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Time takes everything but the Truth ~ True Detective


The JonBenet Ramsey Murder Mystery

Grand Jury Years
1/12/98 Major New Yorker Article by Lawrence Schiller. Justice Boulder Style. The first of two major pieces by Schiller that eventually was turned into his best-selling book Perfect Murder, Perfect Town.
1/15/98 John and Patsy Ramsey refuse to submit to another round of interviews unless they can review the evidence, a condition unacceptable to police.
1/16/98 Daily Camera publishes letter from Fleet & Priscilla White to Gov. Roy Romer demanding a special prosecutor be named to the Ramsey case. The governor stands by District Attorney Alex Hunter and declines to act on the request.
1/16/98 BPD Press Release: Ramsey attorneys decline request for interviews Ramsey Update #63.
1/20/98 Darnay Hoffmans complaint dismissed.
1/29/98 The Ramseys turn over to police the clothing they were wearing the night before JonBenet was found dead.
2/6/98 Ramsey House Put Up for Sale. Friends of the Ramseys join to form an investor group to buy the couple's Boulder home. The 15 room Tudor-style house at 755 15th St is put under contract for $650,000.
2/13/98 Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter says the investigation is hindered by the Ramseys lack of cooperation.
2/19/98 BPD Press Release: Statement from Commander Mark Beckner Ramsey Update #64.
3/12/98 BPD Press Release: Police ask District Attorney to convene a grand jury in Ramsey investigation Ramsey Update #65.
3/31/98 Koby announces his retirement and says he will step down as soon as a replacement is found.
5/6/98 BPD Press Release: Boulder Police update Ramsey costs Ramsey Update #66.
5/19/98 Arndt Sues BPD. Detective Linda Arndt, the first detective on the scene in the Ramsey case, sues Koby, alleging he used her as a scapegoat.
5/25/98 Seraph Profile Report on Patsy Ramsey. At the request of the Boulder Police Department, in 1997, Seraph Security Consulting and Training Company in Berwyn delivers a report that concludes Patsy Ramsey is a delusional sociopath who killed her daughter.
5/27/98 BPD Press Release: Police to present Ramsey case to DA Ramsey Update #67.
6/1/98 Hodges Book Published. Andrew Hodges. A Mother Gone Bad The Hidden Confession of JonBenet's Killer.
6/1/98 Boulder police spend two days presenting the results of their investigation to Hunter's prosecutorial team and outside advisers, including forensic expert Dr. Henry Lee and DNA specialist Barry Scheck, at the University of Colorado's Coors Events Center. Police present more than 30,000 pages of evidence to 16 criminal justice experts, including Hunter, in hopes the case will be given to a grand jury.
6/1/98 Grand Jury expert Michael Kane began working for Boulder DA office as part of the Ramsey prosecution team.
6/2/98 BPD Press Release: Boulder Police conclude presentation of Ramsey case to the DA. Ramsey Update #68.
6/3/98 Mark Beckner the lead investigator in the case, reports that he is excited about test results recently received on evidence taken from the Ramsey home. The case now includes 1,058 pieces of evidence.
6/10/98 Detective Dan Schuler, representing Boulder DA, questioned Burke Ramsey for 6 hours.
6/23/98 Beckner Named BPD Police Chief. Although he will become Boulder's new police chief, Cmdr. Mark Beckner says he will remain connected to the Ramsey investigation but warns that the city's most notorious case has no magic answers.
6/24/98 John and Patsy Ramsey DA Interviews. John and Patsy Ramsey are interviewed separately over three days by investigators and prosecutors from the Boulder County District Attorney's Office.
7/1/98 Wecht Book Published. Cyril H. Wecht and Charles Bosworth, Jr. Who Killed JonBenet? A Leading Forensic Expert Uncovers the Shocking Facts. Author provides case against John and Patsy Ramsey without definitively naming which one killed their daughter.
7/9/98 JonBenet's America Documentary Broadcast. A&E. This 52-minute documentary, produced by Michael Tracey and David Mills, premiered in the U.S. on this date.
