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Tabloid obtains murder-scene photos
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
Saturday, January 11, 1997
The Boulder County Sheriff's Department on Friday began investigating how the Globe tabloid obtained crime-scene photos of murdered 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey.
The Boca Raton, Fla.-based supermarket tabloid plans to publish six pictures in the next several days, sources said. Globe officials did not return phone calls.
"They are authentic, and I believe that they were photos that were taken by my office," said Boulder County Coroner Dr. John Meyer. "This is something that has never happened before to my knowledge, and it's one of the real nightmares of any medical examiner."
NBC officials notified Meyer of the snapshots Friday afternoon.
"We had a copy of the tabloid before it reached the newsstand," said Jack Chesnutt, the NBC News Denver bureau chief. "Our interests in the photos were on two levels: One, were they authentic? And two, had they been taken from the coroner's office? We were never interested in putting the Globe's photos on the air, and we will not broadcast them."
Officials took the photographs after JonBenet's father and a friend found the child strangled in the family's wine cellar on Dec. 26. About eight hours earlier, the girl's mother, Patsy, had discovered a ransom note demanding $118,000 and called police. Some of the pictures depict the slain 6-year-old beauty queen wrapped in a blanket, sources said.
"There's one that's of a child's hand with a Boulder County coroner's tag on it and an ID number," a source said. "There's another picture of a nylon cord, so they're definitely in very bad taste."
The publication of the photographs has shocked the five employees of the
"At first I was just dumbfounded, and that quickly turned to anger that anybody would do this," said Meyer, who would not reveal the photo lab that processes the office's pictures. "This is evidence and it's evidence that's gotten into hands that shouldn't have it."
Other authorities had a similar reaction.
"It's just sick, because the paper probably paid someone at least $50,000 for those pictures," a law-enforcement source said. "They could have come from anyone, like the photo processing lab the coroner's office contracts with, a cop working on the case, the coroner's office or anyone else. I hope they find who did this."
The Sheriff's Department has assigned three deputies to the case, said Sheriff George Epp.
"We'll hopefully leave no stone unturned," Epp said.
"I"m confident that they'll arrest who did this," said a Ramsey family friend. "But it's absolutely revolting that someone would take advantage of a tragedy like this. People just need to leave this family alone."
In other developments Friday:
Records indicate a guest at a party at the Ramsey house misdialed and called 911 at 6:47 p.m. Dec. 23, according to Boulder police. The person disconnected the phone before a police dispatcher spoke to the caller. About six minutes after the call, police attempted to call the Ramseys but received a voice-mail message. An officer arrived at the Ramsey home about five minutes later and confirmed the caller had misdialed. About 50 adults and children attended the Christmas party at 755 15th St.
JonBenet's parents, John, the president of Access Graphics, and Patsy, a former Miss West Virginia, remained in seclusion with private guards, sources said Friday. Police have not formally interviewed the couple or identified any suspects in the child's slaying.
The Ramsey family hired a handwriting expert to work on analyzing the ransom note, sources close to the family said. Investigators found the actual note, a "practice" note and the legal pad used to write them in the Ramsey house.
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6 take lie detector tests in JonBenet photo case
By ELLIOT ZARET
Camera Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 14, 1997
The Boulder County Sheriff's Department gave lie detector tests Monday to six people from the coroner's office and the photo lab that processed the coroner's crime scene pictures of JonBenet Ramsey that were sold to a tabloid newspaper.
"They were people who, because of their position, might have had custody of the pictures at one time or another, or some authority over them," said Sheriff George Epp.
He said the polygraph tests are not admissible in court but are useful in investigations. He plans to give at least one more test. He hopes the results will be available today.
The County Attorney's office also filed a motion in Boulder District Court to prevent Boca Raton, Fla.-based Globe Communications Corp., which publishes the 1.3 million-circulation Globe tabloid, from printing more photos from the Boulder County Coroner's office.
The photos, reported stolen Friday, are part of the investigation of the murder of JonBenet. The 6-year-old beauty queen was found strangled Dec. 26 in the basement of her parents' home at 755 15th St. in Boulder. Police have made no arrests and have no suspects in the case. The pictures have been published in this week's edition of the Globe.
