1996
12-27-96 Autopsy. Autopsy conducted at 8:15 AM by Dr. John Meyer, Boulder County Coroner with Det. Linda Arndt and Det. Tom Trujillo in attendance (Byfield 1997:3).
12-27-96 Second Boulder Search Warrant. Police obtained search warrant for Ramsey house in Boulder.
12-27-96 Arndt Interviewed Ramseys. The Ramseys were interviewed by Linda Arndt (AngelFire timeline).
12-27-96 Ramseys at Fernies. Ramseys stayed at John and Barbara Fernie house (AngelFire timeline).
12-28-96 Ramseys Provided Forensic Samples. Ramsey family goes to Boulder police station to answer questions and give samples of hair, blood and handwriting (CNN timeline). These include John Ramsey, John Andrew Ramsey and Burke Ramsey; "'Patsy' Ramsey was too distraught to submit to the evidence collection, authorities said" (Daily Times-Call.)
12-28-96 Ramseys Hired Criminal Attorneys. "Shortly after noon that Saturday, without consulting John or Patsy, Bynum told Detective Arndt that the Ramseys would not give any more testimonial evidence without a criminal attorney present, and they would no longer share privileged information with the police. Since he was no longer a criminal attorney, Bynum called Bryan Morgan of Haddon, Morgan and Foreman in Denver, one of Colorado's top firms. By Saturday evening the Ramseys had retained Morgan." (Schiller, 1999a:63).
12-28-96 The Ramseys met with attorneys Bryan Morgan and Patrick Burke at the Fernie's home (AngelFire timeline).
12-29-96 Third Boulder Search Warrant. Police obtained search warrant for Ramsey house in Boulder.
12-29-96 Memorial Service in Boulder. "About 200 family members and friends gathered Sunday at St. John's Episcopal Church in Boulder to mourn the girl's death." (Daily Times Call)
12-29-96 Ramseys Flew to Marietta, GA. The "family flew to Marietta Georgia, in a private jet, piloted by John Ramsey, for JonBenét's funeral" (Bardach 1997). The CNN timeline states they flew to Atlanta.
12-30-96 Visitation at Funeral Home. 300 Friends and family visited JonBenet at Mayes-Ward Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta, Georgia (Daily Camera).
12-30-96 John Ramsey hired a prominent criminal attorney, Bryan Morgan, and Patsy hired his partner, Patrick Burke. Patrick Korten received a call from Hal Haddon, Bryan Morgan's other partner, and became the Ramsey family official spokesperson (AngelFire timeline).
12-31-96 JBR Funeral. Following a funeral at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, (CNN timeline) JBR was burial at St. James Episcopal Cemetery in Marietta, GA; she was wearing a pageant gown and glittering tiara. (Daily Camera chronology).
Date? Police interview Burke Ramsey
1997
January
1-1-97 Ramseys CNN Appearance. Ramseys appear on CNN, confirming that John and Patsy each have hired an attorney and that John also hired a private investigator (Zaret 1997).
1-2-97 Ramseys Return to Boulder. (Daily Times-Call); they stayed with Mike Bynum.
1-3-97 Ramseys Hire Private Detective. "The Ramseys have reportedly hired Denver private investigator Ellis Armistead, a former Lakewood police detective and the former chief investigator for the Routt County District Attorney's Office" (Daily Times-Call); Ramseys stayed with Mike Bynum.
1-4-97 House Returned to Family. (AngelFire timeline).
1-4-97 Ramseys Moved to Elowsky House. Ramseys moved in with \"Pasta\" Jay Elowsky.
1-5-97 First Charlevoix Search Warrant.Police obtain search warrant for Ramsey house in Charlevoix, Michigan.
1-5-97 BPD Sergeant Larry Mason removed from investigation after accusations of leaking information to the press (which an internal investigation did not confirm) Daily Camera chronology.
1-5-97 "Staged" Church Appearance by Ramseys. (Daily Times-Call)
1-6-97 Website Created. Ramseys created a Website about the case (AngelFire timeline).
1-6-97 Search Warrants Sealed. Boulder County District Court Judge Diane McDonald seals Boulder search warrants for 30 days; a Michigan judge sealed Charlevoix search warrant (Daily Times-Call)
1-13-97 Globe Publishes Photos. The Globe publishes leaked photos from the autopsy (Crime Library timeline).
1-14-97 "The media report that the Ramseys have hired their own handwriting analysts to evaluate the ransom note, along with former-FBI agent, John Douglas, known for his work in profiling criminals." (Crime Library timeline).
1-30-97 Police obtain search warrant for Ramsey house in Boulder. This document summarizes the investigation (including 3 prior warrants) as of this time.
