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JonBenet's parents quizzed
29/08/2000 20:29 - (SA)
Atlanta - John and Patsy Ramsey returned on Tuesday for a second day of
questioning by investigators from Colorado about the death of their
daughter, JonBenet.
The two sides squabbled on Monday over the questioning by special
prosecutor Michael Kane. The Ramseys' attorney, L Lin Wood, said
Kane refused to consider any suspects other than the 6-year-old's
parents.
Kane said on Tuesday that Wood "doesn't want his client to answer some
tough questions" about JonBenet's death in the family's home in
Boulder, Colorado.
"This case is ... almost four years old. Whether it's an intruder
or somebody in the house who committed this homicide, there are
some difficult, tough questions that have to be answered," he said.
Asked if he expected the mood to change, Kane said: "I'm sure it'll
be the same thing, but we'll see."
The other members of the team were "supportive of Mike Kane", said
Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner. "He's part of our team."
The investigators spent seven hours on Monday questioning Mrs Ramsey
at Wood's office and planned to continue interviewing her on Tuesday
before moving on to her husband.
The Ramseys did not speak to reporters on Tuesday morning.
After Monday's session, Wood said Kane had reduced the questioning
of Mrs Ramsey to a "fishing expedition" to pin the child beauty
queen's killing on her parents.
He said Kane threatened to walk out of the interview with Patsy
Ramsey when the two sides argued over questioning about fibre
evidence and security precautions for JonBenet's older brother,
Burke.
The latter was "a series of questions that I don't think serve any
useful purpose" in finding the killer, Wood said. 'We're Here to Find the Killer'
"They may never clear our names till they find the killer," John
Ramsey said on Monday. "We're not here to prove our innocence or clear
our name. We're here to find the killer of our daughter."
Wood said on Monday that the investigators' questions, excluding those
from Kane, were mostly fair. At a break in the talks on Monday, Mrs
Ramsey had said she was "very comfortable" with questions
investigators asked her in the morning session.
"I believe they're asking pertinent questions, so I'm happy to be
there," she said.
The two sides disagreed in the afternoon session over questions
about fibre evidence from the investigators who Wood said didn't
disclose all they knew about the evidence.
The attorney said he also objected to questioning about Mrs
Ramsey's concern for 13-year-old Burke's security at school. Wood
said that questioning did nothing to help prosecutors find
JonBenet's killer.
JonBenet was found beaten and strangled on 26 December, 1996, in the
basement of her family's Boulder home. No suspect has ever been
named, though Beckner said her parents remain under suspicion. The
Ramseys have denied any involvement.
Police first interviewed the Ramseys separately in April 1997 after
months of negotiations. They were questioned separately again in
June 1998.
A grand jury was convened in 1998 to investigate the slaying but
disbanded without an indictment. Critics claim police botched the
case early in the investigation and were overly deferential to the
Ramseys, who now live in Atlanta.
On the Net:
Ramseys' site: www.Ramseyfamily.com.
Boulder police: www.ci.boulder.co.us/police.
- Sapa-AP
- SAPA
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