The Boulder County Commissioners voted 2-0 Monday to file the temporary restraining order against the Globe and to initiate a civil lawsuit against the tabloid. The lawsuit would permanently keep the Globe from printing more of the pictures, order the Globe to return the photos and request damages and attorney fees from the tabloid. Commissioner Paul Danish was not present for the vote.
"We're just very anxious that nothing that can damage the case or the prosecution would be published," County Commissioner Jana Mendez said. "We have reason to believe the Globe has more pictures."
Judge Roxanne Bailin heard testimony on the county's motion Monday and is expected to rule today.
In other developments Monday:
Lockheed Martin security officers found "no substance" in a theory that JonBenet's murder was related to Access Graphics' foreign business dealings as reportedly written in the ransom note, a spokesperson said. Access Graphics is a Boulder-based subsidiary of Lockheed Martin. John Ramsey, JonBenet's father, is president of Access Graphics.
The District Attorney's office has been trying to plug media leaks. District Attorney Alex Hunter sent a memo to his employees, "reminding" them that the office has a policy against discussing pending criminal cases. Staff members were told to initial the memorandum after reading it. "There's so much pressure on everybody from media, neighbors, etc.," said Hunter, who added that he has never had to issue such a
Newsweek magazine this week published an unattributed report that semen was found on JonBenet's body. The magazine also reported that Boulder police had narrowed the field of suspects to "as few as seven or eight."
Boulder Police Chief Tom Koby would neither confirm nor deny the Newsweek reports, saying only, "It's an issue that hasn't been discussed and probably won't be.
"It continues to amaze me how many "experts"we have in this thing and how many verifications of information people can come up with out of thin air. With the media, I continue to be impressed by the use of "sources,'" he said.
Whoever released the pictures to the Globe could face civil and criminal penalties. The District Attorney's office would charge the person or persons with theft, Hunter said. He said the amount of the theft would be left to "kind of a rough formula" that estimates the fair market value.
That value could be anywhere from the few dollars the photographic paper and chemicals cost to the tens of thousands of dollars the thief reportedly received from the Globe.
"Seeing as they did essentially rifle through our files and take our papers, there may well be civil actions taken as well," Danish said.
The King Soopers and Safeway supermarkets barred Monday's Globe from their stores, and 7-Eleven kept it out of its 270 Colorado stores.
"It's purely a matter of basic human decency and privacy rights," Ramsey family spokesman Pat Korten said.
Eads News and Smoke Shop in Boulder shipped copies of the Globe back to Boca Raton Monday morning. And while their copies of Newsweek had not arrived, the store was selling out of a People Magazine with JonBenet, dressed in a pageant gown and tiara, on the cover.
"People's always been a big seller, but it's never been this big," Eads employee Wes Johnson said.
Meanwhile, Globe Editor Tony Frost defended the right to publish whatever the paper sees fit.
"We're only publishing photos that illustrate information that already has been widely disseminated," Frost said. "There is a First Amendment issue here that could be perceived to be tantamount to censorship."
The Globe hired Denver media lawyer Tom Kelley, who also represents the Daily Camera. Kelley appeared in court Monday on the Globe's behalf. He said a motion to prevent a company from printing something in advance is "the most severe and least tolerable of all the limits on free speech - to quote the Supreme Court." Kelley said that, according to a 20-year-old U.S. Supreme Court case, the county would have to prove that publishing the photos would directly put the public at risk.
"That's highly speculative - no one's shown how that will happen," said Kelley. "Their preference to have what they know secret is not enough to show prior restraint."
But publication of the photographs could jeopardize the investigation into the murder, according to a motion filed by the county.
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Arrests near in photo leak
Picture lab worker a suspect
By ALLI KRUPSKI and ELLIOT ZARET
Camera Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 15, 1997
Authorities expect to arrest a Photo Craft Laboratories employee and an accomplice by today in connection with the sale of crime scene photos of JonBenet Ramsey to the Globe tabloid, sources close to the investigation said.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Department also hopes to apprehend another participant in the incident "as soon as possible," a source said.
Officials would not comment on the involvement of the suspects in the crime. Photo Craft Laboratories in Boulder, however, processes film for the Boulder County coroner's office. Photo Craft did not return phone calls to the Daily Camera.
