudor-style home at 755 15th Street to report that her 6-year-old daughter JonBenet Ramsey, a student at Martin Park Elementary School, had been abducted. Someone had left a ransom note on a back stair case leading from the kitchen to the parents’ third floor bedroom demanding $118,000.


The Ramsey home has tall gables, dormers and mullioned windows on a large lot filled with mature trees. The residence was still festooned with bright Christmas decorations that seemed incongruous at a murder scene, according to a Denver Post article. A Santa Claus figure and sleigh rested at the end of the front walk, which was lined with large plastic candy canes, the story says. This year JonBenet had dressed up as a Christmas present and sung “”Jingle Bell Rock.”

JonBenet had one sibling living at home, Burke, who was 9. Another sibling who lists his address as the residence is stepbrother John Andrew Ramsey, then 20, a student at the University of Colorado. JonBenet also had a stepsister, Melinda, then 24, of Atlanta.

The Ramseys had been active in various civic philanthropic activities, including Opera Colorado and Junior League. While in
Atlanta, they were active in the Atlanta Symphony Black and White Ball, as well as the Phoenix Debutantes of Atlanta. The downstairs front section of their house was used to entertain guests – as many as 50 two days before Christmas – and included a catering kitchen.

1:30 p.m. – John Ramsey, president and founder of Access Graphics, a privately held subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, searches the house, discovers his daughter’s body in a little used utility room in the basement and carries her body upstairs in his arms, screaming and pulling duct tape off of her mouth. Police would claim that they hadn’t searched the house because they had no reason to believe the child was still in the home after receiving the ransom note.

The FBI is called into the investigation because the Ramseys discovered a ransom note.

Late in the evening: Police detectives and crime scene investigators began searching the house after securing a search warrant. Boulder assigns 30 officers to the case.

Dec. 27: Autopsy performed on JonBenet Ramsey’s body. The autopsy determined that JonBenet was bludgeoned to death. Boulder County Coroner John Meyer ruled yesterday that JonBenet died of asphyxiation caused by strangulation. He listed the child’s death as a homicide.

Patsy Ramsey traveled around the country with JonBonet to attend her daughter’s beauty contests.
“They were so serious about this beauty queen stuff, but they never put any pressure on her,” said Nelson Schneider,
another neighbor. “She had her own float in the Colorado Parade of Lights in December 1995, and Patsy walked along the side of the float the whole parade to make sure (JonBonet) was safe.”

READ MORE: http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/2012/06/30/boulder-cold-case-timeline-jonbenet-ramsey-case/4421/

New Clues in JonBenet Ramsey Murder

Jul 18, 2012 1:00 PM EDT

A mysterious cobweb. A child’s toy. These and other clues from the crime scene are detailed in a new book by a former lead investigator in the pageant queen’s still-unsolved murder.

JonBenet Ramsey’s life was short: just six-and-a-half years. But the mystery of the kindergartner’s bizarre murder in 1996 has survived for more than twice that time. Now one of the lead detectives who investigated the killing for the Boulder district attorney’s office is breaking his silence.

Former detective Jim Kolar says it has taken him months of introspection and much of his retirement savings to launch his self-published book, Foreign Faction: Who Really Kidnapped JonBenet Ramsey? The book reads like a Ramsey case encyclopedia, detailing conversations and clues that Kolar believes have been overlooked, including an intact cobweb in the basement window and a toy that may have been responsible for some of the abrasions on JonBenet’s body.



Kolar had access to 60,000 pages of evidence, including interviews, forensic reports, grand-jury records, crime-scene photos and video. He says he’s now sharing everything but the grand-jury information (which he swore an oath to keep secret) because he “wants the truth out there.”

No one has ever been charged with JonBenet’s murder, and the case is still open. Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner says there are no new leads and the murder isn’t being actively investigated. “It’s safe to say this is a cold case.”

Kolar was hired by Boulder D.A. Mary Keenan Lacy in the spring of 2004 and stepped into the lead investigator role a year later. It was around that time that scientists at a Denver crime lab found a 10th marker from a DNA sample taken from JonBenet’s underwear. The tiny sample, which couldn’t be identified earlier in the investigation, was likely saliva from a cough or sneeze, according to reports, and didn’t match DNA from anyone in the immediate Ramsey family. Nor did it match any of the other 160 possible suspects looked into by authorities. Lacy was the second district attorney to oversee the case after the original top prosecutor, Alex Hunter, retired. She promised to attack the case with fresh eyes, and people who worked with her say she leaned toward the theory that an outsider murdered JonBenet.

But one of her own chief investigators eventually came to believe, based on his review of the evidence, that there was the possibility that someone in JonBenet’s family was involved in her death. “By the time I parted company with the D.A.’s office, I was convinced that there was no significant possibility that an intruder had been involved in the death of JonBenet,” writes Kolar in his book.

