You Have Got To Read This

Discussion in 'Justice for JonBenet Discussion - Public Forum' started by Greenleaf, Jun 29, 2006.

  1. Greenleaf

    Greenleaf FFJ Senior Member

    June 29, 2006

    From: THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

    by: Chuck Green

    The JonBenet case revisited after mother's death
    The Pueblo Chieftain Online

    Police Chief Tom Kobe said shortly after the 1996 murder of JonBenet Ramsey in Boulder that his department was going to "go by the book" in its pursuit of the killer.

    Instead, the arrogant police chief threw away the old book and wrote a whole new one, "100 Ways to Screw Up a Murder Investigation."

    His incompetent, bumbling police force, with a few exceptions, doomed the murder probe from its first hour. Nearly 10 years later, it has never recovered - and JonBenet’s killer has never been arrested.

    Kobe refused on-scene assistance of the FBI, he failed to take advantage of an offer by Denver police to help in the investigation, and he told the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to call back its mobile crime lab just as it was headed to Boulder.

    A few days after the murder, summoning images of O.J. Simpson’s acquittal in California, Kobe stood in front of a battalion of reporters and TV cameras and proclaimed in his then-trademark, haughty manner, "This isn’t L.A. Our guy won’t walk."

    Their guy didn’t need to walk, or to run. He could have just stood firm-footed in front of Kobe, blocking his exit from the media room, and still not have been noticed.

    Detective Linda Arndt, the officer in charge of the crime scene in the Ramsey home, set the tone for the investigation. Instead of securing the scene to preserve evidence, she permitted at least a dozen people unlimited access to the house, encouraging family members and friends to search the premises.

    Then, when the little girl’s body was discovered in a basement storage room, evidence was irrevocably contaminated as her father picked up the corpse and carried it upstairs to the living room. Her mother then cradled the victim and sobbed over the body, further destroying evidence while pleading with Lazarus to raise the dead.

    After allowing all of this "by the book" pollution of the evidence, Arndt then took it upon herself to shift the body around, adding to the taint.

    It got worse from there.

    Proper police interrogation of JonBenet’s parents and brother - the only people known to be in the house when the child beauty contestant was murdered - was delayed for weeks. Kobe further isolated his office from outside assistance, even closing out the Boulder prosecutor’s office from helping out.

    Finally Kobe, who had pledged that the murderer wouldn’t walk, walked himself, resigning from office and abandoning his duty to find the killer.

    The death last weekend of JonBenet’s mother, Patsy Ramsey, brought the decade-old case back to the front page.

    The mother, a determined beauty queen herself, had spent nearly every waking hour of JonBenet’s six years grooming the little girl for pageant competition. Even in death, as she was put to rest in her tiny coffin, JonBenet was adorned in a pageant gown and crowned with a sparkling tiara.

    Many suspected Patsy to be the prime murder suspect, and she and her husband both were described as being "under the umbrella of suspicion" by Boulder police. Several aspects of the murder indicated it may have been committed by someone in the family - someone who had unhurried access to the home during the night, cared enough for JonBenet to wipe her body and lay it out carefully with a blanket, knew the family finances, and someone who might be obsessed with a pretty little girl.

    The Ramseys avoided formal interrogation by police for four months, hiring a battery of high-priced lawyers to insulate them from detectives. As they were keeping police at bay, though, they waited only six days to grant a national TV interview and later hosted a group media event.

    With Patsy Ramsey’s death after a long battle against ovarian cancer, the mystifying case seems hopelessly stagnant.

    Noted forensics expert Dr. Henry Lee expressed the frustration of many when he said that if JonBenet’s mother harbored a secret about the murder, "then that secret is going to be gone forever" now that she has died.

    Patsy will be buried this week next to her daughter’s grave in Georgia. Somewhere Tom Kobe still walks.


    HOORAY FOR CHUCK!

    :leaf:

    Chuck Green, veteran Colorado journalist and former editor-in-chief of The Denver Post, syndicates a statewide column and is at chuckgreencolo@msn.com .
     
  2. "J_R"

    "J_R" Shutter Bug Bee

    Thanks Greenie.
     
  3. Barbara

    Barbara FFJ Senior Member

    It's refreshing to see that there are still one or two people who are not afraid to say publicly, whether in print or otherwise, what they truly believe happened in this case.

    There is no argument anywhere that the crime scene was bungled; however, it is inexcusable that help from Denver, FBI, and others was refused!