"One of the things that has been pushing us is that this is a breach of the integrity of the justice system," said Boulder County Sheriff George Epp. "I've never seen anything like this happen in Boulder County in my 24 years of law enforcement. It's important to me that it be resolved as quickly as possible."
Those arrested may face misdemeanor obstruction of justice and felony theft charges. Investigators didn't detail the fines involved with such penalties.
Officials shot the photographs after John Ramsey, JonBenet's father, and a friend discovered the former Little Miss Colorado dead Dec. 26 in the wine cellar of the family's home at 755th 15th St. About eight hours earlier, her mother, Patsy, had found a ransom note demanding $118,000 and called police.
Earlier Tuesday, the Globe tabloid agreed to return crime scene photos to the Boulder County coroner - one day after the county initiated a lawsuit against the weekly to prevent it from publishing additional photo-
The pictures include snapshots of a garrote and JonBenet's wrists, as well as unpublished photographs depicting the rope used to strangle the 6-year-old beauty queen.
"It's nice to know they listened to somebody - if not the voice of reason, then the voice of law enforcement," said Pat Korten, the Ramseys' media consultant.
But the county cannot prevent the 1.3 million-circulation Boca Raton, Fla.-based tabloid from republishing the pictures, said Denver media lawyer Tom Kelley, who represented the Globe. The weekly has scanned five photographs into the hard drives of the tabloid's computers, officials said.
"It became apparent that this case was a tempest in a teapot," said Kelley, who also represents the Daily Camera. "They simply decided they weren't willing to fight a war over a controversy that had no substance."
Authorities, however, would not comment on how the Globe obtained seven of the coroner's 113 pictures.
"They appear to be copies," Kelley said. "They are photographic prints, and we can't tell whether they're first-run copies or copies of copies."
The Globe completed the settlement before Judge Roxanne Bailin issued a ruling on a temporary restraining order the county requested Monday. The order would have blocked the Globe from printing unpublished photos.
The decision pleased Boulder County Deputy Attorney Madeleine Mason. Authorities agreed to the settlement because they feared further dissemination of the photos "could damage the police investigation and the possibility of a fair trial," Mason said.
But Globe editor Tony Frost said he consulted with forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, the coroner in Allegheny County, Pa., before publishing the photographs. Wecht, a doctor and a lawyer who has given expert testimony in high-profile cases such as the murder of Robert Kennedy and the slayings of O.J. Simpson's ex-wife and a friend, assured Frost the pictures would not harm the investigation or trial.
The tabloid paid a reliable source "less than $10,000" for the photographs and published them in a responsible manner, Frost added.
"There was nothing gruesome or ghoulish about the photographs," he said.
But Boulder County Coroner Dr. John Meyer said that the printing of the pictures shocked him.
"I don't think you can use autopsy photos of a 6-year-old girl sensitively, no matter whether they're cropped, enlarged, shrunk or whatever," Meyer said.
Meyer said his four-person staff continues to cooperate with the Boulder County sheriff's investigation into the sale of the photos. Meyer, however does not believe the leak involved his employees.
"I told them I had complete confidence in them," he said. "Obviously, as part of the investigation, anyone who came into contact with them would be investigated. I have complete confidence in my staff. I always have and I always will."
In other developments Tuesday:
JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, have hired a former FBI agent who served as the inspiration for an investigator in the movie "The Silence of the Lambs." John Douglas, former head of the FBI's behavioral science unit in Quantico, Va., has worked on the Tylenol poisonings as well as the Unabomber case.
Earlier, the Ramseys each hired an attorney, private investigators and spokesman Korten. Douglas, the inspiration for the boss of Jodie Foster's character in the 1991 Oscar-winning movie, also consulted on the film and wrote a 1995 book, "Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI Elite Serial Crime Unit." Korten declined Tuesday to comment on Douglas' role in the investigation.
"Our folks have been in close to daily contact with police," Korten said. "If we turn up any information we believe could be useful, we'll share it with them."
Korten also said the Ramseys' attorneys already have shared information with investigators. "The (police) detectives are conducting their own investigation, and that's the way it should be," Korten said. "But when we have information that would be valuable for their work, we share it with them."
Boulder detectives have interviewed Douglas, police said in a statement. He offered "an opportunity to provide insight on the case."
