DNA Evidence In JonBenét Ramsey Murder Case Questioned
The JonBenét Ramsey murder case keeps getting more and more bizarre. Nearly 20 years after the young pageant princess's death, DNA evidence has been called into question.
The Daily Camera in Boulder, Colo. together with 9NEWS reported crucial points about the DNA in the case that have previously been unreleased to the public on Oct. 27, 2016. "The DNA profile referred to as Unknown Male 1—first identified during testing on the panties—may not be the DNA of a single person at all, but, rather, a composite of genetic material from possibly three individuals," the Camera reported. "As a result, it may be worthless as evidence." That's important because it casts doubt on the theory that an intruder broke into the family's home and murdered JonBenét.
Former Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy was reportedly informed in March 2008 by Bode Technology, the lab that performed the tests, that the samples from JonBenét's long johns and underwear were likely a composite of genetic material from three people, not one individual, which would shed doubt on the intruder theory that Lacy believed to be true. In July 2008, a three-page letter from Lacy was released to the public in which Lacy didn't disclose any of the Bode Technology results and exonerated the Ramseys entirely.
The experts consulted by the Camera noted that Lacy may have dismissed the lab results due to confirmation bias because she was so convinced of the intruder theory's accuracy and of the Ramsey family's innocence in the case. "It's certainly possible that an intruder was responsible for the murder, but I don't think that the DNA evidence proves it," said William C. Thompson, a professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California-Irvine, speaking to the Camera.
Ramsey family lawyer Lin Wood did not review the reports or lab results, but told the Camera, "I have absolute and total confidence in the integrity of former District Attorney Mary Lacy...and until someone impugns her integrity...I continue to believe, as I have said before, that this is a DNA case and that the best chance for solving the case will be a hit and match on the DNA in the future. I hope that day comes."
Former Colorado Gov. Bill Owens said he was "troubled" by the revelations from Bode and the Camera. "This is an important development. This is new information," Owens told the Camera. "She knew, based on your investigation, that this DNA wasn't necessarily from one person and that it, in fact, was potentially accumulated DNA. She knew it at the time, and why she used this evidence to clear the Ramsey family...is something I can't explain. And she should explain."
Former Boulder police detective Steve Thomas side-eyed Lacy's dedication to Patricia's innocence, telling the Camera, "I know of no other case in which a sitting district attorney or prosecutor attended the funeral of a person whom she knew a grand jury had voted to criminally indict, and traveled across the country to do so, as Mary Lacy did in the case of Patsy Ramsey. I can't get my arms around that one. I can assure you that many in law enforcement were also distressed by it."
When asked for comment, JonBenét's father, John Ramsey, told the Camera, via email, "I think we have said all that can be said and I need to get back to my job!"