CU prof pushes idea that intruder killed 6-year-old in Boulder
By Charlie Brennan, Rocky Mountain News
June 15, 2004
A new documentary on the JonBenet Ramsey case airing today in Great Britain, produced by a University of Colorado journalism professor, advances a theory that JonBenet was killed by an intruder who committed suicide soon afterward.
The documentary, co-produced by CU's Michael Tracey and titled Who Killed the Pageant Queen?, focuses on Michael Helgoth as a prime suspect in JonBenet's murder. It also suggests he might have been helped in the crime by a second, unidentified person, who is still at large.
It is not known when, or if, the piece will be aired in this country.
Helgoth, 26, fatally shot himself in his Boulder residence Feb. 14, 1997, one day after then-Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter said in a televised news conference that investigators were narrowing their list of suspects.
"We will see that justice is served and that you will pay for what you've done to this beautiful little girl," Hunter said that day.
Helgoth was brought to authorities' attention by Colorado Springs private investigator Ollie Gray and former El Paso County sheriff's homicide Detective Lou Smit.
Tracey's one-hour documentary is airing on ITV1, Great Britain's largest commercial network.
The documentary reports that Helgoth owned a stun gun. Smit, who worked on the case for Hunter, and then later on his own, said he believes a stun gun was used the Christmas night murder in 1996.
Also, Helgoth had owned a pair of Hi-Tec boots. That is potentially significant because police found a print made by such a shoe near the spot in the basement of the Ramseys' Boulder home where 6-year-old JonBenet's body was found.
"I think that Helgoth still needs to be investigated," Gray said. "His associates need to be investigated, and I think his death needs to be investigated."
"We did investigate Helgoth," said Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner. "And all I can tell you is that there was no DNA match.
"And we looked at a pair of (Helgoth's) boots that had been turned in by the Ramseys' private detectives, and they were compared and didn't match. We didn't have anything further to go on."
Tracey writes a media criticism column for the Rocky Mountain News. He is currently traveling and could not be reached for comment Monday.
I'm certain Karr didn't have anything to do with Jon Benet's death...he's just a nut who made a false confession. The real killer is still on the loose.