Jan. 7, 2000- BOULDER - For the first time, Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter on Thursday publicly questioned whether the three-year investigation into JonBenet Ramsey's death will ever yield the killer.

"I don't know if it will be solved," Hunter told reporters.

His comments came just moments after Boulder County commissioners agreed to give his office $24,000 for the next three months of work.

Hunter has always defended the investigation, expressing confidence in its pace and optimism in the eventual outcome.

On Thursday, while leaving the commission hearing, Hunter seemed to express some doubt.

"But everybody that's working on it is working with the hope that it will be solved," he added.

The DA's office had asked commissioners for $9,000 to pay prosecutor Mike Kane, $10,000 to cover "expert-witness consultation fees"

- including money for criminologist Henry Lee - and $5,000 for travel expenses.

After Hunter told commissioners the money should last through March, the commissioners approved the request for the supplemental appropriation without discussion.

"We're kind of in midstream," commission Chairman Ron Stewart said. "You don't stop in the middle."

Among those attending the hearing were Fleet and Priscilla White, former friends of John and Patsy Ramsey, JonBeneÚt's parents. Fleet White was with John Ramsey when he found his daughter's body in the basement of the Ramsey home Dec. 26, 1996.

The Whites, who have asked for Hunter to be removed from the case and that a special prosecutor be assigned, did not speak.

The $24,000 approved Thursday was modest compared with previous allocations. The case so far has cost taxpayers more than $2 million.

A grand jury investigated the case for 13 months but ended its work in October without returning any indictments.

Kane, who was brought in to handle the grand jury process, has returned to his home in Pennsylvania but is continuing to work on the case part-time. Two Boulder detectives also are assigned to the case part-time.

Meanwhile, filming of outdoor scenes for a television movie about the murder was put on hold.

A crew was expected to shoot outdoor scenes tonight along the Pearl Street Mall for the movie, "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town."

But the request to close streets in the area for the filming was withdrawn Thursday. No new date was scheduled.

"It's up in the air," said onetime city spokesman David Grimm, serving as community liaison in the filming.

"I was called this morning by the production company and authorized to release the parking spaces and vacate the street-closure permit so I've done that, and that's all I know." The Boulder Weekly, an alternative newspaper, had objected to what it called the commercialization of a child's slaying and called for protesters to disrupt the filming with noisemakers.

Grimm did not know whether that was a factor in canceling the permit.

The film, based on a book by the same title, is scheduled to air Feb. 27 and March 1 on CBS.

http://uss001.infi.net/denver/post/news/jon010700.htm

It won't be solved unless the BPD starts working leads or gives up the sealed information so others can do their work. The Ramsey investigators can pinpoint a few great suspects, but without access tot he lab reports on the DNA and other things, they can never PROVE a case. The BPD knows that - - and sitting on that information while they don't follow leads is denying justice to JonBenét.

I know a few in Atlanta care about the Butts case - the sad thing is there is no one in Boulder who is anxious to have this solved. No one willing to push it. The Whites are fighting their own battle, not speaking for JonBenét. LE - - DA Keenan - don't want to talk case at all. No one seems to care - - just a kid who died years ago.

I try to remember the child - - I want her killer caught - I want him to be punished for what he did and I want to know he can never hurt another child.

Boulder seems to feel that is too much to ask.

THey need to focus on that churchmouse!!

What do I think of the handwriting? Well, my reaction was that it could very well be his. In the ransom letter he seems agitated~ some words and letters crooked, like he was rushed. And the letter to the judge seemed like he was more calm, writing was neater.
His F's have that same curl on the top. This may not be too big a deal, but his lower T's some were straight, some had that hook. It just seemed to have that consistency to go from straight to hook. Oh and his lower case D's are exactly the same as the ransom letter...it is so errie.
But the one doubt I have is that he didn't dot his eyes in the letter to the judge, and the ransom letter they were dotted.

But overall IMO I say there is a chance he wrote it. A big one.