    The people who refused the help that was offered should never hold a job in law enforcement again.

    What person in their right mind, especially law enforcement would turn away help offered from the FBI or for that matter any law enforcement agency that extended an offer for such a horrible crime?????

    Just absolutely inexcusable, especially once they knew that the Ramseys were not going to cooperate and lawyered up immediately.

    But, then again, where there's money, there is innocence I guess. Just ask Haddon and Hunter
     
  4. Greenleaf

    Greenleaf FFJ Senior Member

    Something new at Greenleaf's Corner

    Check it out. It just might provide a chuckle or two (or three or four...LOL)

    :leaf:
     
  5. Watching You

    Watching You Superior Bee Admin

    Too bad Chuck Green didn't zero in on what was the biggest problem in this case - the cozying up to defense attorneys and murder suspects by the DA's office. Sloppy police work was a problem. Hunter and his cronies, along with bringing in Lou Smit, who perverted the evidence royally, spelled the final death knolll on the JonBenet Ramsey case. Mary Keenan Lacy drove the last nail in her coffin.

    The whole bunch of them make me sick, and I will always believe Steve Thomas was the only cop in Boulder who performed as a professional and followed the evidence the only place it could lead - right back to the parents.
     
  6. Elle

    Elle Member

    Yes, I read this GL. Chuck Green tells it like it is. Great article. Will pay a visit to your corner.
     
  7. Ginja

    Ginja Member

    Emphasis mine to point out the serious problem in this case from Day 1 -- people "truly believing" a certain way (for example, Patsy "believing" she didn't have any involvement; or Lou Smit "truly believing" a naked group of terrorists slip-slided their way into and out of the basement).

    One could argue that and we know for sure the RST has been doing just that for 10 years. However, the special prosecutor assigned to the case, Mike Kane, has emphatically stated (as recently as two nights ago) that these so-called "bungles" are simply "flaws" that wouldn't have an impact in trial, considering the huge investigation of the BPD where "no stone was left unturned."

    And what we also have to remember is that as I noted earlier, some people "truly believe" such outrageous nonsense that FBI assistance was refused. It was not and the FBI was there that morning and had set up phones to intercept the naked group of terrorists when they called to make arrangements to pick up their ransom money.

    And although many "truly believe" the BPD to be inept, again, they were not. Detectives, including Sgt. Mason, were on the scene gathering information and from looking at the available evidence, and putting 2+2 together when no ransom phone call came in, they "truly believed" there had been NO kidnapping, that it was an inside job, and they all retreated back to the BPD to work with the FBI to figure out what the hell to do.

    And don't forget that during this time, RST members were being contacted and appeared on the crimescene to interfere with the police and their investigation, including such notable screwups as Mike Bynum and Pete Hofstra.

    Again, the FBI was not turned away. However, once they were all at BPD running analysis on the ransom note with the full knowledge no kidnapper(s) had called, the FBI did what it could and left. Why? They were out of their jurisdiction and without a clear indication (aka evidence) that there was no kidnapping, they had no choice. The FBI stayed involved in an advisory role. Once that body was found, it clearly became a jurisdictional matter of the BPD. And don't forget it was the notable screwups (Bynum, Hofstra, the BDA) who pushed the BPD into allowing the Ramseys to go off to the Stines to come back "later" for interviews. Of course, once the BPD let them go, the notable screwups lawyered up the Ramseys with Boulder's best, keeping the Ramseys in their grips for at least four months before interviews were even allowed. And again, don't forget, it was the BDA who forced the police to work under Ramsey "conditions" (i.e., do as the Ramseys say or else).

    How soon we forget that the RST was on the scene that day and forced the BPD to work with their hands tied.
     
  8. Watching You

    Watching You Superior Bee Admin

    Just more of the RST spin, Ginja. When it became clear that it was a homicide and not a kidnapping, the FBI most certainly had to clear out, since they had no jurisdiction in a local murder case. You are absolutely right.

    But, RST spin has taken the place of the truth. Insiduous lies have convinced many people that the BPD bungled this case all the way through. It was crap back then, and it's still crap.
     
  9. The Punisher

    The Punisher Member

    And always will be crap.
     
  10. BobC

    BobC Poster of the EON - Fabulous Inimitable Transcript

    It's nice to see a professional, unbiased writer for a change.
     
  11. South

    South Member

    Note to Chuck

    I think Patsy was praying to Jesus to raise JB, Not Lazarus.
     
