U.S.

Police Press For Ramsey Grand Jury

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

June 3, 1998 / 1:44 PM EDT / CBS

After an 18-month-old investigation, the police officer in charge of the JonBenet Ramsey murder case says he has enough evidence to bring the case to court.

"I have an idea of who did it," said police Cmdr. Mark Beckner after he turned the case over to Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter. "If I were the D.A., I would go ahead with a grand jury at this point."

JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, remain under suspicion. The former Little Miss Colorado was found beaten and strangled in the family's home on Dec. 26, 1996. The parents insist they are innocent.

Police and prosecutors agreed Tuesday that a grand jury could help find the little girl's killers.

"I'm leaning toward it. I think it makes sense," Hunter said.

Mark Beckner
(CBS)

But the district attorney said he won't be pressured into taking action unless he has a case he can win. He said it would be worse to try the case before it is ready, or to charge the wrong persons.

"We're not going to do something premature. We only get one bite at the apple," said Hunter, who indicated he could make a decision about using the grand jury and its subpoena powers within 30 days.

He also said "some new developments" have surfaced in the past week. He refused to discuss specifics, but police said it involved test results that were unexpected.

Jai Fahrer, a spokeswoman for the Ramseys, said the family would have no comment on the meetings, which began Monday.

Hunter's advisers in the case include forensic scientist Henry Lee and defense attorney Barry Scheck, both figures from the O.J. Simpson case. The two men asked to see the house where the 6-year-old girl died, and on Sunday spent more than 90 minutes touring the Tudor-style mansion with Hunter.

Although Hunter said his advisers have had some disagreements over how to proceed with the case, he was optimistic about it coming to a conclusion. "I believe that we're going to resolve this case," he said.

During the meetings, police turned over more than 30,000 pages of evidence, hoping to persuade Hunter to file charges or at least turn the case over to a grand jury to investigate further.

Police have been criticized for their handling of the case, particularly for failing to secure the crime scene and allowing John Ramsey to search the home and find JonBenet's body. He found the body about eight hours after Mrs. Ramsey said she found a ransom note demanding $118,000.

Beckner did not specifically call the Ramseys uncooperative witnesses, but the family has had an up-and-down relationship with police. After meeting with investigators, the couple has refused further reuests for official interviews.

Beckner said the police had interviewed 590 people, some more than once. He said a pool of 68 possible suspects was narrowing, though work remains.

"We fully admit the investigation is not complete yet," he said. "We hope if a grand jury is convened, it will help us answer questions."