Posted on 01/27/2013 12:05:08 PM PST by drewh
Posted: 01/27/2013 Last Updated: 10 minutes ago
Anica Padilla Anica Padilla | Email Me
BOULDER, Colo. - A grand jury investigating Jonbenet Ramsey's death voted to indict her parents on child abuse resulting in death in 1999, according to an exclusive report by our partners at The Boulder Daily Camera.
However, then-Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter refused to sign the indictment and prosecute the case, the Camera reports. Hunter reportedly believed he could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt.
The 6-year-old beauty queen was found dead in her home on Christmas night in 1996.
Police initially suspected family members, including her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, and her brother, Burke.
But in 2008, District Attorney Mary Lacy cleared Jonbenet's parents and brother based on updated DNA analysis.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedenverchannel.com ...
A grand jury determines pnobable cause, the prosector should have no say in whether the state can prove the case. In fact, why bring it before a grand jury if one is not inclined to be bound by their decision? Another travesty even though in this case the subject may have indeed not been guilty of murder, however, the charge was not murder, it was child abuse apparently.
Everybody knows it was a “small foreign faction”, and not that nutty mom.
The Ramsey case seems like a million years ago given all that has transpired since then.
That girl would be something like 22 or 23 years old now. It was a while ago.
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. . . . Jonbenet
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I don’t trust Grand Juries.
Actually the purpose of a Grand Jury is protect the accused from overly-zealous prosecutions by a DA.
The Fifth Amendment
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury,
A presumption of innocence would permit a DA to refrain from indicting an individual.
What I consider odd is that the DA would take the case to a Grand Jury if he did not consider the evidence adequate to go to trial in the first place.
Thailand?
I’d bet the clothes on my back that either one (or both) of the parents *did* it or *knew* who did it.
“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury”
Which is exactly what was to happen...the grand jury returned a true bill regarding child abuse. The prosecutor declined to sign it? I am not familiar with criminal procedure in Colorado but it seems to me if the prosecutor presented the case for indictment, he would be bound to abide by the decision of the jurors. He could in the interest of justice move to have the indictment dismissed and present that before a court, no? But not signing it makes no sense. I also agree, why bring it to the GJ in the first place? Perhaps this was a CYA that blew up in his face???
I never once, not even for a second, believed that either parent were involved.
I agree completely. I followed everything I could on that case, and the only thing I was completely convinced of was the incompetence of most of the Colorado cops.
Ex-Housekeeper Says Patsy
Ramsey Killed JonBenet
http://rense.com/general11/benet.htm
She said she told the grand jury that Patsy had become very moody right before Christmas of 1996. “I think she had multiple personalities. She’d be in a good mood and then she’d be cranky. She got into arguments with JonBenet about wearing a dress or about a friend coming over. I had never seen Patsy so upset.
“I don’t believe Patsy meant to kill her. I truly believe it was an accident that just continued,” said Hoffmann-Pugh, who worked in the Ramsey house until three days before the slaying on Dec. 26, 1996, and testified before the grand jury in January 1999.
The Ramseys have maintained they had nothing to do with their daughter’s death.
The grand jury adjourned in October 1999 after 13 months. No indictments were issued. The grand jury, and then-District Attorney Alex Hunter, never issued a report about its investigation.
Hoffmann-Pugh, whose efforts to change grand-jury rules were supported by the Ramseys, on Thursday handed out a packet of what she said were six handwriting experts’ analyses of Patsy Ramsey’s handwriting samples.
All six said it was highly probable that Patsy wrote the ransom note, which was found in the Ramsey house about six hours before the body was found in the basement, she said. Hoffmann-Pugh said she is convinced Patsy wrote the ransom note.
The Ramseys have never produced a written handwriting report, Hoffmann-Pugh said. “I had to give handwriting samples to the police. Why didn’t she? I had to testify before the grand jury. Why didn’t she?” Hoffmann-Pugh asked rhetorically. She testified for eight hours before the grand jury.
‘But in 2008, District Attorney Mary Lacy cleared Jonbenet’s parents and brother based on updated DNA analysis.”
I fail to understand how DNA can ever clear anyone. May someone extremely less likely as a suspect but clear?
I never once, not even for a second, believed a kid could be killed in the basement of the home without at least the consent and probably the activity of BOTH parents.
The situation is much worse in reverse, when the grand jury clearly would not indict, so the prosecutor decides not to submit it to the grand jury and presses on with his own indictment. That’s what happened to George Zimmerman.
The only theory I thought plausible by way of an "inside job" scenario, was of the brother doing the killing and the parents covering up so as to not lose both children.
Too complicated, the easy explanation is one of the parents killed her, maybe on accident (punishment gone wrong), maybe on purpose (serious perversions I’d rather not contemplate). But there’s no way other than an inside job they could “search” the house multiple times and not find her, not to mention the absurdity of the multiple page ransom note written on site. The parents simply had to be involved, either that or the criminal was ridiculously brazen AND lucky the household found a way to sleep through the whole thing.
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