No real winners in libel suit

Discussion in 'Justice for JonBenet Discussion - Public Forum' started by Watching You, Apr 9, 2003.

  1. Watching You

    Watching You Superior Bee Admin

    There's hope for Boulder, yet...


    http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/editorials/article/0,1713,BDC_2489_1874029,00.html

    Their good names
    No real winners in libel-suit development

    April 9, 2003

    To John and Patsy Ramsey, a recent turn of judicial events is vindication.

    "This is the day the Ramseys have been waiting for 6 1/2 years," L. Lin Wood, the Ramseys' attorney, burbled this week. He said the initial investigation of the murder of the couple's daughter, JonBenet, was "one of the greatest injustices in the history of this country."

    One might understand why the Ramseys and their attorney employ such hyperbole. But the public should not to make too much of the latest developments. They don't signal a tectonic shift in the murder case.

    Last week, U.S. District Judge Julie Carnes, in Atlanta, dismissed a libel suit brought against the Ramseys by Chris Wolf, who worked as a reporter for the Colorado Daily and other local publications in the 1990s. Wolf sued the Ramseys for naming him as a suspect and strongly implicating him in the murder. The Ramseys made these allegations in their book "The Death of Innocence," which was published in 2001.

    In that book, the Ramseys seize on a report that Wolf left his home on the night of the murder and that his ex-girlfriend described him as agitated by news of the murder. "Wolf went on our suspects list," the Ramseys wrote. "He represented too many unanswered questions."

    Never mind that Wolf was interviewed by the police, who cleared him as a suspect. (Wolf's suit underscores this point.)

    The Ramseys also published a profile of the person they believe killed their daughter. Wolf's personal characteristics are largely consistent with the Ramseys' hypothetical profile.

    Another person identified as a possible suspect, the Ramseys' former housekeeper, also sued for libel. Like Wolf's suit, that case was dismissed. But the innuendo hurled toward the housekeeper was nothing compared to that launched at Wolf. The judge in the housekeeper case said as much.

    By itself, the Ramseys' book surely damaged Wolf's reputation. But the book was only one among several affronts and slurs. The Ramseys hired a private investigator to invade Wolf's privacy. And when John Ramsey was asked on national television about Wolf, he said: "I can tell you when ... we first started looking at one particular lead early on, my reaction was, 'This is it. This is the killer.'" While Ramsey spoke, Wolf's grim visage was flashed on screen.

    Wolf sued for libel. His suit alleged that Patsy Ramsey killed JonBenet, then enlisted the help of John Ramsey to conceal the crime. Wolf's suit also alleged that the Ramseys tried to pin the crime on Wolf to divert attention from themselves.

    Unfortunately, Wolf's suit appeared to be an attempt to disguise a trial of Patsy Ramsey as a libel suit. In dismissing the suit last week, Carnes said there was "virtually no evidence" that the Ramseys killed their child but "abundant" evidence than an intruder did.

    This week, Boulder County District Attorney Mary Keenan said she concurred that the limited evidence considered by the court "is more consistent with a theory that an intruder murdered JonBenet than it is with a theory that Mrs. Ramsey did so." Keenan also said her office is investigating the case but is not excluding scrutiny of the Ramseys.

    Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner and Lin Wood, who hailed and criticized Keenan, respectively, suggest that Keenan's statement is of greater pith and moment than it is.

    In the meantime, Wolf has lost his bid to be compensated for the Ramseys' apparently defamatory statements. That's too bad. If anyone could understand the pain of being pilloried in public, the Ramseys should. Sadly, they've inflicted the same pain on others, and with impunity.
     
  2. Watching You

    Watching You Superior Bee Admin

    Keenan said what?

    "This week, Boulder County District Attorney <b>Mary Keenan said she concurred that the limited evidence considered by the court "is more consistent with a theory that an intruder murdered JonBenet than it is with a theory that Mrs. Ramsey did so."</b> Keenan also said her office is investigating the case but is not excluding scrutiny of the Ramseys.

    Here is what Keenan actually said:

    Boulder County District Attorney Mary W. Keenan on Monday released a statement saying that, after reading Carnes' order in the case Wolf v. Ramsey, "I agree with the court's conclusion that 'the weight of the evidence is more consistent with a theory that an intruder murdered JonBenét than it is with a theory that Mrs. Ramsey did so.'" Wolf v. Ramsey, 1:00-CV-1187 (N.D. Ga. March 31, 2003).

    In the strict sense of the word, Keenan was right. The weight of the "evidence" <b>presented in the Wolf case<b/> (the bulk of which came from the RST and Lou Smit), it would appear that the weight of the evidence is more consistent with a theory blah blah.

    The catch here, though, is that the judge did NOT have the all-important case files that were compiled by the BPD and now held by Mary Keenan's office. If the judge had been presented with ALL of the evidence instead of the "limited" and self-serving theories of the RST, she most likely would have rendered a completely different decision.

    Keenan protects her flanks even as it appears she is agreeing. What a weasel.
     
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