By Kevin McCullen
Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

BOULDER -- A supermarket tabloid this week retracted a story claiming Burke Ramsey was a prime suspect in the 21/2-year-old slaying of his sister JonBenet Ramsey and apologized to the 12-year-old "for any anguish or embarrassment he has suffered."

The Star, in a short story under the headline "Burke Cleared -- We Were Wrong," said it was "pleased to correct the record" by reporting that Burke Ramsey was not a suspect in the death of his 6-year-old sister Dec. 26, 1996.

Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner in 1998 said Burke Ramsey was not a suspect. The Boulder district attorney's office last month reiterated that he was not under suspicion in JonBenet's death after some mainstream media picked up the Star's story.

The Atlanta-based lawyer for Burke Ramsey, Jim Jenkins, said Thursday he was unaware of the retraction, but he said he would not comment on it. Burke has testified before the Boulder County grand jury investigating the death of JonBenet, whose body was found in the basement of her parent's Boulder home.

There was no immediate comment from representatives of the Star about why it issued the retraction. The author of the story, Richard Gooding, did not return a call for comment Thursday.

A University of Colorado journalism professor who interviewed Burke's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, for a documentary for British television said the Star's retraction was unusual. Michael Tracey also said the story was "disgraceful."

"It was never true, and it was outrageous," Tracey said. "The cops had said it long ago and (District Attorney) Alex Hunter intimated it was not true, but they still published it."

June 11, 1999