Stephen Miles

[jameson245]

Photographer sues Enquirer, Ramseys
Tabloid story leads to lawsuit
By MATT SEBASTIAN, Camera Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 4, 1998
Angered by tabloid reports accusing him of pedophilia and murder, a Boulder photographer filed a defamation suit Tuesday against John Ramsey and the National Enquirer.
Stephen Thomas Miles, 49, suffered "shunning, hatred, ridicule and contempt" as a result of an Enquirer article that reported Ramsey believed the photographer killed his 6-year-old daughter, JonBenet, according to the lawsuit. The suit did not seek a specific damage amount.
"This guy wouldn't kill a housefly," Miles' attorney, Lee Hill, said Tuesday.
The photographer - who does have a lengthy criminal history, primarily involving drugs - was attending to a sick parent Tuesday and unavailable for comment, Hill said.
Ramsey's civil attorney, Bill Gray, said Tuesday he wouldn't discuss pending litigation.
Hill, however, said he spoke to Gray earlier in the day and that he said Ramsey denies accusing Miles of the Dec. 26, 1996, killing of his daughter.
Representatives of the National Enquirer, based in southeast Florida, could not be reached for comment.
Suing for libel, slander and intentional infliction of emotional distress, Miles' complaint also names as defendants two of the tabloid's reporters, John South and David Wright.
The first of two articles Miles takes issue with ran Oct. 21. Credited to South and Wright, the piece quotes an unnamed source saying, "John and Patsy will claim that the real killer is a neighbor, Stephen Miles, who was once arrested and accused of a sex offense against a minor."
The Enquirer article also states Ramsey was planning on telling police his suspicions about Miles. In his suit, the photographer alleges the tabloid article "creates a deliberate, cumulative false impression in a reasonable reader that (the) plaintiff is a sex offender and a pedophile."
A second story, written by Wright and published Nov. 11, refers to a list of potential suspects allegedly given to police by the Ramseys' attorneys. "Included on that list are dozens of pedophiles and sex offenders living in Boulder. One of them, gay photographer Stephen Miles ..."
Miles was arrested in 1989 on suspicion of taking pornographic pictures of juvenile boys and providing them with drugs and alcohol. Some of those photographs allegedly featured simulated sex acts.
But the Boulder County District Attorney's Office dropped most of the charges when Miles agreed to plead guilty to a single charge of criminal attempt to contribute to the delinquency of a minor, according to district court records.
Miles is not on the Boulder Police Department's list of registered sex offenders.
But the photographer does have a history, stretching back to his teenage years, of getting into drug-related trouble.
Miles was arrested as a 19-year-old on suspicion of possession of marijuana. Ten years later, in 1977, he was placed on three years probation after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute narcotics. In return for that plea, three other drug charges were dismissed.
Since then, Miles has agreed to plea bargains in two other drug-related charges and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge, according to court records.
Although he said he can't say whether police are looking into Miles as a suspect, the photographer's attorney said his client has not been interviewed by detectives.
Hill also said he's unsure if the libel suit will force Ramsey to publicly testify as to the events surrounding his daughter's murder.
If it turns out Ramsey isn't the source of the accusations printed in the Enquirer, Miles' suit leaves open the option to include other defendants.
"It wouldn't surprise me if a couple of others float to the surface as the investigation continues," Hill said.

[jameson245]

The story as I understand it.

Judith Phillips was having a fling with a certain tabloid writer who was picking her brain for stories - - having once been a friend of the Ramsey family (but that being in the past) he was getting some head way when she thought to tell him about a man in her neighborhood who had once been charged with taking pornographic photos of a minor (almost not a minor, they weren't photos of people engaged in sex but, according to my sources, more art type photos of some young homosexual male showing off a nice-looking body.

Stephen Miles was not considered a threat by anyone.

Well, the way I hear it, Judith ran over to tell Stephen Miles that the Ramseys were aware of his "criminal history" and were going to name him as the killer - - so he needed to talk to this tabloid person to kind of get a jump on things. Hence the tabloid story and all that followed.

[jameson245]

Would also like to point out that any and all attorneys looking to be a part of this sage were most anxious to file a suit against the Ramseys - even if it was worthless - - because they all wanted to depose the Ramseys. It was considered a badge of honor to get that far.

[jameson245]

Ramsey may face civil action
Attorneys for JonBenét's father seek dismissal of defamation suit

By Matt Sebastian and Christopher Anderson
Camera Staff Writers

If a defamation lawsuit against John Ramsey survives a dismissal attempt next week, a Boulder attorney says he'll have JonBenét's father under oath by the end of the month.

