With no evidence against the parents but a "favorite theory", the authorities planned and put into action a plan. If the Ramseys would not "cooperate" (pronounce that 'con-fess') they would put public pressure on the parents, hoping they would break.

As I see it, that involved leaking information and misinformation to the media so the stories would be BORG.

I think that also meant getting search warrants when they weren't necessary, getting officers to get close to material witnesses (like Barbara Fernie and Fleet and Priscilla White) and confuse them with suppositions and suggestions that they KNEW were..... unsuported by evidence.

Pay attention to this clip of the deposition that was released today:

Lauer: Thomas also says that the Boulder Police Department and the FBI had a strategy to try to get
John or Patsy Ramsey to
confess to the crime

Thomas: There were discussions with the FBI, yes, about how to exert some public pressure on people
who were not cooperating.
Yes.

Wood: Were they also thinking that they might use the media to apply pressure so that there might be
the possiblitiy that one of
the parents might confess to the crime?

Thomas: That may have been some motivation

Wood: Do you believe, do you have recollections that was discussed?

Thomas: (after long pause) I wouldn't disagree with it.

>the possiblitiy that one of the parents might confess to the crime?
>Thomas: That may have been some motivation
evasive 'may' and 'some'.

> Wood: Do you believe, do you have recollections
>that was discussed?
>Thomas: (after long pause) I wouldn't disagree with it.
Whats a matter? you needed a long pause but still couldn't say 'yes'.

How did it get from "discussion" to actually leaking to the press? In the Vanity Fair Article, it states that the author was contacted by someone "close?" to the investigation. IMO, this is not that much different than the civil rights violations in the Rodney King case---except the Ramseys were beaten up by leaks and words.

The Enquirer has reached a new low, IMO, and that is almost impossible to believe, based on the things they've printed in the past. This guy says Patsy is an expert at disguising her handwriting, yet says at the same time that the writing matches exactly in places. Then, when you look at the places he's talking about, what they have in common is nothing.

I found Churchmouse's writing much more interesting, and if I were a BPD detective, I would be looking very closely at some of his earlier writing. I would send it to the Secret Service, the CBI, and the FBI, and ask them what they think. I would try to determine when the "N's" started popping up. If the experts said his writing eliminated him as the ransom note author, I would move on the other suspects - start from scratch. I would ask for help from the other law enforcement agencies - any that were willing to pitch in.

If I were a BPD detective, I would be determined to find the killer.

I don't think Lin Wood makes idle threats. I look for the suit to be filed----the City of Boulder can't say they weren't given a chance. They just can't get past their egos, IMO.

Investigators talked about using media to pressure parents

By Owen S. Good, Rocky Mountain News
October 29, 2002

BOULDER - Police and the FBI discussed mounting a media campaign to
pressure John and Patsy Ramsey into confessing they murdered their
daughter in 1996, according to one of the case's top detectives.

Former Boulder Detective Steve Thomas, in civil suit testimony taken
last winter and aired Monday on NBC's Today show, acknowledged the
strategy to Ramsey attorney L. Lin Wood.

"There were discussions with the FBI, yes, about how to exert some
public pressure on people who were not cooperating," Thomas said.

Wood, commenting Monday, said Thomas admitted to "a plan of public
character assassination" of the Ramseys, lacking solid evidence to arrest
either of them for the Dec. 26, 1996, murder of their 6-year-old
daughter, JonBenet.

Still, Thomas' testimony does not say such a plan was put into place,
although Wood is certain it was.

"It is my belief that there were leaks from the Boulder Police
Department, if not sanctioned as a part of the plan, were certainly
consistent with the plan," Wood said.

"It's difficult enough to get someone to admit they were involved in
leaking confidential information," Wood said.

"It's certainly a lot tougher to get them to say it was a part of the plan."

Both Police Chief Mark Beckner and former chief Tom Koby declined to
comment on Thomas' statement. Thomas could not be reached for
comment.

But a lawyer present for Thomas' deposition, Darnay Hoffman of New
York, said Wood is blowing the testimony out of proportion.