Kolar says he left the D.A.’s office in March 2006 because he was discouraged and frustrated. He returned to the job he had before, as chief marshal of the resort mountain hamlet of Telluride, Colo., where he still works. In 2008, a few months before she left office, Lacy apologized to the Ramseys, saying, “I believe it is important and appropriate to provide you with our opinion that your family was not responsible for this crime.” She cited the “unknown” male DNA found in JonBenet’s underwear, consistent with that found on the waistband of her leggings. “The match of male DNA on two separate items of clothing worn by the victim at the time of the murder makes it clear to us that an unknown male handled these items,” she wrote. “Based on the DNA results and our serious consideration of all the other evidence, we are comfortable that the profile now in CODIS (the Combined DNA Index System) is the profile of the perpetrator of this murder.”

It was a moment that stunned some prosecutors and police officers who continued to believe that there was enough other evidence to suggest there was no intruder.

In an interview, Lacy reaffirmed her statement that the Ramseys weren’t involved. "The DNA directs the evidence in this case. If the DNA on the underwear were the Ramseys, I would have thought it was them who killed JonBenet,” she said. "It didn't match the Ramseys, police, friends, babysitters. It doesn't match anybody."

She said she hired Kolar because “he was a good chief and I was pretty surprised when he came up with this because it wasn't consistent with his other work." Lacy said, "I think it's unprofessional for him to be writing a book based on conjecture."

READ MORE: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/07/18/new-clues-in-jonbenet-ramsey-murder.html

I remember this case and was saddened even then.

It's sad that she has not gotten justice yet.

My question is why they never checked Michael Helgot's DNA with the evidence found on Jonbenet?
If it was Michael and he did not repent then God will judge him.

William

I read an entire book several years ago criticizing how the investigation was botched, but I don't remember right off of it centering on Helgot significantly, if at all.

Here is some interesting info out of a ton that is out there on google: (the #7 response near the end *claims* that his DNA did not match and suggests he may have been one of two intruders collaborating with a LOT of *co-ink-i-dinks* involving evidence.) If this (or these) guy(s) were breaking into houses for the high of it and not stealing things, they could have taken a pad and pen at an earlier time, written a lengthy ransom note, and brought it back later. Just a wild surmising, MOO. It would have been hell on earth to be her parents and be accused of killing her if they were completely innocent. Not that I approve of the pageant hoopla at all, but its not illegal.

http://www.topix.com/forum/news/jonbenet-ramsey/TKHL1CODMPECACJHN

JonBenet Ramsey Case: Grand Jury Voted To Indict Parents, But Boulder DA Refused To Prosecute

Posted: 01/27/2013 12:33 pm EST
Updated: 01/27/2013 11:50 pm EST

A grand jury voted to indict JonBenet Ramsey's parents in 1999 on charges of child abuse resulting in death but the prosecutor never signed the indictment, according to a new report by The Daily Camera.

Then-Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter told media back then that he did not believe his office had enough evidence to file any charges, though the Ramsey family remained prime suspects for years before being absolved in 2008.

Child abuse resulting in death charged with "knowingly and recklessly" is a Class II felony that could have resulted in up to 48 years in prison.

On Dec. 26, 1996, 6-year-old JonBenet was found bludgeoned and strangled to death in the basement of her family home. A ransom note from an anonymous group of individuals "that represent a foreign faction" asking for $118,000 in exchange for the safe return of JonBenet was found just hours before, but no call ever came from a kidnapper and it was never linked to a murderer.

The entire Ramsey family was cleared of any involvement in the murder of JonBenet back in 2008, thanks to then newly discovered DNA evidence, according to 9News. Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet's mother, died 2 years earlier in 2006 of ovarian cancer, tragically, she was still considered a possible suspect when she died.

Beginning in 2010, investigators reopened the case and launched a fresh round of interviews with witnesses that could provide more insight into the murder, according to ABC News, but nothing fruitful came of those interviews.

The DNA evidence still points to an "unexplained third party" that serves as a vague lead for authorities still pursuing the case, TIME magazine reported.

According to 7News, Boulder police have tested more than 150 DNA samples and investigated nearly the same amount of potential suspects in their ongoing investigation, but none have ever been linked to the crime.

After all these years, Boulder police have received thousands of tips about her murder and still receive several monthly. Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett said in 2010 that he personally gets five or more tips each month, according to Fox31. The ones that have potential are passed along to Boulder police's Major Case Unit. There have been plenty of false leads as well, including most famously John Mark Karr -- who bizarrely admitted to being with JonBenet the night of her death, but DNA evidence later cleared him of any wrongdoing in this case.

It remains one of the most notorious murders in U.S. history and a decade and a half later there is still no justice for JonBenet.

