O.J. vets to attend Ramsey review
Boulder police prepare overview of killing for the district attorney
By Thomas Henry Eaton and Matt Sebastian
Camera Staff Writers
When Boulder police present the JonBenét Ramsey murder case to the district attorney next week, two veterans of the O.J. Simpson defense team will be there, along with several Denver area prosecutors and police officers.
About 26 people are expected to observe the case presentation Monday and Tuesday at the Coors Events and Conference Center at the University of Colorado.
Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter has said he will decide within 30 days of the presentation whether to grant investigators' request for a grand jury investigation into the unsolved slaying. Six-year-old JonBenét was found dead in her family's basement Dec. 26, 1996, several hours after being reported kidnapped.
Two Simpson alumni, Dr. Henry Lee, director of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory, and Barry Scheck, an attorney famed for his DNA analysis, will bring their insight to Boulder next week.
"I want those people who have been on the case from the beginning and those who bring fresh approaches to analyzing and evaluating the evidence," Hunter said Thursday.
"I want my longtime, trusted advisers there."
To that effect, 10 members of Hunter's staff will be present, including Chief Trial Deputy Peter Hofstrom; assistant district attorneys Bill Wise and Phil Miller; Chief Deputy Pete Maguire; senior trial deputies Trip DeMuth, Mary Keenan and John Pickering; and retired Colorado Springs detective Lou Smit.
Hunter's newest staff member, grand jury specialist Michael Kane, also will attend. Kane reported to work Tuesday and was sworn in by Boulder District Chief Judge Joseph Bellipanni as a deputy district attorney.
Three Denver area district attorneys have been invited as well — Adams County's Bob Grant, Denver's Bill Ritter and Arapahoe County's Jim Peters.
For investigative expertise, Hunter will bring along Tom Haney, a 29-year veteran of the Denver Police Department currently supervising homicide investigations, and Dan Schuler, a witness interview specialist from the Broomfield Police Department.
The Ramsey case will be presented by Detective Cmdr. Mark Beckner and Sgt. Tom Wickman, along with the six detectives still assigned to the investigation.
Beckner and Hunter are scheduled to hold a press conference at the end of the two-day meeting.
Friday, May 29, 1998
I SPOKE TO SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO ATTRENDED THIS GATHERING - AND THE "STAR" WAS VASSAR PROFESSOR DON FOSTER.
He promoted the theory of his friend Steve Thomas - Patsy did it. Had Kolar been pushing Foster, I believe Foster would have made a case against Burke - equally as bogus.
I would love a copy of the transcript of that meeting but don't think LE will ever release it as it would really embarrass the investigators who high-fived each other at the end.
It was after that meeting that the BPD became aware of Foster's "work" beforehand. He was exposed as a charlatan and general jerk - - - but Kane still wanted him to speak to the grand jury. I know he personally did not appear but was told his theory was not only presented but pushed as credible.
Shame on Kane and company for doing that.
(10-14-2017, 05:57 PM)jameson245 Wrote: [ -> ]I would love a copy of the transcript of that meeting but don't think LE will ever release it as it would really embarrass the investigators who high-fived each other at the end.
Exactly. There's so much evidence in this case that has been covered up.
(05-10-2017, 10:23 PM)jameson245 Wrote: [ -> ]O.J. vets to attend Ramsey review
Boulder police prepare overview of killing for the district attorney
By Thomas Henry Eaton and Matt Sebastian
Camera Staff Writers
When Boulder police present the JonBenét Ramsey murder case to the district attorney next week, two veterans of the O.J. Simpson defense team will be there, along with several Denver area prosecutors and police officers.
About 26 people are expected to observe the case presentation Monday and Tuesday at the Coors Events and Conference Center at the University of Colorado.
Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter has said he will decide within 30 days of the presentation whether to grant investigators' request for a grand jury investigation into the unsolved slaying. Six-year-old JonBenét was found dead in her family's basement Dec. 26, 1996, several hours after being reported kidnapped.
Two Simpson alumni, Dr. Henry Lee, director of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory, and Barry Scheck, an attorney famed for his DNA analysis, will bring their insight to Boulder next week.
"I want those people who have been on the case from the beginning and those who bring fresh approaches to analyzing and evaluating the evidence," Hunter said Thursday.
"I want my longtime, trusted advisers there."
To that effect, 10 members of Hunter's staff will be present, including Chief Trial Deputy Peter Hofstrom; assistant district attorneys Bill Wise and Phil Miller; Chief Deputy Pete Maguire; senior trial deputies Trip DeMuth, Mary Keenan and John Pickering; and retired Colorado Springs detective Lou Smit.
