JonBenét Ramsey Lawsuit Filed, Release Of Indictment Demanded

It’s been nearly two decadess since JonBenét Ramsey, a child beauty pageant star, was found slain in her family home on Christmas, but the mystery of who murdered the little girl is no closer to being solved.

And while JonBenét Ramsey has not gotten justice, the push to find out exactly what happened to the little girl continues — with a new lawsuit in Colorado demanding the release of a secret indictment brought before a grand jury in 1999.

Charlie Brennan, a Boulder Daily Camera reporter, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed suit against Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett over the 1999 indictment that alleged serious child abuse and named the girl’s parents.

The Boulder Daily Camera reports that the indictment involving the parents of JonBenét Ramsey was “secretly voted on by the JonBenet Ramsey grand jury in 1999 but never prosecuted,” and the site adds:

“The Camera reported earlier this year that the grand jury voted to indict the slain 6-year-old’s parents on charges of child abuse resulting in death, but that then-District Attorney Alex Hunter refused to sign the document and prosecute the Ramseys.”

While a Boulder Daily Camera reporter is involved, the paper itself is not suing the DA over the Ramsey secret indictment. The parties named in the complaint believe the public is entitled to the information, and attorney Thomas B. Kelley writes:

“The plaintiffs believe… that the indictment is a criminal justice record that reflects official action by the grand jury, and accordingly that it is subject to mandatory disclosure upon request. Alternatively, they argue the indictment should be disclosed to the public because such disclosure would serve the public interest in government transparency and not be contrary to the public interest nor cause undue adverse effect upon the privacy of the individual.”

The parents of JonBenét Ramsey moved from Colorado to Georgia the year after the murder, and mother Patsy Ramsey died in 2006 of ovarian cancer.