If she were alive today, JonBenet would be nearing her 23rd birthday on August 6.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/27/jonbenet-ramsey-case-grand-jury-indictment-alex-hunter_n_2562007.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing10%7Cdl4%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D262272

JonBenet Ramsey grand jury voted to indict parents in 1999, but DA refused to prosecute
Legal expert: Alex Hunter may have been legally obligated to sign indictment

By Charlie Brennan, Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 01/27/2013 12:00:00 AM MST
Updated: 01/27/2013 07:50:41 PM MST




John Ramsey looks on as his wife, Patsy, holds an advertisement promising a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer of their 6-year-old daughter, JonBenet, during an interview with reporters on May 1, 1997, in Boulder. Thirteen years after the conclusion of the grand jury investigation into JonBenet s death, sources have confirmed to the Daily Camera that the jurors voted to indict the Ramseys on charges of child abuse resulting in death but then-District Attorney Alex Hunter refused to prosecute the case. (Camera file photo)

On a brilliantly clear autumn day more than 13 years ago, Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter stepped to the podium before an anxious media horde to announce that the grand jury investigation into the death of JonBenet Ramsey had come to an end.

"I and my prosecution task force believe we do not have sufficient evidence to warrant a filing of charges against anyone who has been investigated at this time," Hunter told the reporters assembled outside the Boulder County Justice Center on Oct. 13, 1999.

Yet multiple sources, including members of the grand jury, have now confirmed to the Daily Camera what Hunter did not say that day: The grand jury voted to indict both John and Patsy Ramsey on charges of child abuse resulting in death in connection with the events of Christmas night 1996 -- but Hunter refused to sign the indictment, believing he could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

One legal expert, however, believes Colorado law may have obligated Hunter to at least sign the indictment, even if he elected not to prosecute the case.

"We didn't know who did what," one juror told the Camera, "but we felt the adults in the house may have done something that they certainly could have prevented, or they could have helped her, and they didn't."

Boulder attorney Bryan Morgan, who represented John Ramsey through the conclusion of the grand jury process, said Saturday, "If what you report actually happened, then there were some very professional and brave people in Alex's office and perhaps elsewhere whose discipline and training prevented a gross miscarriage of justice."

Former Boulder First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wise was among those confirming the jury's vote.

"It names both of them, John and Patsy Ramsey," said Wise, who was Hunter's top assistant for 28 years but did not participate in the grand jury process.

Child abuse resulting in death, when charged as "knowingly or recklessly," is a Class II felony that carries a potential sentence of four to 48 years in prison. The statute of limitations on that charge in Colorado is three years from the date of the crime.

Legal experts are unsure whether Hunter's decision not to sign the indictment agrees with Colorado grand jury law.

In an email, University of Colorado Law School professor Mimi Wesson, who has followed the Ramsey case over the years, wrote, "The Colorado statute governing grand jury practice says ... that '(e)very indictment shall be signed' by the foreman of the grand jury and the prosecuting attorney."

In the event that the grand jury voted to indict on charges that Hunter did not believe he could prove at trial, Wesson said it is her opinion that proper legal procedure would have been to sign the document, file it with the court and then move in open court to dismiss the charges.

"That would be the more transparent and responsible course, in my opinion," Wesson wrote.

Hunter, who left office in 2001 after 28 years as Boulder County's district attorney, declined to discuss the grand jury's actions, but he did issue the following statement last week via email:

"Colorado statutes, the ethical canons which govern the practice of law, and the Boulder District Court's oaths, instructions and orders in the JonBenet Ramsey grand jury proceedings, are well established and absolutely clear with respect to the various participants' legal obligations, duties and responsibilities, including the inviolate secrecy of the proceedings and the differing burdens of proof applicable to jurors and prosecutors.

"As the duly elected district attorney at the time and as an officer of the court then and now, I must respectfully decline further comment."

Boulder police Chief Mark Beckner also would not discuss the Ramsey grand jury.

"I'm sworn in, and I can't say anything about the grand jury," Beckner said. "I would be violating my oath of secrecy and I can't do that."

Denver criminal defense lawyer and legal analyst Dan Recht pointed out that the standard of proof for a grand jury to indict, which is probable cause, is a far lower threshold than what Hunter would have had to meet at trial.

"It couldn't be more different in a jury trial," Recht added. "So what Alex Hunter was thinking about was, 'But can I prove this beyond a reasonable doubt?' Because that's the burden that the prosecution has at a trial. So he seemingly decided, 'I am not going to be able to prove this child abuse resulting in death beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury.'"

'Somebody did something pretty horrible'

Jurors confirming the vote to the Camera -- who agreed to talk only on the condition of anonymity -- nevertheless acknowledged continuing uncertainty about what really went on in the middle of the night in the house at what was then known as 755 15th St., and is now 749 15th St.

