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Man fondled girl who was in same dance class as JonBenet
By Kevin McCullenDenver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
BOULDER — Police are reviewing evidence again in an unsolved 1997 sexual assault case to see if it might be connected to the 31/2-year-old slaying of JonBenet Ramsey, Chief Mark Beckner said Tuesday. Beckner said detectives in September 1997 compared evidence and circumstances surrounding the unsolved case to the December 1996 slaying of 6-year-old JonBenet, who was found dead in her parents' basement. Beckner said he decided last week to have a detective again review reports of the unsolved sexual assault, in which a 14-year-old was fondled by an intruder in her north Boulder home in September 1997. The intruder was frightened away when the girl's mother heard whispering in her daughter's room and went to investigate. The girl attended the same dance academy as JonBenet. Police in 1997 found no connection between the Ramsey case and the sexual assault. There are no suspects in the sexual assault, and Beckner said there are no plans to retest evidence in that case, including handprints allegedly made by the intruder, but evidence will be reviewed. "I was called last week by a reporter about the case, and I decided we should review it again to see if there is anything else that might be done primarily to solve that case," Beckner said. "That is our first priority. Certainly, if things fell into place and there was evidence that pointed to someone who might have been involved in the Ramsey murder, that would be great. "We are right in the middle on this one, in that we can't discount any possibility. Could it be related? Sure. Could it be unrelated? Sure. We just don't know," he said. Beckner assumed supervision of the troubled Ramsey investigation in fall 1997. Meanwhile, Boulder detectives still involved part-time in the long and expensive investigation plan to go to Atlanta later this month to re-interview JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey. Beckner has said detectives want to ask the couple questions about new information that has developed since the Ramseys were last interviewed by investigators from the Boulder District Attorney's Office in June 1998. August 2, 2000
BOULDER — Police are reviewing evidence again in an unsolved 1997 sexual assault case to see if it might be connected to the 31/2-year-old slaying of JonBenet Ramsey, Chief Mark Beckner said Tuesday.
Beckner said detectives in September 1997 compared evidence and circumstances surrounding the unsolved case to the December 1996 slaying of 6-year-old JonBenet, who was found dead in her parents' basement.
Beckner said he decided last week to have a detective again review reports of the unsolved sexual assault, in which a 14-year-old was fondled by an intruder in her north Boulder home in September 1997. The intruder was frightened away when the girl's mother heard whispering in her daughter's room and went to investigate.
The girl attended the same dance academy as JonBenet.
Police in 1997 found no connection between the Ramsey case and the sexual assault. There are no suspects in the sexual assault, and Beckner said there are no plans to retest evidence in that case, including handprints allegedly made by the intruder, but evidence will be reviewed.
"I was called last week by a reporter about the case, and I decided we should review it again to see if there is anything else that might be done primarily to solve that case," Beckner said. "That is our first priority. Certainly, if things fell into place and there was evidence that pointed to someone who might have been involved in the Ramsey murder, that would be great.
"We are right in the middle on this one, in that we can't discount any possibility. Could it be related? Sure. Could it be unrelated? Sure. We just don't know," he said.
Beckner assumed supervision of the troubled Ramsey investigation in fall 1997.
Meanwhile, Boulder detectives still involved part-time in the long and expensive investigation plan to go to Atlanta later this month to re-interview JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey. Beckner has said detectives want to ask the couple questions about new information that has developed since the Ramseys were last interviewed by investigators from the Boulder District Attorney's Office in June 1998.
August 2, 2000