7/13/98 Major Article in Newsweek. Daniel Glick, Sherry Keene-Osborn and Andrew Murr. The Door the Cops Never Opened.
8/1/98 McLean Book Published. Linda Edison McLean. JonBenet's Mother: The Tragedy and the Truth! Author argues that an intruder did it.
8/6/98 Ramsey detective Steve Thomas resigns. A statement from Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner includes full text of resignation letter, which Denver Post characterizes as stinging. The letter says Hunter's office is thoroughly compromised and has crippled the case. Thomas charged critical evidence had not been collected and maintained that other evidence wasn't tested. Ramsey Update #69.
8/7/98 Joint Statement from the Boulder Police Department and the Boulder District Attorneys Office Ramsey Update #70.
8/12/98 Case Will Go To Grand Jury. Colorado Gov. Roy Romer announces, and Hunter confirms, the Ramsey case will be going to a grand jury. Romer refuses a second request to appoint special prosecutor. Hunter says he will give the case to a grand jury.
8/17/98 Letter from Fleet Russell White Jr. and Priscilla Brown White to the people of Colorado.
8/20/98 Sources tell The Denver Post that an enhanced version of the 911 call Patsy Ramsey made the morning she found the ransom note includes Burkes voice in the background.
8/21/98 Geraldo Rivera Live Broadcast. Enhanced 911 reveals Burke Ramsey speaking in background.
9/10/98 Major Westword Article. Chris Lamorte. The Mom Squad. In-depth examination of Mrs. Brady's URLs and other Internet discussion groups that arose to discuss and debate the JBR case.
9/15/98 Grand Jury convenes. The Boulder County grand jury begins hearing evidence in JonBenet's death;
9/20/98 Lou Smit quits DA's Office. His resignation letter asserted John and Patsy Ramsey didn't kill their daughter and that a very dangerous killer is still out there.
9/27/98 Ramsey family lawyer Hal Haddon demands Boulder police shift their focus from his clients.
9/27/98 Former detective Steve Thomas gives his first interview to ABC 20/20 since his resignation calling the case very disheartening.
9/28/98 John Ramsey Letter. This letter was written in response to Lou Smit's resignation.
10/11/98 BPD Press Release: Updated Ramsey homicide expenses Ramsey Update #71.
10/13/98 Grand Jury Begins Hearing Forensic Evidence. Grand jury begins hearing forensic evidence, including analysis of handwriting, DNA and hair and fibers found at the scene.
10/15/98 BPD Press Release: Statement from News Conference on October 14, 1999 Mark Beckner, Chief of Police (Ramsey Update #72).
10/16/98 Free-lance photographer Randy Simons apprehended walking nude in Genoa, CO.
10/20/98 John Ramsey Deposition in Stephen Miles Libel Case. John Ramsey returns to Colorado for a deposition in a civil case filed against him and the National Enquirer by photographer Stephen Miles. Miles has accused Ramsey and the paper of libel and slander after two 1997 articles labeled him a pedophile and used an unnamed source who said Ramsey believed the photographer killed his daughter.
10/29/98 "Grand jurors tour former Ramsey home".
12/1/98 The Denver Post reports the grand jury will meet just once in December and then take the rest of the month off.
12/3/98 Five Ramsey family members have been asked to provide DNA samples to authorities. The five are not considered suspects. Sources say authorities want the DNA to see if it can be linked to unmatched DNA found in the Ramsey home.
12/11/98 Freelance photographer Frank Coffman was allegedly assaulted by John Ramsey outside Pasta Jay's restaurant.
1/28/99 Santa Bear Plea. Hunter asks public's help in locating manufacturer of a toy bear in a Santa Claus suit reportedly found in JonBenet's room.
2/2/99 Dr. Robert McFarland conducts radio interview with Donald Freed, author of Killing Time about the OJ Simpson case and screenwriter for the movie Executive Action about the JFK assassination--about evidence that FBI was asked to stand down on the morning JBR was found missing suggesting a high-level cover-up effort.
2/12/99 Thomas Book Announced. St. Martin's Press announced that former detective Steve Thomas signed a six-figure deal to co-author a book with Boulder County resident Don Davis, the book is expected to be published late this year.