"It's still unresolved," one juror said. "Somebody did something pretty horrible that wasn't punished.

"I'm not saying that I am at peace. But I had sympathy with his (Hunter's) decision. I could see the problem that he was in. I could understand what he was doing."

The Ramseys and their now-adult son Burke were exonerated in the case in July 2008 by then-District Attorney Mary Lacy, based on updated analysis of DNA samples from JonBenet's clothing -- although numerous prosecutors labeled her doing so as both unusual and questionable.

Former Ramsey attorney Morgan, however, said, "In the intervening years, the techniques for retrieving and testing DNA improved to the point where it conclusively demonstrated the Ramseys' innocence. "

Still, one juror who spoke with the Camera expressed a feeling of still not being completely reconciled with Hunter's decision. But the juror added that, perceiving that it would be a difficult case to try, Hunter's declining to sign the indictment, also known as a true bill, was understandable.

And, the juror said, "I think I did believe that they would get more evidence and figure out who did it."

Another grand juror who confirmed the vote said, "I think I have conquered the feeling of any acute frustration.

"This is what we thought, and that's what you (the prosecutors) asked us for, and that's what we gave you, our opinion," the juror added. "That was our job, and the rest of the legal procedure, they just do with it what has to be done."

Several grand jurors declined to comment on their vote. One, in doing so, said, "Our job was to try to come up with, to help solve, this crime.

"It has not been solved yet, and we are still under oath to keep silent and I would like to honor that. And I still have all the hope that, in the coming years, this crime will be solved properly."

'Not enough evidence to file'

Because under Colorado law grand jury proceedings are secret, and those participating in the process are sworn to uphold that secrecy, few directly involved would discuss the case on the record. Several agreed to talk, although not all did so for attribution.

Wise did not participate directly in the grand jury proceedings. But he learned of the results after its conclusion, and he defends Hunter's decision not to press forward with a prosecution.

"I absolutely do" believe Hunter made the right decision, said Wise, who is now retired. "And I thought it was a pretty courageous decision, because I know about the public pressure that was being put on everybody who was involved -- but particularly the elected district attorney."

Bob Grant at that time was the district attorney for neighboring Adams County. Grant was among a small group of local prosecutors with whom Hunter met monthly. He used those colleagues as advisers throughout the case, which drew rapt attention from an international audience, spawned more than a dozen books and a television movie, and has ultimately proved to be one of the nation's most enduring criminal mysteries.

"It is a case that has stuck with me for decades now because no one has been held accountable for the murder of a young child," Grant said in a recent interview.

Grant would not confirm or deny the grand jury's actions, citing the secrecy rules.

However, Grant said, "Had there been a question of whether to sign a document or not, I would have been among those advising not to indict, because I did not believe there was a winnable case based on the evidence at that time."

Wise said that those advising Hunter were not all of one mind when the decision was made.

"I would say there was not unanimity, or a unanimous decision, by anyone," Wise said. "I know of at least one, and possibly two (prosecutors), who felt it should have been filed, period, end of discussion. And I know of at least two, if not more than two, probably four, that thought there was not enough evidence to file."

Juror: Process was 'traumatic'

The grand jury process is predicated on a veil of secrecy such that Hunter, in his news conference at its conclusion, said, "Under no circumstances will I or any of my advisers, prosecutors, the law enforcement officers working on this case or the grand jurors discuss grand jury proceedings today or ever, unless ordered by the court."

The grand jurors who have nevertheless now spoken about their Ramsey experience take pride in their service to the judicial system.

"I actually believe that I did a good job with being able to pay attention to the actual evidence that was said," one juror said of the grand jury experience. "I didn't go in there with my mind made up, one way or the other."

That juror talked about being bothered by seeing a disparity between what was presented as evidence and what was being reported outside the courthouse by insatiable media.

Jurors even in routine cases are typically cautioned to avoid media coverage, and the juror said that was the case for the Ramsey grand jury -- but only at first.

"At the beginning, they said, 'Don't look at the media.' But this was a year-and-a-half we were doing this, so some time not long after the beginning, they said, 'We really can't ask you not to look at the media. There is too much stuff going on.'"

And so, the juror said, "The instructions sort of changed to, 'What you need to pay attention to is what's said in this room. You've already seen how much out there is not true. Pay attention to what is said inside this room because this is evidence we can back up. And things that are said outside aren't that way.' They expected us to be grownups about it, if you will."

While speculation was rampant outside the Boulder County Justice Center about what might be going on in the grand jury room, for the eight women and four men deciding the case, the work was both sobering and draining.

"It was pretty traumatic," a juror said. "It was a horrible event, and to really have to delve into all of the evidence and know what happened and get details was difficult.

