AC, it’s difficult to tell from this combination of “fuzzy” questions and “fuzzy” answers:
TRIP DEMUTH: Patsy, I would like to know, the best of your memory, prior to this Christmas, who had gone in that wine cellar.
PATSY RAMSEY: Well, at Thanksgiving time I asked my cleaning lady, I had kept my big artificial trees in there, and I asked her to come and, you know, put those up while I was gone at Thanksgiving. So I don't know exactly who was with her to help her. She insinuated this is when they were going to also clean some of the windows, she and her husband. I think she also mentioned that her daughter had come to help her, Kristen, I think.
And they were there on Thanksgiving day, I know, because they (inaudible). They said they brought them something over for Thanksgiving to eat. So I would know that group, one or all of them, took the -- because the trees were up when I got back, so they had to have been in there to get them out of there.
TRIP DEMUTH: Okay.
PATSY RAMSEY: Okay. You know, it wasn't like a full-blown wine cellar, but we kept a couple boxes of wine in there. And I want to say that -- I don't remember whether it was the night of the 23rd, that party or some party we had, I remember somebody saying we are out of red wine. And I said please (inaudible) to or something. But at some time, please go to the basement to get some more red wine, but he would know where that was.
TOM HANEY: Okay.
PATSY RAMSEY: This guy named Bob Ballis (phonetic) who did some Christmas decorations, he made these things, you know, a year or more before when we had the Christmas open house. He would know about that.
TRIP DEMUTH: My question is: Who had been in that room prior to Christmas of '96, Bob Ballis, was he the Christmas of '95?
PATSY RAMSEY: Yeah. Right.
TRIP DEMUTH: Okay. In the months prior to Christmas of 1996 Fleet would have gone in there?
PATSY RAMSEY: I would say Fleet, the cleaning lady and –
TRIP DEMUTH: Maybe the husband?
PATSY RAMSEY: Maybe the husband and maybe the daughter.
TRIP DEMUTH: How about yourself?
PATSY RAMSEY: Me, taking hiding.
TRIP DEMUTH: Would the children go in there?
PATSY RAMSEY: No. If I had presents in there I would have locked it up.
TRIP DEMUTH: They couldn't reach that?
PATSY RAMSEY: No.
TRIP DEMUTH: Okay. Anyone else besides those people actually go into the wine cellar?
PATSY RAMSEY: Let me think. There were paint cans in there. I think Jay Pedify (phonetic)
would have been likely back there, but I don't remember when we had him, if he was there painting that fall or not.
It’s not clear when or if FW may have previously been in the room.
If he was in the room, he may have been there helping someone such as JR who obviously did know where the light switch was.
PR may also have been trying to throw FW under the bus.
Here is a more detailed account of the wine cellar encounter on Dec. 26:
A. There was a latch, as I recall, that was at the top of the door, and I unlatched it and then opened the -- opened the door and just looked in the room.
Q. Did you open the door completely to look in?
A. Wide enough to look in.
Q. And what did you see?
A. It was dark
Q. Totally dark?
A. As I recall, it was quite dark.
Q. Did any of the light in the hallway illuminate the area when you opened the door, to some extent?
A. Perhaps to some extent, but it was quite dark.
Q. It is my understanding you tried to find a light switch unsuccessfully?
A. Yes.
Q. Which side of the wall did you reach for? Left? Right? Describe for me the extent of your effort to locate a light switch in the wine cellar.
A. I believe I just reached in and felt the wall next to the door and didn't find one, so --
Q. Did you actually step into the room, though?
A. I may have put one -- I may have leaned in, placed one foot in.
Q. Would there be any reason why you would not have simply walked into the room, even though dark, to make an observation?
A. I don't -- I don't remember why I didn't walk in the room
Q. But you did not?
A. I did not walk in the room, other than to, perhaps, lean in or -- far enough to reach around and look for a switch.
Q. When you couldn't find a switch, what did you do?
A. I closed the door.
Q. Did you relatch it?
A. I believe I relatched it.
Q. Were you wearing gloves that morning?
A. No.
Q. Did you ever -- were you ever asked to give a palm print or fingerprints to the Boulder Police Department?
A. Yes.
Q. And you did so?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you recall when you were first asked to give fingerprints and palm prints?
A. Within a few days.
Q. Within a few days of the murder?
A. Yes.
Q. What did you do --
A. As I recall.
Q.-- after you closed the door to the wine cellar?
A. I went back upstairs.
Fleet White Deposition