Hunter's newest staff member, grand jury specialist Michael Kane, also will attend. Kane reported to work Tuesday and was sworn in by Boulder District Chief Judge Joseph Bellipanni as a deputy district attorney.
Three Denver area district attorneys have been invited as well — Adams County's Bob Grant, Denver's Bill Ritter and Arapahoe County's Jim Peters.
For investigative expertise, Hunter will bring along Tom Haney, a 29-year veteran of the Denver Police Department currently supervising homicide investigations, and Dan Schuler, a witness interview specialist from the Broomfield Police Department.
The Ramsey case will be presented by Detective Cmdr. Mark Beckner and Sgt. Tom Wickman, along with the six detectives still assigned to the investigation.
Beckner and Hunter are scheduled to hold a press conference at the end of the two-day meeting.
Friday, May 29, 1998
(10-14-2017, 05:57 PM)jameson245 Wrote: [ -> ]I SPOKE TO SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO ATTRENDED THIS GATHERING - AND THE "STAR" WAS VASSAR PROFESSOR DON FOSTER.
He promoted the theory of his friend Steve Thomas - Patsy did it. Had Kolar been pushing Foster, I believe Foster would have made a case against Burke - equally as bogus.
I would love a copy of the transcript of that meeting but don't think LE will ever release it as it would really embarrass the investigators who high-fived each other at the end.
It was after that meeting that the BPD became aware of Foster's "work" beforehand. He was exposed as a charlatan and general jerk - - - but Kane still wanted him to speak to the grand jury. I know he personally did not appear but was told his theory was not only presented but pushed as credible.
Shame on Kane and company for doing that.
Lol why they would even want to bring "investigators" from the OJ case is beyond me. Look at the outcome of that murder case, lol.
They picked investigators who fit their agenda of "Ramsey's did it" "Patsy did it". They wouldnt dare bring someone like Lou Smit there.. because he would call out their ridiculous thinking and present the truth.
Henry Lee has proven himself, over and over to be a dumb*** and a liar. Especially in the past year or so with the CBS "documentary". What a joke.
JonBenet Case To Grand Jury?
By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff
June 1, 1998 / 9:56 AM / AP
More than two dozen investigators, prosecutors, and criminologists are getting together to find out if there is enough evidence to present the case of JonBenet Ramsey's killing to a grand jury.
The meeting, scheduled to begin Monday and take at least two days, involves four district attorneys, two nationally known criminologists, and eight police investigators.
Police say Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter has been notified of all developments in the case, but he has not seen the whole package that might persuade a grand jury to return an indictment.
Nearly 30,000 pieces of evidence are expected to be included in a multimedia presentation at the University of Colorado Coors Events Center. Amongst those will be the rope used to strangle the little girl, handwriting samples from the girl's mother, the autopsy report, and the ransom note claiming the girl had been kidnapped.
Police hope the presentation persuades Hunter to convene the county grand jury to further the investigation into the 6-year-old's murder. Hunter has said he could make a decision about using the grand jury and its broad subpoena powers within 30 days of the presentation.
JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, remain suspects in their daughter's death. The body of the former Little Miss Colorado was found in the family's Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996. Both parents have proclaimed their innocence.
Ramsey found his daughter's body about eight hours after his wife said she found a ransom note demanding $118,000. JonBenet had been beaten and strangled, and medical authorities say she may have been sexually assaulted.
Police have been criticized for their handling of the case, particularly for failing to secure the crime scene and allowing John Ramsey to search the house and find JonBenet's body.
Hunter said he will rely on his own experts, including grand jury specialist Michael Kane, and national criminology experts Henry Lee and Barry Scheck, who became widely known for their involvement in the O.J. Simpson trial.
Also on hand will be Bob Grant, Bill Ritter, and Jim Peters, district attorneys from neighboring counties called in to offer advice.
"I want those people who have been on the case from the beginning, and those who bring fresh approaches to analyzing and evaluating the evidence," Hunter said.
Grant said it's not unusual for detectives to make a presentation in a homicide case, but it is unusual for the district attorney to bring in a large panel of advisers to hear the evidence.
He said it could take weeks or months to review the evidence, and Hunter may decide more work needs to be done by police before he takes it to a grand jury that was seated last month and could hear the case.
Written by Steven K. Paulson
The BoulderNews Ramsey Archive
Articles from the Daily Camera
Ramsey case to be presented
Boulder police won't speculate about the ID of Ramsey killer
By Matt Sebastian
Camera Staff Writer
Boulder detectives have hundreds of pieces of evidence and 30,000 pages of documentation in their 17-month-old investigation into the homicide of JonBenet Ramsey.