"The reality is it was a horrible thing, and I didn't have the luxury of picking and choosing what I would pay attention to. I needed to know what happened in every detail, so it was difficult. So many people had been traumatized by this, and hurt, and scared."

Another juror commented on fears that family members might "disown" the juror over that juror's refusal to discuss the ongoing work with relatives.

But that juror was honored to be part of the process.

"I thought, and believe, that they were presenting all of the relevant information we needed to make a decision like that, and that's all we did," said the juror.

As for Hunter's decision not to go forward with a prosecution, the juror said, "That's the way it goes. I don't have any thoughts on what should or should not have been done.

"That's why we, the people, put him there. Alex Hunter was, and is, a very, very intelligent person. It was interesting, and rewarding, being part of the legal justice system."

Wise, Hunter's former top assistant, defended the ultimate decision not to press forward, in part because prosecution would have been difficult with two defendants.

"When you have a true bill that says two people were involved, but it doesn't say what the involvement of the people was, all a good defense attorney has to do is to separate their trials ... and, all of a sudden, you've got nothing," Wise said.

"You're operating under the theory that two people might have been responsible for the death ... and when you separate them, you don't know which of the two people was responsible for what. And so I thought it was the right decision."

More recently, Boulder prosecutors were successful in prosecuting a high-profile child abuse resulting in death case; Alex and Molly Midyette, of Louisville, were indicted by a grand jury and tried in the death of their infant son Jason, who died in 2006. Both were convicted, although Alex Midyette was found guilty of the lesser charge of "criminally negligent" child abuse, which is a Class III felony.

Wise acknowledged that in Hunter's time in office, felony trials were not routinely pursued, and rarely did one go forward if the evidence was shaky.

"Absolutely," Wise said. "That is the way we operated in that office for years and years and years.

"We never steamrolled ahead on a case that has less than adequate evidence, to at least have a feeling that you can get a conviction. If that feeling didn't exist, we didn't file the case. We never steamrolled a case."

Ramsey case forever unresolved?

With Lacy's exoneration of the Ramseys and their son, Burke, in 2008, and the news now that a grand jury in 1999 determined that both parents should face charges, plus the false arrest in 2006 of a confessed intruder suspect, John Mark Karr, and death that same year of Patsy Ramsey, a key witness no matter who the defendant, a case that has seemed star-crossed from the first day might appear farther than ever from seeing a firm resolution.

Current Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett, upon taking office for his first term in January 2009, announced he was returning the Ramsey case -- which Lacy had taken over from the police department -- back to the police. And it is with the Boulder Police Department that the Ramsey case now resides.

"The Boulder police are in charge of the investigation, and if the state of the evidence changes to where charges can be filed consistent with Colorado ethical standards for prosecution, I will do so and will say whatever I have to say about this case on the record and in open court," Garnett said recently. "I will have no comment otherwise about the state of the evidence."

Referring to Lacy's exoneration of the Ramseys, Garnett said, "As I have said before, the exoneration speaks for itself. But all that matters to me as district attorney is the evidence, and where it leads. We'll follow the evidence wherever it leads us."

Wise and Grant both question the validity of Lacy's exoneration, and they say Garnett -- and his successors -- are not bound by it.

"It's more inappropriate than anything else," Grant said. "It's not a prosecutorial duty to exonerate people. It's a prosecutorial duty to seek justice and to prosecute the bad guys. If you don't have a bad guy to prosecute, don't exonerate people who are at least peripherally under suspicion. I didn't think it was appropriate at all."

Many observers, taking note of the many problems and conflicts that have plagued the case over the years, have theorized that it could now never successfully be prosecuted, short of a confession backed by corroborating DNA evidence.

But Garnett rules nothing out.

"In my first term, we made cold case prosecution a priority," Garnett said, "and in Ryan Brackley, I have one of the best cold case prosecutors in the United States on my staff. Certainly, the Ramsey case is one of the cold cases we would take great satisfaction in solving and filing and pursuing in court."

A juror, reflecting on the grand jury experience, and Hunter's decision not to prosecute the indictment, emphasized that the entire matter has long been out of the jurors' hands.

"I believe and feel our effort was well executed, the results of which were, as they say, pro bono publico, for the public good," the juror said.

"You say, 'Our job was well done, we gave them an opinion.' What happened after that, we went through all that and you find out that the bottom line was the district attorney felt there wasn't enough evidence to proceed with any further effort in this regard.

"Can he do that? Yes, he most certainly can."

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_22446410/boulder-grand-jury-voted-indict-ramseys

Ex-Housekeeper Says Patsy Ramsey Killed JonBenet

By Mike McPhee, Denver Post Staff Writer
7-6-1

A federal judge Thursday gave grand-jury witnesses permission to talk about their secret testimony, prompting the Ramsey family's former housekeeper to declare that Patsy Ramsey killed her 6-year-old daughter.