2/15/99 Newsweek Publishes Excerpts from Schiller Book. The February 22 issue containing excerpts of Schiller's book.
2/18/99 Lawrence Schiller. Perfect Murder, Perfect Town The book first becomes available in bookstores on this day.
2/25/99 Whites Criticize Schiller Book. Fleet and Priscilla White, in a rare public statement, delivered a letter to the Daily Camera calling author Lawrence Schiller's book "a disorderly amalgam of police evidence, facts, lies and gossip."
2/27/99 Schiller Predicts Indictment But No Ramsey Conviction. At an event with an audience of 250 at the Boulder Public Library, Lawrence Schiller asserted: I think there will be an indictment. But I think it will be very difficult to prevail against a member of the Ramsey family.
3/17/99 Five alternate grand jurors who had been hearing evidence in the case since September 1998 are sent home.
3/18/99 Arndt Resigns. Boulder police Detective Linda Arndt the first detective at the Ramsey house on 12/26/96 resigns. She has endured stinging criticism and ridicule because of what she did and didn't do once she arrived on the scene and later sues her then-boss police chief Tom Koby for not publicly coming to her defense and for not letting her defend herself.
3/24/99 Patsy Ramsey Sells Michigan Vacation Home. Patsy Ramsey sold Charlevoix house for an undisclosed amount.
4/8/99 A six-month extension of the grand jury's investigation is granted.
5/5/99 Grand Jury Investigators Explore Sex Ring Allegations. Det. Tom Wickman and Tom Trujillo, the Grand Jury investigators, interviewed child sexual abuse expert Dr. Robert McFarland and citizen activist Evan Ravitz for an hour about their theory regarding a Boulder sex ring.
5/19/99 Burke Ramsey is secretly questioned by the grand jury. The next day Boulder authorities publicly affirm he is not a suspect, only a witness.
6/9/99 Ramseys Move From Atlanta Home. The Daily Camera reports that John and Patsy Ramsey have moved from their Atlanta home to an unknown location in the aftermath of intensive media scrutiny.
6/28/99 Singular Book Chapters Sent to 8 Members of Grand Jury. Dr. Robert McFarland and Evan Ravitz mail copies of chapters 10 and 20 of the book to the homes of the 8 Grand Jurors whose addresses were in the phone book. These were sent after GJ foreman told McFarland and Ravitz that he never received the book that had been sent to him via Boulder DA.
7/1/1999 Singular Book Published. Stephen Singular. Presumed Guilty An Investigation into the JonBenet Ramsey Case, the Media, and the Culture of Pornography. Author argues that an intruder did it.
8/5/99 Judge Gives Stern Warning to Two Who Contacted Grand Jurors. Evan Ravitz and Bob MacFarland had provided eight of the 12 jurors portions of true-crime writer Stephen Singular's book Presumed Guilty which theorizes that that the 6-year-old girl might have been killed by someone involved in a child pornography ring.
8/16/99 JonBenet Ramsey Foundation Form 990 Filed.
9/7/99 Dr. Robert McFarland Petitions to Testify Before Grand Jury. Child sexual abuse expert Dr. Robert McFarland sends his request to testify to the DA regarding a possible child sex ring in Boulder. He includes a copy of his Spring 1994 article about the Children of God cult (He was denied, then submitted his appeal to Judge Bailin, which was denied as well).
9/13/99 Arndt Claims She Knows Killer. Arndt appears on Good Morning America claiming she knows what happened the night JonBenet was killed. In the five-part interview she says she knows who killed the girl but does not reveal the name.
9/17/99 Arndt Tells ABC She Knows Killer. Arndt appears on ABC's 20/20 and reiterates she is certain she knows the killer but that it is inappropriate to say the name so long as the case is under investigation.
