05-10-2017, 09:57 PM
Man tries to burn Ramsey house
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
Friday, June 20, 1997
Police arrested a Denver man Thursday after he confessed to trying to burn down the house at 755 15th St. in Boulder where six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered on Dec. 26.
James Michael Thompson - charged with first degree arson and third degree criminal trespass - remained in Boulder County Jail Thursday night.
In late May, authorities arrested and interviewed Thompson, 33, after he allegedly stole log pages from the Boulder Community Hospital morgue that included the entry on JonBenet Ramsey.
Thompson also faces five counts of abuse of a corpse after he took photographs of bodies he had posed with various written messages.
On Wednesday afternoon Thompson came to the Daily Camera, asking to talk to a reporter. He obtained a copy of an obituary from the newspaper's library.
"Something is going to happen," he said. "This is it."
On Thursday, Thompson called Det. Ron Gosage, a Ramsey homicide investigator, and said "He (Thompson) had "done it again,'" according to a police report.
Thompson said he shoved burning papers - which reportedly included newspaper clippings about the Ramsey case - through the mail slot of the family's house. The fire didn't cause significant damage.
Gosage and Det. Steve Thomas then located Thompson and went to the Ramseys' home. The investigators discovered a book of matches propping open the mail slot and smelled a burning odor, the report said.
Later, at the Boulder County Jail, authorities confiscated from Thompson two packs of Circle K matches, a "yellow King brand butane-type" lighter and a handwritten letter dated Wednesday indicating "something must happen - today," the report said.
Before arriving at the jail, Thompson told investigators he spent a "good portion" of the evening sitting on the Ramseys' patio, "just staring at the house," the report said.
A guest at a neighbor's prayer meeting noticed a "strange man" seated on the entrance walkway to the family's house Wednesday evening, the report added.
In other developments:
Officials denied reports that police refused to share the results of handwriting analysis related to a ransom note found by Patsy Ramsey with the Boulder County District Attorney's Office.
"We are still analyzing the handwriting and no report has been issued," said Colorado Bureau of Investigation inspector Pete Mang.
Mang would not comment on whether investigators have completed the fingerprinting process concerning the document.
Patsy Ramsey supplied a fifth handwriting sample to investigators May 20.
The Ramseys gave permission Thursday to Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter and the Boulder Police Department to conduct another search of the home, family spokeswoman Rachelle Zimmer said.
According to a letter from Ramsey family attorneys to police in April, the couple agreed to allow authorities to search their home again without a search warrant. Investigators reportedly wished to destroy walls in the basement in hopes of locating evidence.
Zimmer could not confirm reports Thursday that the Ramseys had traveled to Atlanta from their summer home in Charlevoix, Mich., to complete buying a house in Atlanta. John and Patsy Ramsey haven't lived at the Boulder house since their daughter died and have put the home up for sale.
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
Friday, June 20, 1997
Police arrested a Denver man Thursday after he confessed to trying to burn down the house at 755 15th St. in Boulder where six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered on Dec. 26.
James Michael Thompson - charged with first degree arson and third degree criminal trespass - remained in Boulder County Jail Thursday night.
In late May, authorities arrested and interviewed Thompson, 33, after he allegedly stole log pages from the Boulder Community Hospital morgue that included the entry on JonBenet Ramsey.
Thompson also faces five counts of abuse of a corpse after he took photographs of bodies he had posed with various written messages.
On Wednesday afternoon Thompson came to the Daily Camera, asking to talk to a reporter. He obtained a copy of an obituary from the newspaper's library.
"Something is going to happen," he said. "This is it."
On Thursday, Thompson called Det. Ron Gosage, a Ramsey homicide investigator, and said "He (Thompson) had "done it again,'" according to a police report.
Thompson said he shoved burning papers - which reportedly included newspaper clippings about the Ramsey case - through the mail slot of the family's house. The fire didn't cause significant damage.
Gosage and Det. Steve Thomas then located Thompson and went to the Ramseys' home. The investigators discovered a book of matches propping open the mail slot and smelled a burning odor, the report said.
Later, at the Boulder County Jail, authorities confiscated from Thompson two packs of Circle K matches, a "yellow King brand butane-type" lighter and a handwritten letter dated Wednesday indicating "something must happen - today," the report said.
Before arriving at the jail, Thompson told investigators he spent a "good portion" of the evening sitting on the Ramseys' patio, "just staring at the house," the report said.
A guest at a neighbor's prayer meeting noticed a "strange man" seated on the entrance walkway to the family's house Wednesday evening, the report added.
In other developments:
Officials denied reports that police refused to share the results of handwriting analysis related to a ransom note found by Patsy Ramsey with the Boulder County District Attorney's Office.
"We are still analyzing the handwriting and no report has been issued," said Colorado Bureau of Investigation inspector Pete Mang.
Mang would not comment on whether investigators have completed the fingerprinting process concerning the document.
Patsy Ramsey supplied a fifth handwriting sample to investigators May 20.
The Ramseys gave permission Thursday to Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter and the Boulder Police Department to conduct another search of the home, family spokeswoman Rachelle Zimmer said.
According to a letter from Ramsey family attorneys to police in April, the couple agreed to allow authorities to search their home again without a search warrant. Investigators reportedly wished to destroy walls in the basement in hopes of locating evidence.
Zimmer could not confirm reports Thursday that the Ramseys had traveled to Atlanta from their summer home in Charlevoix, Mich., to complete buying a house in Atlanta. John and Patsy Ramsey haven't lived at the Boulder house since their daughter died and have put the home up for sale.