But even if the case isn't thrown out, Ramsey's lawyers have moved to block any questioning of their client about his daughter's Dec. 26, 1996, murder.

"Next week, will be the pivotal moment in this case," said attorney Lee Hill, who is representing local photographer Stephen Miles in his libel and slander lawsuit against Ramsey and the National Enquirer.

"If we survive the motion for summary judgment, we'll definitely depose John Ramsey."

Angered by tabloid reports accusing him of pedophilia and the murder of JonBenét Ramsey, Miles in February sued the 6-year-old's father, the Enquirer and two of its reporters.

Attorneys representing Ramsey and the Enquirer have filed motions for summary judgment, alleging the case has no merit and should therefore be dismissed.

A hearing on those motions is set for Oct. 8 in U.S. District Court in Denver.

If the lawsuit is not dismissed, Hill said Ramsey's attorneys "have indicated their amenability to having him made available for depositions before the end of October."

But William Gray, Ramsey's lawyer in the civil case, declined comment on the matter Wednesday. "We don't think it's good practice to try our cases in the paper."

Attorneys representing the Enquirer and reporters John South and David Wright were unavailable Wednesday.

In his lawsuit, Miles takes issue with two Enquirer articles that ran in October and November 1997 and portrayed him as a pedophile. The two stories also allege that John Ramsey was planning to tell police he believed the photographer murdered his daughter.

The pedophile charge likely stems from Miles' 1989 arrest on suspicion of taking pornographic pictures of juvenile boys and providing them with drugs and alcohol.

The Boulder County District Attorney's Office, though, dropped most of the charges when Miles agreed to plead guilty to a single count of criminal attempt to contribute to the delinquency of a minor.

But the Enquirer's lawyers, in court documents filed this month, argue that, "It is undisputed that Miles is a middle-aged man who shares drugs and alcohol with teenage boys and has sex with them."

The tabloid's attorneys also allude to a sworn affidavit by Boulder police Detective Jane Harmer in which she reportedly says "Miles was a suspect in the JonBenét Ramsey murder well before the complained-of publications."

In their court filings, Ramsey's attorneys point out that Miles already has admitted, in his deposition, "that he has no evidence that Ramsey ever made statements about Miles."

The lawyers also cite a 1991 case involving Priscilla Presley to argue that questioning Ramsey about his daughter's murder would be done only "to harass and annoy," since it has no bearing on the libel case brought by Miles.

"They've argued that we shouldn't be allowed to ask John Ramsey anything, basically," Hill said.

Ramsey has declined to answer most of the written questions posed to him by Miles' attorneys.

Noting Ramsey "may be a target of the grand jury investigation" into his daughter's murder, his attorneys further argue that a deposition of JonBenét's father could compromise the ongoing proceedings, which are expected to resume today at the Boulder County Justice Center.

"Ramsey will testify before the grand jury, and the questions Miles seeks to pose in this action will cover much of the same subject area as the testimony that will be presented before the grand jury," according to a motion filed by Ramsey's attorneys.

Because Ramsey "will be confronted with the dilemma of choosing to testify or invoking his privilege against self-incrimination" before the grand jury, the attorneys argue, he shouldn't be forced to answer similar questions in a civil setting, where there is no Fifth Amendment protection.

Lastly, Ramsey's attorneys are asking that if the case goes forward their client's deposition be sealed in advance, a request a magistrate judge already has denied once.

Their fear is that with current technology, those present "have the capability to disseminate the deposition transcript in 'real time.' "

October 1, 1998

[jameson245]

Ramsey to appear, for civil case
Grand jury investigation takes back seat to lawsuit

By Matt Sebastian
Camera Staff Writer

John Ramsey may not have appeared before the grand jury investigating his daughter’s murder this week, but he will be under oath in an entirely different matter by the end of the month.

The grand jury met just once this week, possibly hearing testimony from another Boulder police officer at the Ramsey home Dec. 26, 1996, the day 6-year-old JonBenét’s beaten and strangled body was found.

But the bigger news came out of U.S. District Court in Denver, where a federal judge ordered JonBenet’s father to submit to a deposition in a civil suit by Nov. 1.

According to Lee Hill, the attorney representing Stephen Miles in the Boulder photographer’s libel and slander suit against Ramsey and the National Enquirer, the deposition is tentatively set for Oct. 20, likely in Colorado.