Boulder County Crime Stoppers officials said they have coordinated a $100,000 reward fund for information related to JonBenet's slaying. The fund includes $50,000 from the Ramsey family and money from other sources. The Globe also offered a $50,000 reward Tuesday and said the weekly has established a tip line.
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Photo lab staffer, ex-cop arrested in picture leak
Inquiry not over, Sheriff says
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
Thursday, January 16, 1997
Authorities arrested a Photo Craft Laboratories employee and a former local law enforcement officer Wednesday in connection with the sale of crime scene photos of JonBenet Ramsey to the Globe tabloid.
Officials charged Lawrence Shawn Smith, 36, a printer at the Boulder photography company, with two felonies - theft of more than $400 and tampering with physical evidence - as well as two misdemeanors - obstructing government operations and false reporting to authorities.
Lawrence Shawn Smith
Brett Allen Sawyer
Officials also charged Brett Allen Sawyer, 38, a former Lafayette police officer, a Boulder County sheriff's deputy in 1980-81 and a private investigator for the past 16 years, with obstructing government operations.
Investigators booked the two men at the Boulder County Justice Center on Wednesday and released them. Boulder County Sheriff George Epp announced the arrests - reported in Wednesday's Daily Camera - at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
The department has not completed the investigation, Epp added.
"It's possible that they'll arrest (someone else) very soon," a source said.
The Globe published five of the crime-scene pictures, including photos of a garrote and a rope around one of JonBenet's wrists, on Monday. As part of an agreement reached Tuesday, the
Globe will return the photos, although they hadn't arrived Wednesday. But, under the settlement, the tabloid can publish the pictures again.
Officials shot the photographs after JonBenet's mother, Patsy, found a ransom note about 5:30 a.m. Dec. 26. Approximately eight hours later, John Ramsey, JonBenet's father, and a friend discovered the former Little Miss Colorado strangled in the basement of the family's home at 755 15th St.
The newspaper hired Sawyer to search for facts surrounding the 6-year-old beauty queen's death, officials said.
"Like many media organizations, the Globe was interested in obtaining as much information about the Ramsey murder as fast as it could," said Peter Schild, Sawyer's attorney.
Sawyer told Smith he represented the Ramseys' independent investigative team, according to the arrest report. Sawyer then obtained the photographs and provided them to the Globe in about four hours, sources said.
The 1.3 million-circulation, Boca Raton, Fla.-based tabloid paid the men about $5,500, a $5,000 bonus and $500 in fees and expenses, according to the arrest report. Smith received about $200, Epp said.
"Sawyer allegedly went to Smith for help," a source close to the investigation said. "It's just a sick situation that's ironic, too, because Sawyer's 6-year-old son is a first-grader at the same school (High Peaks/Martin Park Elementary) that JonBenet went to. Even so, it really does seem like an astonishingly low amount of money for the pictures."
Generally, magazines do not disclose the prices they pay for photos because it would betray a competitive advantage. But one source said packages of exclusive news photos could result in several magazines bidding against each other, fetching as much as $20,000.
"They really can get a lot of money for certain pictures," said another photo agent. "That's why it's just hard to believe that the Globe paid so little for these pictures because they're authentic photographs that nobody else has."
A photographer familiar with the youth pageant circuit said that if the two men sold the pictures to the Globe for $5,500, "they were nitwits." Some publications would have easily paid more than $10,000 for the coroner's photographs, he said.
If convicted of all charges, Smith could face up to 8 years in prison and more than $600,000 in fines. Sawyer's possible penalties include a maximum six-month jail sentence and a $750 fine, Epp said.
Sawyer will appear for a hearing in Boulder County Court at 9 a.m. Feb. 27. Officials have not set a court date for Smith.
"These two people were acquainted with each other before this incident occurred," Epp said.
Upon learning that the Globe would publish the pictures, Sawyer contacted Schild, the attorney said. Schild then called the Boulder County Sheriff's Department, according to arrest reports.
"Brett feels terrible about his role in this and has done everything possible to make things right," Schild said. "He suggested donating the money to a memorial charity for JonBenet, perhaps at the school she attended.
"In an interview, Brett said he believed the photos would never be printed because that's what the Globe told him," Schild said. "The Globe told him the photos were only going to be used for a review by their own coroner consultant. It is common for media to review material that might be too offensive for public consumption," Schild said.
