Hbgchick said:
And thanks again, for your opinion.
If there's anyone out there that can offer more than conjecture, I'd be very interested.
Your wish is my command, Hbgchick! First, though:
"Judge Carnes supported the intruder storyline that was championed by retired homicide detective, Lou Smit. She evaluated the relevant evidence that was presented by both attorneys and said there was "abundant evidence" to support such a liklihood."
What many people forget, unless they are reminded, is that the judge was not ruling on the entire case, only the evidence that was presented before her. Hoffman, Wolf's atty., challenged almost none of the "evidence" the Ramseys presented, even though much of it was disputable. And when he put forth his witnesses, he did so in a way that guaranteed their failure. The judge said that his witnesses had made no attempt to demonstrate how they made their conclusions. True, BUT, Hoffman never asked them! One of them, a Mr. Epstein, said that in 30 years, this was the first time he had not been allowed to testify as to his methodology.
"She also chided/harpooned the Boulder police department for their case management and approach to the case and for using the media to villify the Ramseys."
Yes, she did, but it wasn't her call to make.
"Boulder's D.A., supported Judge Carnes report."
A decision the man who led the Grand Jury was highly critical of.
"It deserves mention that Judge Carnes was particularly dismissive of any thought that Patsy murdered Jon Benet."
Leaving aside possible bias, said GJ leader said that with the evidence that was presented (failed to present would be more apt) there was no other choice she could have made.
Now for the nitty gritty. And please, don't kill the messenger. Remember: you did ask!
Okay, no more stalling!
First, we have some veeeeerrrryy interesting fiber evidence.
MR. LEVIN: "Based on the state of the art scientific testing, we believe the fibers from her jacket were found in the paint tray, were found tied into the ligature found on JonBenet's neck, were found on the blanket that she is wrapped in, were found on the duct tape that is found on the mouth, and the question is, can she explain to us how those fibers appeared in those places that are associated with her daughter's death. And I understand you are not going to answer those."
The man speaking is Bruce Levin, a prosecutor working with the DA's office. What he's referring to specifically, and he pursues this elsewhere, is that fibers from Patsy's clothes were found tied into the knots of the cord JonBenet was garroted with. Patsy, at the time, offered no explanation. Indeed, if you've ever seen the tape of that interview, you'll see she almost passes out. Two years later, Patsy explained that the fiber transfer took place when she prayed over JB's body that morning. But that makes no sense. JB had already been covered with a blanket and sweatshirt. The Ramseys said so in their book. Also, the same fibers were in the box where the stick that the cord was wrapped around was taken from, but she claims she never went there wearing that item of clothing.
Also, in one interview, from earlier, Patsy is asked about the heart drawn on JB's hand. She goes on to describe it in detail. The next day, when asked about it again, she claims she knows nothing about it.
In another interview, maybe the same one, the policeman interviewing her tells her that he has evidence JB had been sexually assaulted more than once. He asks her how she feels about it. She says she's shocked, but then proceeds to try and change the subject.
Another problem we have is the note. It contains several phrases and terms known to be frequently used by her and her relatives/friends. Plus, an handwriting expert consulted said he found 51 similarities between her writing and that of the note. Another one said he found no significant variances between them.
And here's a really fun part: less than a year after the killing, a local handwriting expert/lawyer got caught in a sticky wicket. A man he represented made an attempt to purchase a copy of the note. This lawyer, Miller, went along. Even if he had known his guy was going to bribe the note's possesser, there was nothing he could have done to stop him. If he had called the cops, he could have been disbarred for breaching privilege. Miller made his analysis of the note, saying he was sure Patsy had written it. Now, here's where it gets REALLY nasty! The police arrested Miller and his client, he claims, at the behest of Hal Haddon, the Ramsey lawyer. I believe him, because the briber himself spent not jail time, but Miller was targeted with heavy artillery. He decided to go to trial. It took the jury less than three hours to find him not guilty. Miller claimed that he was only prosecuted because he said Patsy wrote the note. His claim was seemingly borne out at the trial. His defense pulled off a real coup at trial when a private investigator working on the Ramseys' behalf admitted that he had been ordered to dig up dirt on Miller because Miller's testimony might be devastating at trial. If the Ramseys knew about this, then they obviously have something to hide. If they didn't, one has to wonder why this was necessary. Either way, it's pretty disgraceful.
And that's just for OPENERS! If you need more, hbgchick, believe me, I've got it!