Miles, in his lawsuit, claims he was defamed by two 1997 articles in the Enquirer, which portrayed him as a pedophile and quoted an anonymous source as saying Ramsey believed Miles killed JonBenet.

Ramsey denies making any such statements, just as he and his wife have repeatedly said they weren’t involved in their daughter’s death.

The Enquirer maintains the stories are accurate.

Meanwhile, the grand jury investigating the nearly 2-year-old murder may have heard from Boulder police Sgt. Paul Reichenbach on Thursday.

Reichenbach originally had been summoned to testify Sept. 29, but was turned away when another officer’s appearance ran long.

The patrol sergeant reportedly noted the lack of footprints in the snow around the Ramsey house the December day JonBenet was found dead, which some have said proves there was no intruder. But subsequent reports have said there actually was little snow around the house.

Because prosecutors are using the Boulder County Justice Center’s secured corridors to shuttle witnesses in and out of courtrooms, it’s unclear whether Reichenbach —or anyone else— testified Thursday.

The sergeant, though, was seen arriving at the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office just prior to the start of proceedings Thursday.

The panel is expected to reconvene Tuesday.

October 11, 1998

[jameson245]

John Ramsey to be deposed Tuesday
Grand jury won't meet this week; Ramsey to appear in civil case

By Matt Sebastian and Christopher Anderson
Camera Staff Writers

The grand jury investigating the strangling death of JonBenét Ramsey won't meet this week, but the slain 6-year-old's father will return to Colorado for a deposition Tuesday in a libel and slander lawsuit.

Boulder attorney Lee Hill said Friday that John Ramsey's deposition is formally set for Tuesday and may run into Wednesday.

While Hill wouldn't say where the questioning will take place, it will be in Colorado and not Georgia, where the Ramsey family now resides.

Hill represents Stephen Miles, a local photographer who is suing Ramsey, the National Enquirer and two of the supermarket tabloid's reporters for libel, slander and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In his lawsuit, Miles alleges he was defamed by two Enquirer articles published in the fall of 1997. The articles labeled Miles a pedophile and quoted an unnamed source as saying John Ramsey believed the photographer killed his daughter.

Ramsey has denied making any such statements, and the Enquirer's attorneys contend that Miles is, in fact, a pedophile.

In court earlier this month, Hill announced plans to depose Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter and Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner and two investigators in an effort to determine whether Miles truly was a suspect in the Ramsey murder.

Friday, Hill said he is attempting to serve the other parties with notices that they will be questioned.

JonBenét 's body was found beaten and strangled Dec. 26, 1996, in the basement of the Ramseys' 15th Street home. Nearly two years later, police have made no arrests, and the district attorney is using a grand jury in hopes of solving the crime.

The grand jury probing the slaying met twice last week, apparently hearing evidence from a detective assigned to the case and a Colorado Bureau of Investigation handwriting expert.

Tuesday, the panel apparently heard from Detective Thomas Trujillo, who was met outside the Boulder County Justice Center by one of the prosecutors presenting the case. Two other detectives were turned away.

CBI handwriting analyst Chet Ubowski appears to have spent most of the day with the panel Thursday. According to court records, Ubowski determined that the ransom note found in the Ramsey's home may have been written by JonBenét's mother, Patsy Ramsey.

But "the evidence falls short of that necessary to support a definite conclusion," Ubowski is quoted as saying in a search warrant affidavit.

The grand jury has been investigating the murder since Sept. 15.

October 18, 1998

[jameson245]

John Ramsey deposed in defamation lawsuit
The suit was filed by a former neighbor called a suspect by tabloid

By Christopher Anderson
Camera Staff Writer

DENVER— John Ramsey completed the first phase of questioning in a defamation lawsuit against him Tuesday and is not expected to have to answer further questions today.

Ramsey, who avoided photographers waiting to catch a shot of him outside his attorney's office at 1225 17th St. in downtown Denver, returned to Colorado this week to give deposition testimony in a Boulder photographer's defamation suit against him.

Boulder photographer Stephen Miles, a gay man and former Ramsey neighbor, filed the civil lawsuit against Ramsey and the National Enquirer, saying John Ramsey or a source in the Ramsey camp suggested to the tabloid that Miles was a suspect in the murder of Ramsey's daughter, JonBenét.

The 6-year-old was found beaten and strangled Dec. 26, 1996, in the basement of the Ramsey home. Her parents have declared their innocence in the little girl's death, but are the focus of the Boulder police investigation. A grand jury continues to hear evidence in the case.

Miles also claims he was defamed because the article portrayed him as a pedophile.

