New information has surfaced in the heartbreaking murder of JonBenet Ramsey. The grand jury voted to indict her parents for the crime, but the DA’s office dropped the case.
The grand jury voted to indict John and Patsy Ramsey in 1999 for “Child abuse resulting in death.” If the case would have been prosecuted, the Ramsey’s would have faced a sentence of up to 48 years in prison for the death of their daughter.
JonBene t would have turned 22 years old last August. Her life was cut short on December 26, 1996. According to reports, police were called to the family’s Boulder, Colorado home when her parents woke and discovered her missing. Hours later, her body was discovered in the basement. The six-year-old had been beaten and strangled.
In 1999, Alex Hunter, Boulder District Attorney, announced that the grand jury session was concluded and that there was not enough evidence to convict anyone of JonBenet’s murder. As reported by Mercury News multiple sources have now confirmed that the DA’s office neglected to relate some important details:
“The grand jury voted to indict both John and Patsy Ramsey on charges of child abuse resulting in death in connection with the events of Christmas night 1996 — but Hunter refused to sign the indictment, believing he could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
As reported by Huffington Post , JonBenet’s parents were the initial suspects in the case:
“John and Patsy Ramsey were prime suspects for years and repeatedly appeared on news channels defending their innocence and demanding justice for the murder of their young daughter.”
DNA evidence from the scene eventually led authorities to officially clear the family of involvement in 2008. Controversy still surrounds details of the case.