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Interesting news story
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DA pursues new Ramsey lead
Hunter asks police to investigate woman's story of sex abuse By Barrie Hartman Camera Staff Writer [c] Feb 25 2000 Boulder Publishing Inc.
District Attorney Alex Hunter has turned over new information to Boulder police and the FBI that he says could provide a major breakthrough in solving the 3-year-old JonBenét Ramsey murder case.
The information is from testimony and documents provided voluntarily by a 37-year-old California woman who was brought forward by Boulder attorney Lee Hill. The woman said she has suffered a lifetime of sexual and physical abuse, beginning at age 3. Her story, if true, could mean the Ramsey case is tangled in sexual abuse and involves more people than originally thought. Hunter said he finds the woman to be "very believable." Boulder police detectives, however, aren't so sure.
"Even if only 15 percent of what she says is true," Hunter said, "this case warrants investigation. And if Boulder cops don't want to do it, I will take the case to the U.S. Attorney."
Police Chief Mark Beckner said Thursday, "Though our detectives did not find her to be credible, we are taking what she said seriously.
"I'm interested in finding the truth no matter where it leads us."
Beckner said the first thing his detectives will do is perform a thorough background check of the woman and meet with her therapist of 10 years in an attempt to corroborate her story.
Hill, who is a former San Diego County deputy district attorney and former special assistant U.S. attorney and is experienced in investigative work, said, "She is among the most credible witnesses I have ever interviewed." He is representing the woman in her decision to give information to authorities.
The woman has described to police years of sexual and physical abuse in California homes at the hands of adults who stayed at holiday and other parties after other guests had left for the evening. Then, she said, another "party," one of sexual abuse for the gratification of a select group of adults, would begin.
In talking to detectives, the woman draws parallels between sexual techniques used at these sessions and the physical evidence of garroting that investigators found on the body of JonBenét Ramsey. The woman told detectives she believes JonBenét was killed accidentally when an asphyxiation technique used to stimulate an orgasmic response during a child sex and porno "party" went too far.
The woman told police she knows firsthand about asphyxiation (choking) to produce a sexual response because it had been done to her when she was a child. The woman said in her experience little girls were dressed provocatively and trained to say provocative things, such as, "It's a pleasure to please you." She told police that when girls did not perform as expected, they were struck on the head. That was because their hair covered the wound. A big night for such "parties" was Christmas night, she said. Over the years, she said, many parties were held then because a large number of cars around a house did not arouse suspicion in the neighborhood and the children had a full week to heal from their wounds before returning to school.
JonBenét Ramsey's death occurred overnight Christmas 1996. The autopsy report concluded she suffered a blow on the head and was strangled. The woman said she knows the Ramseys through the Fleet White family. She said the godfather to her mother is Fleet White Sr., 86, of California. Fleet White Jr. of Boulder and John Ramsey were close friends until the death of JonBenét.
White Jr. was with John Ramsey when JonBenét's body was found in the basement of the Ramsey's Boulder home. White Jr. has since been crusading for Hunter's ouster from this case for refusing to prosecute the Ramseys. Ramsey's attorney, Bryan Morgan, declined comment. Fleet White could not be reached Thursday.
Police cleared White as a suspect in April 1997.
Attorney Hill said the woman came forward because she was fearful for her life. She came to believe that people involved in child sexual abuse in California were becoming suspicious that she might try to talk to authorities. Hill said her main reason, however, was to try to save "other innocent victims who can't speak for themselves" from further sexual abuse.
The woman and her therapist of 10 years, Mary Bienkowski, saw Hill being interviewed on Fox television about a deposition he had taken of John Ramsey in a libel suit against a supermarket tabloid. They decided to contact him. The Camera's efforts to reach Bienkowski have been unsuccessful.
Hill, struck by what he heard, traveled to San Luis Obispo near Los Angeles on Feb. 11. He spent five hours interviewing both the woman and her therapist, and he videotaped supporting documents, which included personal notes, cards and family photographs that the woman says are from the Whites, both senior and junior.
Hill recounted details of the interview to Hunter in a meeting Feb. 16. With him was Stephen Singular, a Denver author who has pursued the Ramsey case for three years and is convinced the killing is linked to child sexual abuse. Both men expressed to Hunter intense frustration about the reluctance of police to consider evidence that deviated from their theories.
The woman called Hill again Saturday, and he arranged for her to fly to Denver. He picked her up at 12:30 a.m. Sunday at Denver International Airport and found safe housing for her.
Hunter immediately tried to arrange for detectives to interview the woman. Two detectives interviewed her at 3 p.m. Tuesday for nearly five hours. It was during that interview that Hill learned Boulder police had received a missing person's report on the woman. A relative of the woman filed the report with San Luis Obispo authorities, who called Boulder police. Boulder police, Hill said, responded that she was in Boulder and would be interviewed by detectives at 3 p.m. Tuesday. They also told San Luis Obispo police she was with Lee Hill.
"I couldn't believe it," Hill said. "We had told police her life was in danger; then they tell everyone where she is and what she is doing."
Police Chief Beckner said he thought it was his department's responsibility to respond to the missing person's report. Hill says police should have asked the witness whether she wanted them to respond.
The Ramsey case has been quiet for the last several months, following a 13-month grand jury investigation that prosecutors said did not find enough evidence to bring an indictment in the case.
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Interesting news story - by jameson245 - 08-05-2017, 03:21 PM
RE: Interesting news story - by jameson245 - 08-05-2017, 03:25 PM
RE: Interesting news story - by jameson245 - 08-05-2017, 03:26 PM
RE: Interesting news story - by jameson245 - 08-05-2017, 03:27 PM

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