9/20/99 Evan Ravitz Petitions to Testify Before Grand Jury. 21-year-old citizen activist Evan Ravitz hand-delivers to prosecuting attorney Michael Kane a request to testify before GJ regarding a possible child sex ring in Boulder to the DA's office. This letter offers specific evidence that Mr. XXX, a highly ranked official in Boulder City government was involved in child pornography and argues If indeed a network of highly-connected pedophiles exists here as in Belgium and France, Mr. XXX or others could have acted to keep sincere FBI investigators away. Mr. XXX is not named publicly, but his actual name was provided to DA.
9/20/99 DA Denies Evan Ravitz Petition to Testify Before Grand Jury. Alex Hunter and Michael Kane deny Ravitz's petition to testify before GJ regarding a possible child sex ring in Boulder to the DA's office.
9/23/99 Grand Jury Reconvenes. Grand jury returns to work for the first time since May 25; during the time off, investigators were collecting additional DNA evidence.
9/23/99 Ravitz Appeals Denial of Petition to Testify Before Grand Jury. Ravitz hand-delivers for Judge Bailin an appeal of the DA's denial of his petition to appear before the GJ to testify about a Boulder sex ring.
9/23/99 Ravitz Submits Letter to Grand Jury Foreman. Ravitz hand-delivers to GJ Foreman James Plese a letter similar to his 9/20/99 request to Michael Kane to testify before GJ about a Boulder sex ring, with copies sent to both the DA's office and the District Court Clerk's office. Ravitz asserts he never received a reply from Plese, nor any indication that his correspondence was received.
9/27/99 Ravitz Files Motion to Vacate Grand Jury No-Contact Order. Evan Ravitz hand-delivers a motion to insure citizen rights guaranteed by Colorado Revised Statute 16-5-204 for Judge Hale. This motion sought to vacate Judge Daniel Hale's Grand Jury no-contact order, with copies sent to both the DA's office and the District Court Clerk's office.
9/28/99 Ravitz Meets with ACLU Board. Ravitz attended a meeting of the board of directors of the Boulder chapter of the ACLU to discuss his failed petitions and was told to contact the Colorado ACLU office.
9/30/99 John Ramsey's grown children, John Andrew Ramsey and Melinda Ramsey Long testify before the grand jury.
10/7/99 Judge Bailin denies the appeal of Ravitz's petition to appear before the GJ to testify about a Boulder sex ring. Ravitz asserts he received this denial sunsequent to the hearing due to the Court's special normal mailing process stamped on the document.
10/8/99 Colorado ACLU Agrees to Take Ravitz Case. After reviewing Ravitz's motion to Judge Hale, Colorado ACLU Intake Director Simon Moles informs Ravitz by phone that Colorado ACLU would take his case should a future grand jury consider the Ramsey matter.
10/13/99 Grand Jury Adjourns. The grand jury disbands, and Hunter announces, We do not have sufficient evidence to warrant a filing of charges against anyone who has been investigated at this time.
10/15/99 Ravitz Letter to Colorado AG Ken Salazar. Ravitz writes a letter to AG requesting investigation of the possibility that pedophiles- who we he and Dr. McDonald named but redacted - in very high places in Boulder derailed the investigation in the first hours, possibly by calling off the FBI from immediately assuming its jurisdiction over an apparent kidnapping by a small foreign faction of the child of a Lockheed-Martin executive.
10/27/99 Governor Bill Owens made a statement on the JonBenet Ramsey murder case.
11/1/99 Schiller Paperback Version Published. Stephen Singular. Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: The Uncensored Story of the JonBenet Murder and the Grand Jury's Search for the Final Truth.
11/5/99 Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey? Prime Suspects Documentary Broadcast. CourtTV. This documentary premiered on this date.
11/9/99 Bomb Threat at Access Graphics. Some 500 employees at Access Graphics, 1426 Pearl St., were evacuated from their offices after a male caller phoned in the threat at 1:30 p.m. Boulder police said there was no indication the call was related to John Ramsey, the company's founder. He had left the company by 1997.
11/17/99 Whites Letter to CU Board of Regents regarding activities of Professor Michael Tracey.
11/29/99 Major Boulder Weekly Article. Frank Coffman. What I Saw at the Feeding Frenzy provides a detailed account of the media frenzy and various reporters/book authors who covered the JBR case.