"This deposition transcript shows Steve Thomas not only acted
honorably, but also acted in the only way a policeman could have acted
in the interest of justice for this 6-year-old child," Hoffman said.

Thomas' deposition, which his lawyers have wanted sealed since it was
given, has been characterized as extremely damaging to him personally
and to the investigation.

The federal judge in the civil case, brought against the Ramseys by a
former Boulder journalist they called a suspect in their book, denied
Thomas' request to seal his entire deposition. Hoffman represents the
plaintiff, Chris Wolf.

A motion to withhold certain parts - which Hoffman described as "eight of
400-odd pages" in a transcript - was filed in September. The judge has
not ruled.

The excerpt released by Wood to NBC was not included in that motion,
Wood said.

Hoffman said any media campaign to sweat a confession out of the
Ramseys is "pretty much standard operating procedure," noting that
Susan Smith of Union, S.C. did not confess to drowning her two children
in 1994 until she was isolated in the full glare of 24-hour coverage.

Wood dismissed that comparison.

"Susan Smith's case is not even within missile range of the Ramsey
case," he said.

Trip DeMuth, a former prosecutor assigned to the Ramsey case who is
now a private attorney in Boulder, said he was never a part of any
discussions about extracting a confession via media pressure.

"Such tactics run converse to our constitutional rights to a fair trial," he
said.

"Misleading information was constantly released to the public by sources
claiming to be close to the investigation," he said. Also, DeMuth said he
believed "some of the FBI agents involved in the case were also involved
in the Richard Jewell case," in which an Atlanta security guard was
falsely accused in the press of being the Olympic Park bomber in 1996.

Wood also represents Jewell, and has won settlements from two
networks for their roles.

Other deposition excerpts broadcast Monday included testimony from
Beckner and former District Attorney Alex Hunter, who said remarks
Gov. Bill Owens made in 1999, casting suspicion on the Ramseys, were
"inappropriate."

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/ramsey/article/0,1299,DRMN_1296_1509328,00.html

Thomas was not acting honorably when he leaked info to Ann Bardach, or Jeff Shapiro, or when he met with Frank Coffman. He was actinglike the leader of a lynch mob, inciting the media and private people to put out misinformation that would look bad for the Ramseys.

The evidence did not support his theories - but he acted on his belief that the Ramseys were guilty and the endswould justify the means.

Thomas didn't investigate all leads, he did his best to lead people like Don Foster to ignore all the information that might be available to them (It is in his book - - he told Foster to ignore Hunter.) He was leading a witch hunt.

Then he quit to cash in on the story. He turned his back on justice for JonBenét. He did not one more thing to investigate her murder. (If I am wrong here, it is one of the best kept secrets in the case - - not one person has ever indicated that he ever worked on this case after he quit. He just wrote a libelous book and went to the bank.)

Thomas was not honorable - - and Darnay Hoffman is wrong to say otherwise.

But he is entitled to his opinion - - as wrong as it obviously is.

It's hard to credit any allegation now made regarding the JonBenet case.
Everyone, it seems, has an axe to grind. But it's disturbing nonetheless
to learn, via civil suit testimony from former Boulder Detective Steve
Thomas, that the police and FBI may have considered mounting a media
campaign to pressure the Ramseys into a confession. If official character
assassination ever becomes acceptable, can planting evidence be far
behind ?

-- Vincent Carroll

Patsy Ramsey: "I asked Mark Beckner that. I came closer to him in the face than I am to you, Erin,
and I said, 'Tell me what it is that makes you think I killed my beautiful, precious child?' and he said
'well, well, it's just a lot of little things.' I think he really doesn't know."

(images from the funeral)

Erin Moriarty: (Voice Over) "But because police didn't have enough evidence, sources within the
investigation tell 48 hours, the police tried to psychologically break the Ramseys hoping one or both
would confess."

John Ramsey: "It was a strategy that was put in place to bring immense pressure on us to break us."

Erin Moriarty: (Voice Over) "That strategy by some in the department, claims John Ramsey, included a
relentless campaign of leaks, mostly to the nations tabloids, that had a devastated effect on the
public
opinion."

Lin Wood: "They convinced the public of guilt."