JonBenét Ramsey Case: Prosecutor Who Refused To Charge Parents Has Controversial Past

The JonBenét Ramsey murder has remain unsolved and unprosecuted for the last 17 years, and much of it is thanks to the work of Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter.

In 1999, three years after the murder of the pageant-winning girl, a grand jury in Boulder County voted to indict John and Patsy Ramsey on charges of child abuse resulting in death. But Hunter stepped in, refusing to sign the indictment and choosing not to prosecute the parents because he was unsure if they would be convicted.

The cast has been revived this week after a Colorado journalist and a media advocacy group sued prosecutors to release details of the grand jury indictment.

Daily Camera reporter Charlie Brennan and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press have filed the suit against current Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett, claiming that the release of the document “would serve the public interest in government transparency.”

The release could shed more light on the death of JonBenét Ramsey and what role her parents may have played.

It could also give new insight into the decision of Alex Hunter not to prosecute the parents.

Hunter has been no stranger to controversy. John Eller, the former lead prosecutor on the JonBenét Ramsey case, made claims that Hunter worked with a tabloid reporter to discredit him.

Eller, who served as commander of the Boulder police department but now lives in Florida, said Hunter worked with Globe reporter Jeff Shapiro to dig up dirt from his past.

The allegation was confirmed by Boulder Police Chief Tom Koby, who said two fellow investigators learned of the plan from Shapiro.

Alex Hunter has refused to answer questions about the allegations.

“We’re not going to get drawn into it,” he said. “I simply do not want to get into any kind of discussion that could jeopardize the integrity of what we’re doing. The integrity of the process is more important than getting into this.”

Brennan and Daily Camera have made two previous attempts to have the JonBenét Ramsey indictment released, but were denied on both occasions.