But when investigators present their case to Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter on Monday and Tuesday, one thing they won't reveal is who killed the 6-year-old.
Cmdr. Mark Beckner, who has steered the investigation since last fall, said he and his detectives won't get into the who, how and why of the slaying.
Instead, Beckner said, the case will be brought into a "tight focus" -- but detectives will stop short of speculating about who killed JonBenet.
When asked if that meant detectives don't yet know who committed the murder, Beckner said, "That's just as specific as I'm going to get."
JonBenet Ramsey's beaten and strangled body was found in the basement of her parents' Boulder home Dec. 26, 1996.
Police had gone to the home that morning after the girl's mother, Patsy Ramsey, reported finding a ransom note demanding $118,000 for the return of her daughter. Hours later, her husband, John Ramsey, found JonBenet's body in a basement storeroom.
The subsequent investigation drew international media attention after the parents hired attorneys and, for months, refused to meet with police.
As late as last fall, Beckner maintained the Ramseys remained under an "umbrella of suspicion."
The parents have denied any involvement in the slaying.
When contacted Friday, Ramsey attorney Pat Furman said he wasn't at liberty to speak to the Daily Camera. He said Bryan Morgan, another Ramsey lawyer, was the designated "point man" for the Camera. Morgan did not return phone calls.
Next week's case-presentation was planned after Beckner and Police Chief Tom Koby in March asked Hunter to refer the case to Boulder County's standing grand jury.
Hunter, who has referred to the Ramsey murder as a "complex circumstantial case," expects to decide whether to grant that request within 30 days.
Beckner, though, said his team's work won't be done after the presentation wraps up Tuesday.
Six detectives and a sergeant are working on the Ramsey case and will continue to do so after they help Beckner with the presentation. Reassignments likely will come "down the road," Beckner said.
"There are still a couple more things we can accomplish," he said. "But of course we think the grand jury is necessary."
Of the 90-odd items on Beckner's "to-do" list for the case, 77 have been completed, the detective commander said.
Beckner said he believes most all of the remaining tasks -- such as re-interviewing John and Patsy Ramsey -- can be achieved through the use of the grand jury and its sweeping subpoena powers.
The presentation Monday and Tuesday, at the University of Colorado's Coors Events and Conference Center, will offer a complete overview of the evidence collected in the last 17 months.
The detectives also will be "selling them on the idea that we need a grand jury," Beckner said.
In attendance will be a large contingent of Hunter's staff, along with several Denver-area prosecutors and investigators and two members of the O.J. Simpson defense team -- Dr. Henry Lee and attorney Barry Scheck.
May 30, 1998
The BoulderNews Ramsey Archive
Articles from the Daily Camera
Ramsey case reviewed
Police turn Ramsey case over to DA
By Matt Sebastian
Camera Staff Writer
Emerging from a marathon meeting with detectives Monday evening, Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter called investigators' presentation on the JonBenét Ramsey murder case "very productive."
But Hunter said little else about his first comprehensive look at the evidence collected in the 17 months since the slaying.
Led by Boulder police Cmdr. Mark Beckner, seven detectives spent the day walking Hunter, members of his staff and a team of hand-picked experts through 30,000 pages of reports and hundreds of pieces of evidence.
"It went well," said Colorado Bureau of Investigation Inspector Pete Mang. "Very well."
JonBenét Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her parents' Boulder home Dec. 26, 1996, hours after her mother reported her kidnapped.
Boulder police have named no suspects, although Beckner has said the girl's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, remain under an "umbrella of suspicion."
The Ramseys, who have since moved to Atlanta, maintain their innocence.
JonBenét's involvement in child beauty pageants and her parents' wealth captured the attention of international media.
And like any other high-profile Ramsey event, Monday was no different, drawing hordes of local and national media correspondents who mobbed police and prosecutors with video cameras and huge microphones.
Most of the 40 participants were mum Monday evening as they emerged from behind black curtains inside the University of Colorado's Coors Events and Conference Center, nearly 11 hours after the first attendees began trickling in.
Dr. Henry Lee, director of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory, and Barry Scheck, an attorney famed for his DNA analysis while successfully defending O.J. Simpson, both left with Hunter after declining to comment on what they saw and heard.
Beckner gave a thumbs-up to a mob of television cameramen, while outgoing Police Chief Tom Koby simply grinned as he walked to his car.
Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter, one of Hunter's advisers, said "it was a good presentation by the police department," which was at least halfway over at day's end.
The meeting, which will conclude today, was arranged after Beckner and Koby in March asked Hunter to refer the Ramsey investigation to the county's standing grand jury.