Hill, who could not speak about the proceeding Tuesday because of a court gag order, said the meeting went well.

"Everyone involved behaved professionally," he said. "We are done with this phase."

Ramsey most likely will be called back to be deposed further because of an agreement to hold off on specific questions about the murder while the grand jury is hearing evidence about his daughter's murder. It is not known when or if Ramsey will be called to testify before the grand jury.

During an Oct. 8 hearing, attorneys for Ramsey and the tabloid asked for the lawsuit to be thrown out. They also argued Ramsey already has said he and the attorneys representing him in the murder investigation did not make the statements for which he is being sued.

Although the judge still has not ruled whether to allow the case to go to trial, he approved the deposition of John Ramsey to take place in the meantime.

The deposition was ordered sealed even before the deposition took place because Ramsey's attorneys feared that the information could be typed into computers inside the room as the deposition was taking place and e-mailed to the media and public before it was sealed.

A trial in the case is scheduled to start in February, pending the judge's decision on dismissing the suit.

October 21, 1998

[jameson245]

Cops to testify in Ramsey suit

Police chief, detective to give talk in photographer's suit against Ramsey and National Enquirer

By Christopher Anderson
Camera Staff Writer

Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner and Detective Jane Harmer have been summoned to answer questions for the civil trial of a lawsuit filed by a Boulder photographer once questioned in the murder of JonBenét Ramsey.

Boulder attorney Lee Hill says he wants to ask the two officers whether his client, Stephen Miles, was a suspect at the time the National Enquirer published two articles on Miles.

Miles, a former Ramsey neighbor, filed a defamation suit Feb. 3 against John Ramsey and the tabloid, saying articles that ran in October and November of 1997 falsely depicted Miles as a suspect in the murder and as a pedophile with a penchant for young boys.

Miles claims the source of the article was John Ramsey or someone close to him. Ramsey, who has denied being the source, returned to Colorado to give a deposition in the civil trial Tuesday.

Enquirer attorneys won't reveal the source of allegations about Miles, but they defend the story, saying the facts are essentially true. They cite an affidavit from Harmer as proof.

U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer is considering a motion by Ramsey and Enquirer attorneys to dismiss the case. Brimmer said Thursday he will likely rule on the motion in two or three weeks

"We are giving it considerable study," said Brimmer, who referred to the lawsuit as a complicated case.

In the meantime, Hill said he hopes to obtain depositions from Beckner and Harmer on Nov. 3, although he said he anticipates that a Nov. 9 deadline to submit depositions as evidence will be extended.

Beckner confirmed that he and Harmer received the notices, but he said he could not comment on the issue except to say the police department is trying to determine how to respond.

"We have our attorneys looking at that," he said last week.

Hill is also considering asking for depositions from Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter, former Ramsey-case detective Steve Thomas and Ramsey's wife, Patsy.

At the heart of Hill's reason for deposing Boulder police investigators is an affidavit given by Harmer to National Enquirer attorneys June 22. Harmer stated that Miles was considered a suspect until February 1998 — three months after the second article ran.

But Hill said Harmer told him that Miles was not a suspect. Hill said police never truly considered Miles to be JonBenét's killer and that, like other innocent people connected to the case, he only needed to be cleared as a matter of routine procedure in investigations.

Hill submitted an affidavit from his legal assitant, Julia Yoo, who states that during a March meeting at the police department, Harmer said Miles was never a suspect.

Hill said he asked the police department to clarify Harmer's affidavit given to the Enquirer by submitting to a second affidavit, but the department declined, realizing that it had made a mistake by making any comment on this issue at all.

"They have not cooperated with us to the same extent as they have with the National Enquire's lawyers," Hill said. "It's terribly unfair. . . . We continue to believe and assert that Miles was never a real suspect in the Ramsey investigation."

Hill said it is not his wish to depose police, but because of their unwillingness to clarify Harmer's affidavit to the Enquirer attorneys, he was not left any choice.

"We are not witch-hunting," Hill said. "We are going to do everything necessary to develop the truth."

JonBenét, 6, was found beaten and strangled Dec. 26, 1996, in the basement of the Ramsey home. Her parents have declared their innocence in the death but are the focus of the Boulder police investigation. A grand jury has been hearing evidence in the case since September.

October 26, 1998

[jameson245]

Affidavits contradict over suspicion

By Christopher Anderson
Camera Staff Writer

Detective Jane Harmer's sworn affidavit, says, in part, "Between at least June 1997 and early 1998, Mr. Miles was among the persons considered as suspects in the Boulder Police Department's investigation of the murder of JonBenét Ramsey."