Former Ramsey housekeeper Linda Hoffmann-Pugh, speaking publicly for the first time about her testimony before the Boulder County grand jury, told reporters Thursday:

* She thought Patsy Ramsey had killed JonBenet.

* The grand jury seemed to zero in on Patsy Ramsey, and she thought it would indict her.

* A Swiss Army knife was found in the basement room where JonBenet's body was found.

* "Only Patsy could have put that knife there. I took it away from Burke (JonBenet's older brother) and hid it in a linen closet near JonBenet's bedroom. An intruder never would have found it. Patsy would have found it getting out clean sheets."

* Pieces of rope were tied around JonBenet's neck and wrist when her body was discovered Dec. 26, 1996.

* The blanket wrapped around JonBenet's body had been left in the dryer. There was still a Barbie Doll nightgown clinging to the blanket, so it had to have come out of the dryer recently, she said. Only Patsy would have known it was in the dryer, she said.

* An intruder never would have found the door to the basement room where JonBenet's body was discovered. It was too difficult to see unless someone knew it was there, she said.

* Hoffmann-Pugh has never turned off her porch light since the death of JonBenet and won't until her killer is found.

* She believes Gov. Bill Owens should appoint a special prosecutor to the case.

WITNESSES

Witnesses who testified before the Ramsey grand jury include:

* Burke Ramsey, JonBenet's 14-year-old brother, by video

* John Andrew Ramsey and Melinda Ramsey Long, John Ramsey's adult children from previous marriage

* Lou Smit, former Colorado Springs homicide detective

* Susan Stine, friend of the Ramseys

* Ellis Armistead, investigator hired by the Ramseys Linda Arndt, former Boulder detective

* Craig Lewis, editor at "The Globe," was called to testify, but was exempted due to Fifth amendment and his defense in another related lawsuit. Witnesses who may have testified include:

* Glenn Stine, friend of the Ramseys

* Tom and Enid Schantz, owners of Rue Morgue Mystery Bookshop in Boulder

* Richard French, Boulder police officer

* Boulder police detectives Jim Byfield, Jane Harmer, Tom Trujillo, Michael Everett, Carey Weinheimer and Ron Gosage

* Steve Ainsworth, Boulder County sheriff's detective : Linda Hoffmann-Pugh said she believes the grand jury that investigated the beauty queen's death was focusing on the girl's mother.

U.S. District Judge Wiley Daniel ruled that two sections of the Colorado Rules of Criminal Procedure violate the prior-restraint protection of the First Amendment.

Afterward, Hoffmann-Pugh walked outside the federal courthouse in Denver and said she told the grand jury investigating the murder that she believes the beauty queen was killed by her mother, Patsy Ramsey.

"At first, I didn't want to believe that Patsy could do such a thing," said the 57-year-old Platteville resident, who now delivers newspapers. "I loved her. But as time went on, things came to me that made me think she did it. I want Patsy Ramsey tomorrow to look in the mirror and say to herself, "I killed JonBenet.'"

Hoffmann-Pugh challenged the state's rules, which forbid witnesses from repeating what they've told grand jurors unless an indictment or report is issued, in order to write a book about her experiences with the Ramsey family.

She said the grand jury focused almost exclusively on Patsy Ramsey. "It was almost all about Patsy, down to the underwear she had purchased from Bloomingdales," she said. "They wanted to know how she related to JonBenet. I felt in my heart they were going to indict Patsy."

She said she told the grand jury that Patsy had become very moody right before Christmas of 1996. "I think she had multiple personalities. She'd be in a good mood and then she'd be cranky. She got into arguments with JonBenet about wearing a dress or about a friend coming over. I had never seen Patsy so upset.

"I don't believe Patsy meant to kill her. I truly believe it was an accident that just continued," said Hoffmann-Pugh, who worked in the Ramsey house until three days before the slaying on Dec. 26, 1996, and testified before the grand jury in January 1999.

The Ramseys have maintained they had nothing to do with their daughter's death.

The grand jury adjourned in October 1999 after 13 months. No indictments were issued. The grand jury, and then-District Attorney Alex Hunter, never issued a report about its investigation.

Hoffmann-Pugh, whose efforts to change grand-jury rules were supported by the Ramseys, on Thursday handed out a packet of what she said were six handwriting experts' analyses of Patsy Ramsey's handwriting samples.

All six said it was highly probable that Patsy wrote the ransom note, which was found in the Ramsey house about six hours before the body was found in the basement, she said. Hoffmann-Pugh said she is convinced Patsy wrote the ransom note.

