Prosecutor: DNA clears JonBenet Ramsey's family
By CATHERINE TSAI, Associated Press Writer
3 minutes ago

BOULDER, Colo. - Citing new DNA tests, prosecutors on Wednesday cleared JonBenet Ramsey's parents and brother in the 1996 killing of the 6-year-old beauty queen and apologized to the family for casting the cloud of suspicion that hung over them for more than a decade.

Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy said the tests point to an "unexplained third party." She released a copy of a letter she sent to John Ramsey that said: "To the extent that we may have contributed in any way to the public perception that you might have been involved in this crime, I am deeply sorry."

For years after the slaying, tabloids and crime shows went after the couple. News reports also cast suspicion on JonBenet's older brother, Burke, who was 9 when his sister was killed. Lacy's predecessor as district attorney, Alex Hunter, said in 1997 that the parents were under an "umbrella of suspicion."

"No innocent person should have to endure such an extensive trial in the court of public opinion, especially when public officials have not had sufficient evidence to initiate a trial in a court of law," Lacy wrote.

Early in the investigation police found male DNA in a drop of blood on JonBenet's underwear and determined it was not from anyone in her family, but Lacy said they were unable to say who it came from and whether that person was "innocent or otherwise."

Then late last year, prosecutors turned over long underwear JonBenet was wearing to the Bode Technology Group near Washington, which used a new technique called "touch DNA" to find previously undetected DNA evidence.

Touch DNA involves scraping genetic material that could not otherwise be seen. Two samples were found on the sides of her long underwear, in an area where an attacker would have pulled them down.

The results, reported to prosecutors in March, indicated the newly discovered DNA matched the DNA found earlier, and was not from the Ramsey family. Lacy said the presence of the same male DNA in three places on the girl's clothing convinced investigators it belonged to JonBenet's killer, and had not been left accidentally by an innocent party.

"It is therefore the position of the Boulder District Attorney's Office that this profile belongs to the perpetrator of the homicide," she wrote.

Lacy declined to comment through a spokeswoman.

Lacy has previously expressed doubts that the parents were involved. In 2003, a federal judge handling a defamation lawsuit in Atlanta involving the Ramseys said evidence in the case was more consistent with the theory that an intruder killed JonBenet, not her parents, and Lacy said she agreed.

John Ramsey found his daughter's strangled and bludgeoned body in the basement of the family's home in Boulder on Dec. 26, 1996. Patsy Ramsey said she found a ransom note demanding $118,000 for her daughter.

John Ramsey, a software entrepreneur, has said in interviews he believes the case will be solved.

Patsy Ramsey died June 24, 2006, of ovarian cancer at the age of 49 in Atlanta, where the family moved after JonBenet's death.

"My first thought was obviously I wish Patsy Ramsey was here with us to be able to at least share vindication of her family," said L. Lin Wood, an attorney for the Ramsey family.

"There are many people in this country, if not around the world, that also owe John and Patsy Ramsey and Burke Ramsey (their son) an apology," he said.

Less than two months after Patsy Ramsey died, the case appeared to blow wide open with the arrest in Thailand of John Mark Karr, a sometime teacher obsessed with the little girl's slaying. Karr made bizarre, detailed confessions to the killing, but authorities said DNA evidence showed Karr did not commit the crime.

Absolves them of everything but allowing a rich satanist with government connections to brutalize and murder their child at Christmas.

I wonder if her brother's dna was tested.  I doubt it.

I heard the former prosecutor of the case on the news today and he said that the Ramseys have been 100% exonorated "beyond the shadow of a doubt". I think that the problem that the Ramseys always had in the public's eye was that they looked so guilty simply because most people felt that dressing this beautiful little girl up like a little runway model was beyond twisted.


Riffy

Prosecutors are the dregs of any law school class, if the government didn't hire them, most couldn't get paid to fill out an online will.  That's how this fiasco got fiascoalized to begin with.  These are the same idiots who gave that flitty creep from Thailand a free first class ticket home.  Nothing in that article clears them to me, the needless assertion of 100% exoneration is as stupid as everything else they have done.  Basic common sense says it remains highly likely that the parents were involved in the death or are covering up for the person who did it.

Ten Thousand Motels wrote on Jul 11^th, 2008 at 12:48pm:


What part of a law class isnt the dregs? They all bleed the system for their own gain and hide behind THE LAW as if its their devine right.(All right in the interest of full disclosure..I applied and was almost accepted so A TAD BITTER...END OF TRANSMISSION)

Riffhard wrote on Jul 11^th, 2008 at 1:06pm:

I wouldn't call it adamant, Riffy.  Nor a hunch.  And of course I don't have any evidence of the type you are saying I should have.  The facts I was suggesting common sense would rely on/link them would be that she was 6 years old, the Ramseys are her parents, they were in the house when it happened, found her body in their house, house not busted into, and probably a dozen other things you would probably be able to point out if you wanted to.  Hell, prove to me they didn't do it or know who did.  Who else would be involved?  OJ's Colombian drug cartel?

sirmoonie wrote on Jul 11^th, 2008 at 1:38pm:



Well see that's just it. So far the DNA evidence has been corroborated as coming from a third party. Two different hits on identical DNA were found in her underwear and inside the legs of her pajama bottoms as well. That tells me that the DNA did not come from either the parents nor the brother. I will say that I think that they may well have been negligent parents but murderers? I can't find any reason to believe that.


Riffy