  12. LurkerXIV

    LurkerXIV Moderator

    Oops!

    Chuck must be getting a little senile.

    It's Tom Koby with a "Y", shortened from the original Kobelenski.
     
  13. rashomon

    rashomon Member

    A poster on another forum pointed out the similarity between the ransom note and a script in the movie Ruthless People. It probably has been discussed here before, but I didn't know about it, which is why I almost fell out of my chair when reading this:

    RUTHLESS PEOPLE SCRIPT (Touchstone/Disney 1986)

    http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_...ript-bette.html

    Mister Stone. Listen very carefully.
    We have kidnapped your wife.
    We have no qualms about killing and will do so at the slightest provocation.
    Do you understand?

    I have no patience for stupid questions, Mister Stone, and I don’t like repeating myself. Do you understand?

    You are to obtain a new, black, American Tourister briefcase. Model number eight-one-o-four. Do you understand?

    In it you will place five hundred thousand dollars in unmarked, non-sequentially numbered one-hundred dollars bills. Do you understand?

    Monday morning, at eleven A.M., you will proceed, with case in hand, to Hope Street Plaza and wait for a phone to ring. You will receive further instructions then. Do you understand?

    You will be watched at all phases of execution. If anyone is with you, or if any action is not carried out to our complete satisfaction, it will be considered an infraction of the rules, and your wife will be killed. Do you understand?

    If you notify the police, your wife will be killed. If you notify the media, she will be killed. If you deviate from our instructions in any way whatsoever, she will be killed. Do you understand?


    The similarity is eery.
     
  14. Elle

    Elle Member

    Oh my goodness! No! I haven't seen this before. Thank you for posting it. This is eery, as you say.

    The url wouldn't open for me rashomon. Received an error message.
     
  15. YumYum012

    YumYum012 Member

    MisterBobC was right ... people just don't challenge shi'ite! THIS IS A HOAX!

    Lordy, lordy!

    ...YumYum
     
  16. YumYum012

    YumYum012 Member

    My mistake ... it's NOT A HOAX ... it's a red herring.

    The script from Ruthless People was just the latest iteration of the classic, universal ransom note. TRILLIONS of ransom notes have the same keys. Bringing THIS particular version to light is just an attempt to misdirect. So what if Patsy watched it 17 times in the three days before she ...

    Don't be distracted by bullshiit. There is REAL evidence,

    ...YumYum
     
  17. Show Me

    Show Me FFJ Senior Member

    Thanks Moab for resetting me.

    I've enjoyed Chuck's articles.

    Sorry Patsy is dead...makes me think we will never solve this case as I believe Patsy had guilty knowledge of JB's death. Yeah it's good to see a few not give in to the Ramsey publicity propaganda and tell it like it is.

    Any doubts I had about the Ramsey's involvement in the murder vanished once I read their book!
     
  18. rashomon

    rashomon Member

    Elle, maybe it was because I copied it over from the Websleuth's thread ("The ransom note", post # 31 by Country Girl) .
    Poster Camper (post # 43 on the same thread) has the movie, rewatched it and her jaw fell to her knee because of the uncanny similarity (in the movie it is not a written note, but a phone conversation).
    Camper also wrote that the screenwriter adapted elements from the O.Henry short story "The Ransom of Red Chief" for the film.

    I don't think the ransom note was pre-written though.
    Maybe Patsy or John owned and had read the original O.Henry story and panic-driven got it to copy elements from it for the ransom note?
     
  19. rashomon

    rashomon Member

    The classic universal real ransom note is far shorter than the phone conversation in Ruthless People or the Ramsey note.
    Or do you mean the classic movie ransom note with its touch of drama?
    The Ramsey ransom note itself is a red herring, no question about it. No real kidnappers were at work there.
    But the similarities to the script Ruthless People are so close that it is uncanny (e.g. the three times repetition that the victim will die, to cite just one example).
    For the film, the screenwriter adapted elements from O.Henry's short story "The Ransom Of Red Chief" (see Camper's #43 post on the Websleuths JB forum's "ransom note" thread).

    Why should bringing this to light be an attempt to misdirect? Misdirect whom?
    Do you mean this will be fodder for those who advocate the note must have been written before?

    I don't see it that way. What if Patsy or John either knew the film very well or owned and had read O. Henry's story, and after the killing in their panic got the book to copy elements for the ransom note they were going to write?
     
  20. The Punisher

    The Punisher Member

    Too few! She's practically untouchable.
     
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