Meanwhile, Photo Craft presi dent Roy M. McCutchen said in a statement that he has fired Smith, who had worked for the company since 1987. McCutchen described Smith as "a trusted staff member who had been producing work for the coroner's office for many years."
McCutchen also apologized to the community.
"I am in a state of shock," McCutchen said. "In the 21 years I have been the senior operating officer of Photo Craft, nothing like this has ever happened. Our systems and relationships have evolved over years and have been built on the idea that people are basically honorable."
The publication of the photos also alarmed Boulder County Coroner Dr. John Meyer. The office has worked exclusively with Photo Craft since 1990 and paid the company about $1,300 to process film in 1996, he said. And while officials do not believe other publications have acquired any of the coroner's 113 photos, the incident has prompted the office to examine its photo processing policies, Meyer said.
"We've asked the Sheriff's Department to ... offer suggestions on how we might improve our procedures," Meyer said.
Those changes might include monitoring the film developing process, officials said.
"Right now, no one watches the film after the coroner's office drops it off," a source said. "Having someone watching this whole event might help. Or the coroner might need to develop only the necessary pictures as opposed to all of the film. We just need to look at a range of options so the family doesn't have to go through pain like this again."
Staff writer Elliot Zaret contributed to this report.
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Lab worker: I was 'betrayed'
Man charged in photo theft blames friend
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
Sunday, January 19, 1997
A 10-minute meeting Jan. 3 destroyed the career of Photo Craft employee Lawrence Shawn Smith.
During the brief encounter, Smith released photos of the JonBenet Ramsey crime scene that he had processed for the Boulder County coroner's office. He gave them to longtime friend Brett A. Sawyer, a former Lafayette police officer and a Boulder County sheriff's deputy in 1980-81.
"He said he was working for the Ramseys' independent investigative team," Smith said in an interview with the Daily Camera on Saturday. "At that point I didn't see anything wrong. I'd known Brett for a period of years, and I thought I was helping him out. I never thought that they'd be published in the Globe."
On Wednesday, police arrested Smith and Sawyer in connection with the sale of seven pictures to the Globe tabloid.
"During my 24 years with the Boulder County Sheriff's Department, I have never seen a case where physical evidence is co-opted in this way," said Boulder County Sheriff George Epp. "This is a breach of the justice system. It's important to me that it's resolved quickly."
Officials shot the photographs after John Ramsey, JonBenet's father, and a friend discovered the 6-year-old beauty queen strangled in the basement of the Ramsey home at 755 15th St. on Dec. 26. About eight hours earlier, JonBenet's mother, Patsy, found a ransom note demanding $118,000 and called police.
Officials charged Smith, 36, with two
felonies - theft of more than $400 and tampering with physical evidence - as well as two misdemeanors - obstructing government operations and false reporting to authorities.
Authorities charged Sawyer, 38, a private investigator for the past 16 years, with obstructing government operations.
"I never thought this would happen," said Smith, who has known Sawyer for about nine years. "He chose the pictures and assured me that they were being used for the investigation and that no one else would see them. Before he left, he said he'd have to talk to (the Ramseys' investigative team), but (the pictures) could be worth a couple hundred bucks."
Sawyer provided the photographs to the Globe and received $5,500; a $5,000 bonus and $500 in fees and expenses, according to the arrest report. On Jan. 9, Sawyer paid Smith $200 in cash.
"I just assumed the $200 was more or less a service fee for helping him out," Smith said. "I've never done anything like this before."
The Globe published five of the photos, including pictures of a garrote and a rope around one of JonBenet's wrists.
In a settlement with Boulder County on Tuesday, the 1.3 million-circulation, Boca Raton, Fla.-based weekly agreed to return the pictures. But the tabloid may reprint the photographs.
"When I found out about who had the pictures, I basically died inside," Smith said. "I realized that I was starting to get involved in something that was way too deep and out of control for what I had been led to believe."
Smith, however, lied to sheriff's investigators about his discussions with Sawyer.
"Brett told me that if for any reason the coroner's office came sniffing around, just to act like I didn't know anything," said Smith, who has worked for Photo Craft since 1987. "He said that no one would know that the pictures had come from me."