Although detectives will continue to do some work on the case, this week's presentation effectively signals the handing over of the investigation to the district attorney.
Beckner last week told the Daily Camera he wouldn't reveal who killed JonBenét Ramsey during his presentation, saying his detectives instead would bring the case into a "tight focus."
Although Beckner has said the purpose of the evidentiary presentation is to "sell them on the idea of a grand jury," legal analysts have speculated Hunter could be convinced to file charges after hearing investigators' case.
But Beckner said last week that "of course we think a grand jury is necessary," pointing out that certain tasks still awaiting completion probably only will be achieved through the sweeping subpoena power of the grand jury.
The district attorney, who pledged to "keep an open mind" prior to entering the meeting, has said he likely will decide whether to advance the Ramsey case to the grand jury within 30 days of the detectives' presentation.
June 1, 1998
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The BoulderNews Ramsey Archive
Articles from the Daily Camera
DA at key point in Ramsey case
Hunter at critical point in Ramsey case
By Matt Sebastian
Camera Staff Writer
A day after police handed over the JonBenét Ramsey homicide investigation, legal and law enforcement experts agreed that Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter has reached a crucial juncture.
"The predicament, as it appears to me, is that in two days of evidence, he's probably concluded there is easily probable cause to indict someone," said Mimi Wesson, a University of Colorado law professor and former federal prosecutor.
"But he may also be harboring doubts that there may not be enough evidence to convict someone of this crime," Wesson said.
"What's the proper thing for him to do under those circumstances?"
That's the answer Boulder police -- and the worldwide media -- are waiting for.
More than 17 months after 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her parents' home on Dec. 26, 1996, Boulder police formally presented the case to Hunter, his staff and a panel of hand-picked experts Monday and Tuesday.
In March, Cmdr. Mark Beckner, who oversees the investigation, asked Hunter to refer the case to the county's standing grand jury. Tuesday, Beckner admitted he has "an idea who did it," but said the case isn't solved.
And it's not likely to be solved without the broad subpoena powers of a grand jury, police believe.
The two-day case presentation, which also served as a platform for Beckner and his detectives to sell prosecutors on the idea of a grand jury investigation, is almost unheard of.
"What went on there sounds like what goes on before a grand jury," said retired FBI profiler Gregg McCrary. "This is what grand juries do; they hear the evidence and they hear the theories.
"It's unusual to have a pre-grand-jury hearing to see is there's enough to let a grand jury decide if there's enough to go to trial," McCrary said. "This is pretty far removed from where it ultimately needs to go. It's an almost beleaguered process."
Although Beckner said crucial, unspecified test results had been returned in the past week, Hunter admitted Tuesday there still isn't enough evidence to file charges.
The district attorney said he hopes to make his decision whether to convene the grand jury within the next month.
But from the standpoint of a defense attorney, Hunter is proceeding appropriately, said Phil Dubois, a Boulder attorney and past president of the Boulder chapter of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar.
"From my perspective, what's happening is actually a good thing," Dubois said. "The district attorney is willing to take responsibility for making a decision here and he wants it to be the right one.
"It's an easy thing for prosecutors to simply go with what the investigating police want done or go with what they sense to be public opinion or to simply file a case that may be weak," Dubois said. "For a prosecutor to look this carefully at a case, frankly, I find some hope in that."
Whether the slain 6-year-old's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, find hope in Hunter's actions is not known.
Police and prosecutors said Tuesday the Ramseys continue to remain under a shrinking "umbrella of suspicion," although the parents have denied any involvement in JonBenét's death.
Tuesday evening, Ramsey attorney Bryan Morgan declined to comment, but said the family's legal team was preparing a statement, which has yet to be released.
Although Dubois praised Hunter for taking a long, hard look at the Ramsey case before making up his mind on the grand jury, others fear too much analysis could backfire.
"It could conceivably weaken the case," McCrary said. "There's just that appearance of indecision; that there isn't enough to go on."
Another concern is that the case was blown in the first few hours.
"I have to question what in the hell they were thinking when they did not protect that crime scene," said Dale Stange, a retired Boulder police officer who spent eight years as a homicide investigator. "My God, that's the first thing we're taught, I don't care if it's a theft or a murder.
"There is no evidence. Everything is contaminated. All that is lost."
Although McCrary believes police mistakes will be "a field day for the defense," he said they probably explain why the investigation has proceeded so cautiously since its initial days.
"I think that they're at the point where they realize it was mishandled early on and no one ever wants to be accused of that again, so they're being very thorough in everything they do," McCrary said. "Hopefully, all that can counterbalance the missteps on that first day."
June 4, 1998