The Ramseys have never produced a written handwriting report, Hoffmann-Pugh said. "I had to give handwriting samples to the police. Why didn't she? I had to testify before the grand jury. Why didn't she?" Hoffmann-Pugh asked rhetorically. She testified for eight hours before the grand jury.

Her attorney, Darnay Hoffman, said a written handwriting report from the Ramseys "is the single most important piece of evidence that's still missing from this case. They only thing they've given is an oral report, an oral denial."

In the courtroom, Boulder Assistant District Attorney William Nagel argued that Colorado Criminal Procedure Rules 6.2 and 6.3 are very specific as to what can't be repeated outside the grand-jury room.

"Rule 6.3, the witness' oath, states "the testimony you are about to give ...' It's the testimony that can't be talked about publicly," he said. "The knowledge that was brought in to the grand-jury room can be spoken publicly.

"What can't be discussed is any information obtained as a result of testifying before the grand jury, any information obtained inside the jury room," he said. "They also cannot say, "That's what I told the grand jury'... or "That's what the prosecutor asked me' ... or "The grand jury focused on this.' That would be public disclosure of the grand-jury proceedings."

Daniel said 40 states as well as the federal government allow grand-jury witnesses to discuss their testimony. He said the U.S. Supreme Court in 1990 struck down a Florida law that prohibited witnesses from talking publicly about any testimony they might have given, even if the knowledge had been gained prior to taking the witness' oath.

Daniel called the state's argument "fallacious" and ruled that the state's grand-jury rules violate the First Amendment only as they pertain to witnesses talking about what they already knew.

He said the rules also violated the "prior restraint" protection of the First Amendment, which he called "the least tolerable violation" of the First Amendment.

Nagel said it was his duty as a prosecutor to appeal any decision that goes against state law, and that he would begin preparing an appeal.

The Ramseys' attorney, L. Linn Wood, reached in Atlanta, said the ruling was only a step in the right direction.

"I'm interested in any information about the truth of the grand-jury investigation," he said. "I want the whole truth as to why the grand jury did not indict John and Patsy Ramsey.

"This ruling doesn't sound like it goes far enough for the basis of a claim" to ask how the grand jury voted, he said.

"If the grand jury voted not to indict, I don't think (former District Attorney) Alex Hunter has the right to refuse to sign a no-true bill," he said. "If the grand jury voted not to indict ... clearly the Ramseys and the public have a right to know."

Wood said he is waiting for Hunter to return from a Hawaiian vacation to subpoena him to testify about any grand-jury votes. He says he expects Hunter to declare privilege against testifying, and that Wood will file a motion in court forcing him to testify.

http://rense.com/general11/benet.htm

JonBenet Ramsey Case: Judge Orders DA To Show Why Secret Indictment Of Parents Should Remain Secret

The Huffington Post  |  By Matt Ferner
Posted: 10/17/2013 6:25 pm EDT

In 1999, a grand jury in the brutal murder case of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey voted to indict her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey. But then-Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter refused to sign it, citing that he could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The indictment's existence was not known until earlier this year. Now a judge has ruled that the current Boulder DA Stan Garnett must show why the un-prosecuted indictment must remain secret.

"The court concludes that the secrecy required in the grand jury process is not compromised through a process that requires the presentment of the indictment in open court," Weld County Judge Robert Lowenbach wrote, The Boulder Daily Camera first reported. "Under this procedure, there is no breach of the secrecy and confidentiality expected in grand jury proceedings," Lowenbach continued. "It is ordered therefore that the defendant (Garnett) show cause why he should not be required to disclose the requested documents."

Daily Camera Reporter Charlie Brennan and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed the lawsuit in Boulder District Court in September. "The plaintiffs believe... that the indictment is a criminal justice record that reflects official action by the grand jury, and accordingly that it is subject to mandatory disclosure upon request," the complaint reads. Brennan and the RCFP also argue that the indictment should be made public in the interest of government transparency.

But Boulder DA's office said releasing the document would be a "breach of promise" to the jury, citing the importance of maintaining the integrity of grand jury secrecy.

In a statement about the decision to keep the documents involved in the indictment secret obtained by HuffPost, Chief Trial Deputy Sean Finn wrote:

   The plaintiffs interest in the documents they have requested is understandable; few cases have captured the interest of Coloradans, and people throughout the world, like the death of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey. The resultant, 17 year media fascination with this case makes perfect sense; every time a story appears in the media about this tragic case, the public takes notice.

   But the issues raised by Plaintiffs' request and lawsuit are more important than any one case. Every grand juror, and every witness who appears before a grand jury, takes an oath of secrecy, and every witness and grand juror is promised that those involved in the process will honor that oath. For this defendant to accede to Plaintiffs' request and hand over documents from this grand jury would be a breach of promise to the hundreds of citizens serving on grand juries across Colorado, and would undermine the assurances given to grand jurors and witnesses who will be promised secrecy in the future.

