U.S.

JonBenet Case Still Unsolved

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

December 26, 2000 / 7:17 AM EST / CBS

Four years after a child beauty queen was found beaten and strangled in her family's home, a new top prosecutor is poised to take over the case, which so far has not produced any arrests.

Mary Keenan, who has worked on the JonBenet Ramsey slaying as chief deputy district attorney, says the case is due a fresh look. Police and JonBenet's parents hope she will forge new ground by improving communication between police and prosecutors.

For four years JonBenet's parents have remained in the spotlight, taking private lie detector tests and going public on television shows to answer questions about a suspect ransom note found inside their home four years ago, reports CBS News Reporter Lee Frank.

While Boulder, Colo., authorities still believe John and Patsy Ramsey had something to do with JonBenet's murder, the couple, which has since moved to Atlanta, Ga., insist they're innocent.

John and Patsy Ramsey maintain they believe an intruder murdered JonBenet on the night after Christmas, 1996.

In the past year this still-unsolved murder mystery became a television movie and the subject of best-selling books - one by John and Patsy Ramsey, the other by former Boulder Detective Steve Thomas.

It's an open, but not active murder investigation - the most recent notable activity came in August when the Ramseys and their lawyers met with police and prosecutors. It was the first time in two years for the two sides to meet and it appeared to be worthless.

Now, a new district attorney could take the next step in the case of the murdered beauty princess.

Keenan, 50, will be sworn as district attorney on Jan. 9, replacing longtime DA Alex Hunter, who was criticized for refusing to file charges in JonBenet's death. Hunter did not seek re-election.

Keenan promises sweeping changes as a DA who personally argues cases in court, has a close working relationship with police and makes decisions without regard to political posturing.

Hunter said he could not provide details of the case, and Keenan declined to discuss her role in the case.

"No murder case goes away. There are a lot of them that are unsolved. There's no statute of limitations," Keenan said. "I hope this case is solved and we can prosecute whoever committed that crime."

Atlanta attorney L. Lin Wood, who represents JonBenet's parents, hopes Keenan keeps her promise.

"I want her to look at what she can do to move this case forward," Wood said.

Wood believes the only way to solve the case is to bring in new investigators, perhaps an independent panel of experts, or hand the case over to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.

A grand jury investigated the case for 13 months before disbanding without issuing indictments.

During the investigation, police and prosecutors were at odds over the best way to proceed. Two investigators resigned, including Steve Thomas who accused Hunter of trying to protect the Ramseys.

Police Chief Mark Bekner is looking forward to working with Keenan to improve the relationship between police and prosecutors.

"Anything that increases communication between the agencies is a positive," he said.

Keenan plans to bring the agencies closer with several measures, including a weekly review of major cases between prosecutors and officers.

She says she is ready to rebuild the reputation of the DA's office.

"I'm not going to make any decisions in this office - minor or major - because I want to be re-elected. If I do a good job, I'll get re-elected and if I don't, I don't deserve to be re-elected."