Upon learning of Smith's actions, Photo Craft president Roy McCutchen fired the 15-year Boulder resident.
"I feel foolish and ashamed," Smith said. "I'm personally sorry for the Ramsey tragedy as a whole. I'm sorry my name was in any way connected to any of those events, because I never looked to have any involvement with such a thing. I feel betrayed, because I trusted him, and he said he was working for an investigative team, and he used the photos for different means."
But Sawyer's attorney, Peter Schild, had a different view. "I doubt Brett told him who he was working for," he said.
Meanwhile, as sheriff's authorities continue to investigate the sale of the photos to the Globe, Smith remains in a state of shock. "I flushed the ($200) down the toilet, because I didn't want anything to do with it," Smith said. "People make mistakes, and mine was a great big mistake and it's ruined my life.
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Sheriff, D.A. end investigation into theft of Ramsey photos
By ELLIOT ZARET
Camera Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 4, 1997
The Boulder County Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney's Office have closed the investigation into the coroner's crime scene photographs of JonBenet Ramsey that were stolen and sold to a tabloid last month.
When two people were arrested Jan. 15 in connection with the theft, officials hinted that there might be more arrests. On Monday, Sheriff George Epp said there will be no more arrests because of insufficient evidence.
The pictures were of the scene where JonBenet was found murdered Dec. 26 in the basement of the family's Boulder home, eight hours after being reported kidnapped. Police still have no suspects in the murder.
Lawrence Shawn Smith, 36, a printer at Boulder's Photo Craft Laboratories, was arrested on four felony charges of theft, tampering with evidence, obstructing government operations and false reporting to authorities. Brett Allen Sawyer, 38, a private investigator who previously was a Lafayette police officer and Boulder County sheriff's deputy, was charged with obstructing government operations.
Both men are scheduled to appear in court at 1 p.m. Feb. 20. If convicted, Smith could face as many as eight years in prison and $600,000 in fines. Sawyer, if convicted, could be sentenced to a maximum six months in prison and a $750 fine.
The two men are accused of selling coroner's photographs to the Globe, a 1.3-million circulation tabloid based in Boca Raton, Fla. The Globe paid $5,500 for the pictures, of which Smith received $200. The Globe returned the seven stolen pictures as part of a Jan. 14 settlement with the county.
District Attorney Alex Hunter said that evidence could not support a charge of receiving stolen property against the tabloid because "there was no way to prove they had knowledge the photos were stolen nor that any other person directed or suggested that the photos should be stolen.
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Two ordered to write apologies for Ramsey autopsy photo sale
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
February 21, 1997
Two men who pleaded guilty Thursday to selling stolen autopsy photos of JonBenet Ramsey to a tabloid newspaper must write letters of apology to the Ramsey family, a Boulder County judge ordered.
"It is to be straight from the heart," said Judge Lael Montgomery, adding the public will not have access to the letters.
Lawrence S. Smith, 36, a former employee at Photo Craft Laboratories, which processes the Boulder County Coroner Office's film, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors - obstructing government operations and false reporting to authorities. Authorities dropped two felonies against Smith - theft of more than $400 and tampering with physical evidence.
Brett A. Sawyer, a former Boulder County sheriff's deputy and Lafayette police officer, also pleaded guilty to obstructing government operations.
Montgomery sentenced both men to three days in jail, beginning immediately, and 64 hours of community service. Each must pay $138 in court costs and deliver the letters within 24 hours of their release from jail.
In addition, Montgomery required Sawyer to give the $5,000 he received from the Globe for the photos to the Boulder District Attorney's office. Sawyer also will pay a $500 fine.
Smith will forfeit the $200 he obtained from Sawyer to the prosecutor's office as well. If Smith had been convicted of all charges, he faced up to eight years in prison and more than $600,000 in fines. Sawyer's possible penalties included a maximum six-month jail sentence and/or a $750 fine.
Authorities arrested the men Jan. 15 after the Globe hired Sawyer earlier in the month to search for facts surrounding the murder of the 6-year-old former Little Miss Colorado. Sawyer later told Smith he represented an investigative team associated with the Ramsey case, according to a police report. Smith provided Sawyer with the pictures, which authorities shot after John Ramsey, JonBenet's father, and a friend discovered the beauty queen strangled in the basement of the Ramseys' home at 755 15th St. on Dec. 26.
