Ramsey grand jury indictment accused parents of child abuse resulting in death

Published October 25, 2013Associated Press


  • FILE 1997: John and Patsy Ramsey hold reward poster regarding death of JonBenet. (AP)



DEVELOPING: Court documents released Friday reveal that a grand jury in 1999 indicted John and Patsy Ramsey for child abuse resulting in death and being an accessory to a crime, including murder, in connection to their 6-year-old daughter JonBenet.

The indictments, released on Friday, did not indicate who killed the young beauty queen. The Ramseys were not charged, however, because former District Attorney Alex Hunter refused to sign the documents to prosecute them. In 2008, then-Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy exonerated the girl's parents and immediate family after DNA evidence pointed to an unknown male as JonBenet's killer.

The document alleges both parents intended to delay or prevent the arrest of the alleged killer. The crimes occurred between Dec. 25 and Dec. 26, 1996, the day JonBenet’s body was found. She had been strangled and her skull was fractured.

JonBenet Ramsey's mother, Patsy, died of cancer in 2006.

Earlier this week, John Ramsey asked officials to release the entire grand jury record if the unprosecuted indictment was made public. However, the judge said transcripts of grand jury proceedings and evidence presented to it are not considered "official action" under the law governing criminal court records. He also said releasing such information could hurt other grand juries, whose work is secret.

An attorney representing John Ramsey, L. Lin Wood, said he's confident that no evidence in the grand jury case implicated the Ramsey family and the public should be able to see that for themselves.

"Anything less than the release of all of the proceedings is a gross injustice to the Ramsey family," he said.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/10/25...o-be-released/