On Dec. 26, 1996, 6-year-old JonBenet was found bludgeoned and strangled to death in the basement of her family home. A ransom note from an anonymous group of individuals "that represent a foreign faction" asking for $118,000 in exchange for the safe return of JonBenet was found just hours before, but no call ever came from a kidnapper and it was never linked to a murderer.

The entire Ramsey family was cleared of any involvement in the murder of JonBenet back in 2008, thanks to then newly discovered DNA evidence, according to 9News. Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet's mother, died 2 years earlier in 2006 of ovarian cancer. Tragically, she was still considered a possible suspect when she died.

Investigators reopened the case in 2010 and launched a fresh round of interviews with witnesses that could provide more insight into the murder, according to ABC News, but nothing fruitful came of those interviews.

The DNA evidence still points to an "unexplained third party" that serves as a vague lead for authorities still pursuing the case, TIME magazine reported.

Boulder police have tested more than 150 DNA samples and investigated nearly the same amount of potential suspects in their ongoing investigation, but none have ever been linked to the crime.

After all these years, Boulder police have received thousands of tips about her murder and still receive several monthly. DA Garnett said in 2011 that he personally gets two or three tips a week from all over the world. The ones that have potential are passed along to Boulder police's Major Case Unit. There have been plenty of false leads as well, including most famously John Mark Karr -- who bizarrely admitted to being with JonBenet the night of her death, but DNA evidence later cleared him of any wrongdoing in this case.

For a thorough timeline of the case's major moments, visit The Daily Camera's interactive timeline of events from 1996 through 2012.

It remains one of the most notorious murders in U.S. history -- and, a decade and a half later, there is still no justice for JonBenet. If she were alive today, JonBenet would be 23.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/17/jonbenet-ramsey-case-indictment-judge-parents-_n_4117676.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl2|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D393011

JonBenet Ramsey case: Court to release indictment that went nowhere

By Steve Almasy, CNN
updated 8:18 AM EDT, Thu October 24, 2013

CNN) -- Some documents in the JonBenet Ramsey case will be unsealed on Friday despite the objections of her father.

A judge in Colorado on Wednesday ordered the release of 18 pages that were sealed after a grand jury went home in 1999 without charges being filed.

In January, the Boulder Daily Camera, citing unidentified jurors as well as an assistant district attorney, said the grand jury had actually voted to indict JonBenet's parents on charges of child abuse resulting in death, but the district attorney decided not to move forward with the case.

"We do not have sufficient evidence to warrant the filing of charges," then-Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter said in 1999. He did not sign the indictment, according to the Daily Camera.
JonBenet Ramsey's dad speaks out

There will be nine pages on John Ramsey and nine pages on Patsy Ramsey released this week, according to the order from Judge J. Robert Lowenbach.

The Daily Camera reported Wednesday the release was a response to a lawsuit by one of its reporters and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press seeking the unprosecuted indictment.

In 2008, then-District Attorney Mary Lacy wrote a letter to Ramsey, saying that new DNA evidence had cleared him, his wife and son.

John Ramsey's attorney had written a letter last week to District Attorney Stan Garrett, requesting the documents be kept secret.

"Public release of the allegations of an unprosecuted indictment only serves to further defame (John Ramsey) and his late wife Patricia Ramsey," wrote Harold Haddon.

But Lowenbach said state law requires official actions by the grand jury to be released.

Ramseys' attorney: Grand jury 'likely confused' about JonBenet

"The court is sympathetic to the position of Mr. Ramsey but has nonetheless concluded that as an 'official action' of the grand jury, the 'indictment' .... must be released," he wrote.

Lowenbach denied Haddon's request to release all documents, saying it would set a precedent and hinder future grand juries from performing their jobs.

On December 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey said she discovered a three-page ransom note in her Boulder home. Police came and, later that day, found JonBenet's beaten and strangled body in the family's basement.

The parents insisted an intruder killed their 6-year-old pageant queen, but no one was caught and no description was given.

In time, the focus of Boulder police turned to the parents.

Investigators didn't find any sign of forced entry. A paintb rush from her mother's hobby kit was used to tighten the rope that choked JonBenet. And the alleged ransom note was written from paper inside the house and referenced little-known details about the family's past and its finances.

Despite the suspicions, the Ramseys were never named as suspects. But they were a focus of the grand jury, which first convened in September 1998.

They heard from dozens of witnesses, considered 30,000 pieces of evidence.

The district attorney's office, then led by Lacy, took over the case from Boulder police in 2002.

Patsy Ramsey died from ovarian cancer in 2006 at the age of 49.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/23/justice/jonbenet-ramsey-document-release/