Supervisor of JonBenet inquiry is removed from case

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Supervisor of JonBenet inquiry is removed from case

By Charlie Brennan and Kevin McCullen

%%byline%%By Charlie Brennan and Kevin McCullen
Rocky Mountain News Staff Writers

BOULDER -- The head of the Boulder Police detective bureau was removed from his role as supervisor of the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation on Monday, but two more detectives have joined the case.
A formal announcement of the shakeup is expected at a press conference today.
Police sources said department members have been told that running the detective bureau and supervising the high-profile Ramsey case was too much for Cmdr. John Eller to juggle, and it was for that reason that Cmdr. Mark Beckner has assumed the duties of overseeing the Ramsey team.
Sources told the Rocky Mountain News that Detectives Kim Stewart and Carey Weinheimer were added Wednesday to the team assigned to the 6-year-old's unsolved slaying.
They join the team leader, Detective Sgt. Tom Wickman, plus detectives Jane Harmer, Tom Trujillo, Ron Gosage and Steve Thomas.
Eller, who is the subject of an internal affairs investigation, was unavailable for comment Thursday.
The internal investigation into Eller was triggered by what department officials characterized as a "serious allegation of misconduct'' leveled by Sgt. Larry Mason. In June, Mason filed a notice of intent to sue Eller, but hasn't done so.
The threatened lawsuit, and the internal affairs investigation, stem from the same allegation. In the notice of intent to sue, Mason claims he suffered "reputational injuries'' when Eller made a false accusation that Mason was leaking information about the Ramsey case to the media.
The threatened lawsuit was to seek $150,000 damages apiece for Mason and his wife, Cecilia. Mason was taken off the case early in January.
Marc Colin, the lawyer representing Mason, said Mason's notice of claim against Eller is "currently the subject of discussions (with department officials), for the first time since it was filed.''
Colin declined to say whether Eller's removal from the case, plus a potential resolution of the internal affairs complaint and Mason's lawsuit threat might all be linked.
But, Colin said, "Certainly, I think it's fair to say that it's all going to be tied together.''
Meanwhile, a Denver newspaper filed a motion Thursday in Charlevoix, Mich., to unseal search warrants for the Ramsey's vacation home there.

October 10, 1997