Sawyer sent the photos to the 1.3 million circulation, Boca Raton, Fla.-based weekly, and the tabloid published five of the pictures, including those depicting a rope around one of JonBenet's wrists and a garrote.
"I think that Brett has punished himself for his mistake, and that's far more than the judge did," said Peter Schild, Sawyer's attorney. "He'll need to rebuild his life and his career, and I think that this community is capable of forgiving him and letting him start over.
"This charge was agreed to between (Chief Trial Deputy) Pete Hofstrom and myself before he was ever arrested," Schild added. "Our agreement was that Pete Hofstrom would ask the judge to sentence Brett to what he personally felt was appropriate, and it's noteworthy that Mr. Hofstrom did not ask the judge to give Brett any jail time."
Mark Biddison, Smith's attorney, offered another view.
"Community service and giving up the $200 is certainly appropriate," Biddison said. "(Smith) felt he was assisting in the private investigation of a tragic crime. He certainly wouldn't have jeopardized his career for $200."
Smith has said he flushed the money down the toilet.
Meanwhile, officials have not determined how the District Attorney's office will use Smith and Sawyer's money.
In other developments:
City spokesman Kelvin McNeill confirmed investigators have acquired Elizabeth Ramsey's autopsy report. Elizabeth Ramsey, John Ramsey's 22-year-old daughter with his first wife, and her boyfriend, Matthew Derrington, died in a car accident on Jan. 8, 1992, in Chicago.
Early Thursday, some Chicago television sta tions reported the autopsy most likely indicated prior sexual abuse, but several sources denied the allegations.
"We asked to have the report and the document sealed several weeks ago," a source said. "It shows that she died in a car accident. We got it just to make sure we're making our investigation as complete as possible."
Police have conducted more than 115 formal interviews in Colorado and around the country and have not identified any suspects, McNeill said. Authorities have received more than 600 letters and 1,840 telephone calls concerning the case. About 15 percent warrant some form of police "follow-up," McNeill said.
"We'll go back to Michigan or wherever we have to get this job done," a source said.
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New Globe photos won't hinder probe
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
March 11, 1997
The publication of additional crime-scene photographs in the Globe tabloid will not hinder the investigation into the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, Boulder authorities said Monday.
The pictures will appear in today's edition of the Globe and include photos of the 6-year-old's bedroom, a dresser and areas where police removed carpeting, the tabloid said.
Four leading criminologists concluded the pictures also depict a basement room next to the Ramsey's wine cellar, Globe Editor Tony Frost said in a news release late Sunday. The photographs - obtained legally from a confidential source - "trace the killer' s footsteps inside the Ramsey's Boulder home," Frost said.
In January, the weekly published autopsy photographs showing a cord wrapped around the former Little Miss Colorado's wrist. Two Boulder men, Brett A. Sawyer and Lawrence S. Smith, pleaded guilty to obstructing government operations in connection with stea ling the pictures and selling them to the Globe for $5,500. Both men served three days in jail.
Officials shot those pictures after John Ramsey, JonBenet's father, and a friend discovered the girl strangled in the wine cellar of the Ramseys' home on Dec. 26. About eight hours earlier, Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet's mother, had found a ransom note demandin g $118,000 and called police.
Officials do not plan to investigate how the Globe acquired the most recent pictures. Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter, however, called the Globe's publication of the new photos "rep rehensible."
"Unfortunately, it does not appear to be criminal behavior, and I don't anticipate it will impact our ability to seek justice in this case," he said in a statement Monday.
Also Monday, Boulder County Coroner Dr. John Meyer viewed the photographs and said he could "state with certainty" that the coroner's office did not take the pictures.
"It seems to me anyone who had access to the house could have taken the pictures after the police released the crime scene," said Boulder County Sheriff George Epp. "If someone trespassed into the house to take the pictures, it would be up to the Ramseys to file a trespassing complaint with the police department, assuming they're not official photographs."
In other developments:
Officials confirmed that criminologist Dr. Henry Lee, director of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory and a member of the Ramsey homicide task force, reviewed material in the homicide investigation Saturday and Sunday in Boulder.