It also says that "Mr. Miles is known in the Boulder Police Department's internal files as a suspected sex offender. This knowledge is based on both Mr. Miles' 1990 conviction for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, which resulted from child pornography and drug investigations, and also from numerous complaints the Boulder Police Department has received relating to Mr. Miles' alleged inappropriate relationships and interactions with underage boys and girls."

An Aug. 21 affidavit by attorney Hill's legal assistant, Julia Yoo, reads, in part:

"In March of 1998, I accompanied Mr. Hill, Stephen Miles, and Mrs. Mary Miles to the Boulder Police Department for the questioning of Mr. Miles in connection with the Boulder Police Department`s investigation of the death of JonBenet Ramsey."

"Mr. Hill asked Detective Harmer whether Stephen Miles was or had ever been on any sex offender list and she responded 'no.'

"Mr. Hill asked Detective Harmer whether Stephen Miles was a suspect in the JonBenét case and she answered 'No.'

"She explained that the police had to 'check out' and eliminate anyone whose name had come up. She further explained that the police had investigated hundreds of other people in order to eliminate them as potential suspects. She clarified that no one associated with the department's investigation had ever suspected that Stephen Miles murdered JonBenét Ramsey."

October 26, 1998

[jameson245]

Police won't give depositions
Photographer is suing John Ramsey over tabloid allegations

By Matt Sebastian
Camera Staff Writer

Attorneys representing the Boulder Police Department have moved to block today's scheduled depositions of Chief Mark Beckner and one of his detectives in a civil lawsuit, saying any questioning of the two would compromise the JonBenét Ramsey murder investigation.

While a motion to quash the subpoenas wasn't filed in U.S. District Court until Monday, Boulder attorney Lee Hill said he already had been informed that Beckner and Detective Jane Harmer "will not be made available for depositions."

The two had been served notice late last month that they were to be questioned today in connection with local photographer Stephen Miles' libel and slander suit.

Miles, who is represented by Hill, is suing the slain 6-year-old's father, John Ramsey, and the National Enquirer over two 1997 articles that portrayed the photographer as a suspect in the murder and a pedophile.

Ramsey has denied ever saying he suspected Miles of killing his daughter, while the Enquirer stands by its stories.

JonBenét Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her parents' Boulder home Dec. 26, 1996, about eight hours after her mother, Patsy Ramsey, reported finding a ransom note demanding $118,000 in exchange for the girl's safe return.

After nearly two years without an arrest, the case is in the hands of the Boulder County District Attorney's Office, which is conducting a grand jury investigation into the slaying.

While John Ramsey has yet to testify before the grand jury, he was deposed Oct. 20 by Hill.

Miles' attorney next moved to question Beckner and Harmer in an attempt to determine whether the photographer ever was a suspect in the murder.

At issue is an affidavit given by Harmer to National Enquirer attorneys last June.

In that document, Harmer refers to Miles as a "suspected sex offender" and says that between June 1997 and early 1998, Miles "was among the persons considered as suspects in the Boulder Police Department's investigation of the murder of JonBenét Ramsey."

But Hill contends Miles wasn't really a suspect and that Harmer has even said so.

"When I sat down and spoke with Detective Harmer about the content of the affidavit, she explained the terms used in the affidavit to me and clarified that Stephen Miles was never a real suspect in the murder investigation," Hill said Monday.

Richard Baer, an attorney with the Denver firm Sherman & Howard, said he wouldn't comment on behalf of the Boulder Police Department.

In his motion to quash the subpoenas, though, Baer acknowledged that Harmer's affidavit should never have been provided.

"Any testimony concerning the Ramsey investigation is shielded by law enforcement investigatory principle and, therefore, is not the proper subject for discovery in this lawsuit," Baer wrote.

Furthermore, Baer even suggests that a judge strike the troublesome affidavit altogether, a recommendation even Hill welcomes.

"Our sole purpose is to explain the content of her affidavit," Hill said. "If the affidavit is stricken, we don't have to explain it."

Hill may never need those answers, though.

U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer is considering a motion by Ramsey and Enquirer attorneys to dismiss the Miles lawsuit. The judge told the Daily Camera in late October he would issue a ruling in two or three weeks.

In the meantime, Hill has proceeded with plans to depose the authors of the two tabloid articles. David Wright was questioned by telephone Friday and the attorney said he'll be in Los Angeles today to quiz John South.

November 3, 1998