RiverRat
Patsy Ramsey to the Left
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2003
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The Thomas factor
Hunter has probably had no stronger critic through his tenure on the case than former Boulder police Detective Steve Thomas.
Thomas, who resigned from the department in summer 1998, has left law enforcement and is building houses with a friend in Australia.
When Thomas resigned, he did so with a blistering eight-page letter in which he put the lack of charges in the case squarely on Hunter's doorstep, accusing the prosecutor and his staff of impeding justice.
Several newspaper editorials echoed Thomas's critique, Hunter recalled, and "cut me below the bellybutton, and side to side."
Thomas wrote a book, published in 2000, in which he underscored his contempt for Hunter's approach to the case and the judicial system.
Hunter, who remembers the Thomas broadsides as "one of the bumps for me in the case," is restrained in talking about them now.
"I think he did what he thought he should do," he said. "He thought he should write a book. I don't think he should have written a book with case file information. I don't think that's something he should have done . . . because these are case-confidential files, and they, to disclose them, can prejudice a case."
Thomas, in an e-mail sent this weekend from Australia, said he doesn't regret writing a book "after it became painfully evident that there was never going to be a filing in this case." He called Hunter's criticism "disingenuous."
The former detective said that Hunter "hosted the Globe tabloid in his office on a fairly regular basis, for example, talking about the case file information to which he refers."
Hunter insists that he never discussed anything of evidentiary value with a tabloid reporter.
Thomas added that he has no doubt Hunter wished for "a proper resolution to this case."
"These cases don't solve themselves, and we just had different ideologies about how hard to push the agenda and pursue the matter properly," he said. "It is unfortunate that his legacy will reflect an absence of duty in this case."
The trouble with statistics
Thomas' book made clear his belief that Patsy Ramsey was responsible for the murder, and attributes that belief to others in his department, up to and including Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner, when Beckner was the detective bureau commander.
Hunter chooses his words carefully in discussing the Ramseys.
"I never saw anything in this investigation that indicated to me they were bad people," he said. "There was no history of abuse, nothing to support (that) this wasn't a loved child, in the evidence that I saw."
Hunter has high praise for former Boulder police chief Tom Koby, but believes that some in Koby's department were overly influenced by FBI profilers, who stressed the likelihood of a family member's involvement in JonBenet's death.
Hunter feels much of the same frustration as others who have watched the case unfold, then unravel, yielding only enduring questions without answers.
Still, he said, "It was a good ride. A good play. I have zero anger at anybody involved in it - even Thomas. And, I'm grateful for that, too, because I think anger can eat us to death.
"And that's sort of where it is."
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/dr...5237612,00.html
Hunter has probably had no stronger critic through his tenure on the case than former Boulder police Detective Steve Thomas.
Thomas, who resigned from the department in summer 1998, has left law enforcement and is building houses with a friend in Australia.
When Thomas resigned, he did so with a blistering eight-page letter in which he put the lack of charges in the case squarely on Hunter's doorstep, accusing the prosecutor and his staff of impeding justice.
Several newspaper editorials echoed Thomas's critique, Hunter recalled, and "cut me below the bellybutton, and side to side."
Thomas wrote a book, published in 2000, in which he underscored his contempt for Hunter's approach to the case and the judicial system.
Hunter, who remembers the Thomas broadsides as "one of the bumps for me in the case," is restrained in talking about them now.
"I think he did what he thought he should do," he said. "He thought he should write a book. I don't think he should have written a book with case file information. I don't think that's something he should have done . . . because these are case-confidential files, and they, to disclose them, can prejudice a case."
Thomas, in an e-mail sent this weekend from Australia, said he doesn't regret writing a book "after it became painfully evident that there was never going to be a filing in this case." He called Hunter's criticism "disingenuous."
The former detective said that Hunter "hosted the Globe tabloid in his office on a fairly regular basis, for example, talking about the case file information to which he refers."
Hunter insists that he never discussed anything of evidentiary value with a tabloid reporter.
Thomas added that he has no doubt Hunter wished for "a proper resolution to this case."
"These cases don't solve themselves, and we just had different ideologies about how hard to push the agenda and pursue the matter properly," he said. "It is unfortunate that his legacy will reflect an absence of duty in this case."
The trouble with statistics
Thomas' book made clear his belief that Patsy Ramsey was responsible for the murder, and attributes that belief to others in his department, up to and including Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner, when Beckner was the detective bureau commander.
Hunter chooses his words carefully in discussing the Ramseys.
"I never saw anything in this investigation that indicated to me they were bad people," he said. "There was no history of abuse, nothing to support (that) this wasn't a loved child, in the evidence that I saw."
Hunter has high praise for former Boulder police chief Tom Koby, but believes that some in Koby's department were overly influenced by FBI profilers, who stressed the likelihood of a family member's involvement in JonBenet's death.
Hunter feels much of the same frustration as others who have watched the case unfold, then unravel, yielding only enduring questions without answers.
Still, he said, "It was a good ride. A good play. I have zero anger at anybody involved in it - even Thomas. And, I'm grateful for that, too, because I think anger can eat us to death.
"And that's sort of where it is."
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/dr...5237612,00.html