City spokesman Kelvin McNeill declined to comment on specifics of the examination Lee conducted. "He is a member of the expert prosecution task force and he will do his work as a member of that task force," McNeill said.
Contrary to a recent media report, the Ramseys have never provided police with a list of possible suspect names, nor have they identified anyone as a suspect in connection with JonBenet's murder, said Pat Korten, the family's media consultant.
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Police suspect Globe photos stolen
Tabloid refuses to reveal source for pictures of Ramsey home
Associated Press
March 23, 1997
The parents of slain 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey are questioning how a supermarket tabloid got photographs of the inside of their home, and a special prosecutor is investigating whether theft occurred.
John and Patsy Ramsey had photographs taken after Boulder police completed a search of their house following the Dec. 26 murder. The couple's attorneys suspect the Globe used negatives from those photos to publish pictures in its most recent editions.
Globe officials declined to comment on where they obtained the photos, but editor Tony Frost said the tabloid paid "a modest four-figure sum" for them.
Three of the pictures show JonBenet's bedroom, and five others include shots of golf clubs belonging to John Ramsey and the basement room in which he found his daughter's body Dec. 26.
The Ramseys' attorneys asked the Denver district attorney's office to investigate whether a theft occurred. Denver DA Bill Ritter turned the investigation over to Colorado Springs DA Jeanne Smith on Friday because he and most other metro area DAs are helping in the Boulder case.
"The issue is whether there was any criminal conduct on the part of anyone in obtaining what appear to be photographs taken by John Ramsey's legal team," Ritter said.
Smith is expected to start her investigation Monday, according to Ritter.
Boulder DA Alex Hunter said publication of the photos is "reprehensible," but not necessarily criminal. This is the second batch of Ramsey murder case photos published by the Globe.
Earlier, the tabloid published a series of coroner's photos. A private investigator and an employee of the photo lab that processed pictures for the coroner's office were sentenced to three days in jail for selling those photos to the magazine.
Also Saturday, sources close to the investigation said the Ramseys had left Boulder, apparently to visit Atlanta, their former home. Ramsey spokesperson Pat Korten would not say if or where the family was traveling.
"They are a private couple - not a public couple - and they have a right to travel without making a public statement about it," Korten said. "I'm firmly resolved to protect their privacy if and when they decide to travel."
The investigation into the death of JonBenet is now in its 12th week. No suspects have been named.
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Photo technician is arrested again
By CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON Camera Staff Writer
Sunday, July 20, 1997
A photo technician fired for stealing and selling autopsy photos of JonBenet Ramsey published in the Globe tabloid was back in jail Saturday after being arrested in connection with indecent exposure in front of two teenage girls.
Lawrence Shawn Smith remained in Boulder County Jail late Saturday on a $5,000 bond.
Deputies arrested him at his home at 421 Fourmile Canyon on suspicion of three counts of indecent exposure.
According to police reports, Smith exposed himself near his home to a juvenile girl on Wednesday while she was jogging. When she was running by, the girl saw him lying on the roadside naked and masturbating. He later exposed himself to another juvenile girl, the report states.
One of the girls picked him out of a photo lineup the next day.
According to the report, Smith told a deputy that "he didn't do anything" and that "he has been trying really hard to get his life together after the Ramsey incident." Smith, who has been working at Western 1-Hour Photo in Estes Park for about a month, told deputies he was lucky to get his new job and "wouldn't do anything to hurt his career."
Tracy Goodemote, a manager of Western 1-Hour Photo, said he did not know that Smith had been arrested but that he has been an excellent employee who does not cause problems. Goodemote said managers at the store knew of Smith's role in the Ramsey photos, but said, "We didn't see it as too relevant."
Smith and Brett A. Sawyer, a former Boulder County sheriff's deputy and Lafayette police officer, were arrested Jan. 15 for stealing and selling coroner's photos to the Globe for $5,500. Sawyer paid Smith - then a photo technician at Photo Craft Laboratories - $200 for stealing the photos. One report said Sawyer told Smith he was an investigator working in connection with the Ramsey case. Six-year-old JonBenet was found strangled in her family's Boulder home Dec. 26.
Smith and Sawyer pleaded guilty to obstruction of government operations and were sentenced to three days in jail, 64 hours of community service, $138 in court costs and to write letters of apology to the Ramseys.
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