JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in her home in Boulder sometime between the night of Dec. 25 and
the morning of Dec. 26, 1996. She died from death by asphyxiation. Her parents were initial suspects and "under an umbrella of suspicion" by Boulder police for several years. The case is unsolved.
In December of 2002, Boulder District Attorney Mary Keenan took responsibility and control for investigation of the case away from the Boulder Police Department. Keenan says she, a chief deputy district attorney and investigators with her department will handle the investigation including a review of all evidence. Keenan met with the Ramseys in February of 2003 in a preliminary four-hour meeting. The Ramseys did not have their attorney present except for the first 10 minutes of the meeting.
The opinion by Judge Carnes this week came as a result of a libel suit filed against the Ramseys by a possible suspect in the murder.
According to Ramsey attorney Lin Wood, the judge reviewed hundreds of hours of depositions and evidence as part of her libel decision. The libel action was ultimately dismissed. Judge Carnes then issued a 93-page opinion where she discussed the evidence presented to her and concluded the only evidence against the Ramseys was "they were in the house that night" and "the weight of the evidence is more consistent with a theory that an intruder murdered JonBenet than it is with a theory that Mrs. Ramsey did so."
In her brief, Judge Carnes examined handwriting evidence from the ransom note noting all six handwriting experts hired by Boulder police and the Denver/Ramsey attorneys concluded there was a very high probability Patsy Ramsey "probably did not write" the ransom note. She summarized evidence that was not sourced or traceable to the Ramseys. She looked at the timeline of the murder, chided Boulder police for "mistakes" that were made and noted the "lack of experience" in homicide cases by Boulder police.
Judge Carnes reviewed what she called evidence of an intruder and "undisputed evidence" of several possible entry points into the Ramsey home. She also reviewed the history of publicity about the case noting "the Boulder Police Department utilized the press, in an attempt to 'smoke out' JonBenet's killer. In addition to this intentional use of the press, a number of leaks of confidential information, at various stages of the murder investigation, served to hamper the ability of the Boulder Police Department to conduct an effective investigation into the crime."
Judge Carnes noted the FBI recommended that Boulder police pressure the Ramseys. "Boulder Police publicly named defendants as subjects and appl(ied) intense media pressure to them (Ramseys) so they would confess to the crime. The police released many statements that implied defendants were guilty and were not cooperating with police." Judge Carnes then listed examples where the Ramseys had cooperated with police.
Keenan said she is reviewing Judge Carnes opinion and might make a statement in a few days.
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