EVIDENCE IS INSUFFICIENT, PROSECUTORS SAY GRAND JURY DISMISSED IN JONBENET CASE.Byline: Michael Janofsky The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Nearly three years after JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled stran·gle v. stran·gled, stran·gling, stran·gles v.tr. 1. a. To kill by squeezing the throat so as to choke or suffocate; throttle. b. in her parents' home in Boulder, prosecutors said Wednesday they did not have enough evidence to charge anyone with her killing and were dismissing the grand jury in the case. Little more than an hour after Alexander M. Hunter, the Boulder city Boulder City, residential city (1990 pop. 12,567), S Nev., just W of Hoover Dam near Lake Mead; inc. 1959. Built (1932) by the federal government as headquarters during the dam's construction, it became a self-governing municipality by act of Congress in 1958. and county district attorney, announced that decision, Gov. Bill Owens
``While I am not presently in a position to comment on the work of this grand jury,'' Owens said in a statement, ``I do know one fact: A little girl was brutally murdered in Boulder, Colo., and the killer or killers remain free today. As governor I have the power to appoint a special prosecutor. I am reviewing this option and will make a decision shortly.'' Hunter's decision seemed at first to end a highly visible and contentious case in which the 6-year-old beauty queen's wealthy parents, John and Patsy Ramsey Patricia Ann "Patsy" Ramsey (née Paugh) (December 29, 1956 — June 24, 2006), was the mother of JonBenét Ramsey, a 6-year-old American beauty pageant contestant who was murdered in her Boulder, Colorado home on December 26, 1996. , were widely regarded as the prime - and virtually only - suspects. At the same time, it underscored major concerns over shoddy shod·dy adj. shod·di·er, shod·di·est 1. Made of or containing inferior material. 2. a. Of poor quality or craft. b. Rundown; shabby. 3. police work in the early hours after the girl's body was found on Dec. 26, 1996, and what many called Hunter's deference to the Ramseys, who for months were not questioned about their daughter's death. Owens had raised the possibility of appointing a special prosecutor just before Hunter impaneled the grand jury on Sept. 15, 1998, after he was was prodded for months to do so. Speaking before a throng of reporters outside the Boulder County Justice Center, Hunter said late Wednesday afternoon: ``The Boulder grand jury has completed its work and will not return. No charges have been filed. ``Yet I must report to you,'' he added, ``that I and my prosecution task force believe we do not have sufficient evidence to warrant the filing of charges against anyone who has been investigated at this time.'' It was unclear, however, whether the grand jury wanted to hand up any indictments and, if so, whether prosecutors ignored their sentiments, fearing they could not win a case before a jury. Hunter, who declined to answer questions, said he and his colleagues would hold a news conference on Thursday. He said grand jurors would not answer questions ``today or ever.'' Hunter seemed to leave the door open for further action if new evidence was developed. That evidence would be presented to a second grand jury. The girl's parents, who moved to Atlanta Slang for a 404 error on the Web, which is a link to a missing page. The area code for Atlanta, Georgia is 404. See 404 error. months after their daughter's death, were considered suspects because of suspicions about a ransom note they said they found in their home before John Ramsey Notable people named John Ramsey have included:
The 370-word ransom note was written with a pen and paper from the house and included a demand for $118,000, an amount identical to what John Ramsey received as a bonus in 1995 from the company he once owned, Access Graphics. It was signed by ``a small foreign faction.'' Handwriting experts have said the note could have been written by Patsy Ramsey. Throughout the investigation, the Ramseys have steadfastly denied any involvement in the murder. ``I'm appalled that anyone would think that John or I would be involved in such a hideous, heinous hei·nous adj. Grossly wicked or reprehensible; abominable: a heinous crime. [Middle English, from Old French haineus, from haine, hatred, from crime,'' Patsy Ramsey said in 1997. Initially, they did not cooperate with investigators. Then they answered their questions for three days in June 1998. Then their relationship with authorities turned sour again as they accused police, through one of their lawyers, of victimizing them by a ``pattern and practice of police leaks and outright slander slander: see libel and slander. Slander See also Gossip. Slaughter (See MASSACRE.) Basile calumniating, niggardly bigot. [Fr. Lit. .'' The grand jury of eight women and four men produced a roller coaster What a bad CD-R disc is often called. See CD-R and underrun. of expectation and speculation, partly because of its erratic schedule. The panel heard evidence from police; detectives; hand-writing experts; JonBenet's brother Burke, who is now 12; and two adult children from John Ramsey's previous marriage, Melinda Ramsey Long and John Andrew
The Reverend Canon John G.B. Andrew, D.D., O.B.E. (born January 10, 1931 in Yorkshire, England) is a British-American Anglican clergyman and the Rector Emeritus of St. Ramsey, who were not in Colorado at the time JonBenet's body was found. The parents were never called to testify. JonBenet's death was sensational enough, since she was the daughter of wealthy parents from a mountainside enclave where homicide is almost unknown. But unlike so many other children who die young anonymously, she had attained a public image as an ebullient beauty-contest queen, the 1995 Little Miss Colorado
The Miss Colorado competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Colorado in the Miss America pageant. , whose talents and smiling radiance, sequined se·quin n. 1. A small shiny ornamental disk, often sewn on cloth; a spangle. 2. A gold coin of the Venetian Republic. Also called zecchino. tr.v. outfits and fuchsia-colored lipstick were all captured by pageant videotapes and generously shown on television news reports whenever some development arose in the case. As a result, her celebrity burned into the American psyche, making her, even in death, one of those famous people, like Oprah and Cher, who are known by a single name. At least six books were written about the case, one serving as a basis for a television movie now in production. But none drew any conclusion as to the identity of the killer. The work of the Boulder police was heavily criticized, and police officials conceded that the murder investigation was compromised from the beginning. Police officers arrived at the home thinking, because of the ransom note, that the girl had been kidnapped. John Ramsey found her body after he was allowed to search the house without an escort. He brought her body upstairs, possibly tainting evidence. The first detective on the scene, Linda Arndt, either placed a blanket over the dead girl or allowed Ramsey to do so, perhaps spoiling more evidence, and further allowed the Ramseys and friends visiting at the time to wander freely about the 6,500-square foot house. It was only weeks later that investigators performed a more thorough and scientific search of the house for evidence. Still, police officers said Hunter's office had hurt the investigation by being too easy on the Ramseys. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was killed Dec. 26, 1996, in her parents' home. (2) Boulder grand jury foreman James Plese, right, and grand jury members Johathan Webb, left, and Martin Kordas Jr. leave the Boulder County Justice Center after being dismissed. Ed Andrieski/Associated Press |
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