February
2-13-97 Hunter Warning to Killer. DA Alex Hunter stated at a televised press conference: "I want to say something to the person or persons that committed this crime - the person or persons that took this baby from us. I mentioned the list of suspects narrows - soon there will be no one left on the list but you ... You have stripped us of any mercy we may have had in the beginning of this case. We will see that justice is served in this case, and that you pay for what you did." (Zaret 1997a)
March
3-1-97 Furman Hired for Burke. University of Colorado law professor Patrick Furman hired to join Patrick Burke in representing Patsy Ramsey (Daily Camera chronology).
3-3-97 Patsy Ramsey gives third handwriting sample (Daily Camera chronology).
3-6-97 Melinda and John Andrew Ramsey cleared as suspects (Zaret 1997b).
3-6-97 Second Charlevoix Search Warrant. Police obtain search warrant for Ramsey house in Charlevoix, Michigan to obtain further handwriting samples of Patsy Ramsey's.
3-12-97 Lou Smit Hired. Boulder DA hired retired Colorado Springs investigator Lou Smit to work on investigation (Daily Camera chronology); Smit's employment contract is dated March 17, 1997.
Date? Lou Smit banned from BPD's 'war room'
3-28-97 Korten Fired. Ramseys fired Washington, D.C., consultant Patrick Korten as spokesman (Daily Camera chronology).
April
4-4-97 DNA tests begin (CNN timeline); City of Boulder lists these as beginning the week of March 31.
4-11-97 Patsy Ramsey agrees to provide 4th handwriting sample (CNN timeline)
4-19-97 Boulder DA Alex Hunter for the first time publicly reveals Ramseys are suspects (CNN timeline)
4-27-97 $100,000 Reward Offered. "The Ramseys run a newspaper ad offering a $100,000 reward for information about JonBenet's killer." (Daily Camera timeline)
4-30-97 Ramsey First Formal Police Interviews. John and Patsy Ramsey have first formal interviews with police at Boulder County Justice Center (Daily Camera timeline)
May
5-13-97 BPD Detective Linda Arndt (the first to arrive at the murder scene) and Detective Melissa Kampf (formerly Melissa Hickman) — are dropped from case (Daily Camera chronology).
5-15-97 Genetic test results returned to investigators (CNN timeline)
5-20-97 Patsy Ramsey provides fifth handwriting sample (Daily Camera chronology).
July
7-9-97 Ramseys New Home. Ramseys buy new home in Atlanta ([Daily Camera timeline)
7-14-97 Autopsy details released (Court order)
August
8-13-97 Full autopsy released (CNN timeline)
September
9-8-97 DA Alex Hunter releases photocopy of ransom note (CNN timeline)
October
10-10-97 Commander Mark Beckner takes over Ramsey investigation from Commander John Eller (CNN timeline)
November
11-14-97 New York attorney Darnay Hoffman "filed a Complaint in the District Court for Boulder County, Colorado, on his own behalf as a plaintiff, asking that Mr. Hunter be forced to explain why he had not filed murder charges against Mrs. Ramsey. (SMF P 344; PSMF P 344.)." (Carnes 2003:41). The (Daily Camera chronology) lists this date as 11/19.
1998
January
1-16-98 Daily Camera publishes letter from Fleet & Priscilla White to Gov. Roy Romer demanding a special prosecutor be named to the Ramsey case. The governor stands by District Attorney Alex Hunter and declines to act on the request (Daily Camera chronology).
1-20-98 Darnay Hoffman's 11/14/97 complaint dismissed (Carnes 2003:41).
February
2-13-98 "Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter says the investigation is hindered by the Ramseys' lack of cooperation" (Daily Camera chronology).
March
3-12-98 "Boulder police ask Hunter to present the case to a grand jury, saying there was not 'sufficient admissible evidence to convict anyone of the murder of JonBenet Ramsey'" (Daily Camera chronology).
June
June 1998 BPD presented their evidence to the Boulder County District Attorney (Carnes 2003:33).
6-1-98 Grand jury expert Michael Kane begins work for Boulder DA office as part of Ramsey proscution team.
6-10-98 to 6-12-98 Police question Burke Ramsey for 6 hours.
6-23-98 Police interview Patsy Ramsey.
6-26-98 Burke Ramsey Questioned. An investigator in Boulder DA office questions Burke Ramsey for 6 hours (CNN timeline)
August
8-6-98 Steve Thomas Resigns. Steve Thomas quits BPD. Resignation letter at Starting Over-JonBenet (html).
8-17-98 Letter from Fleet Russell White, Jr. and Priscilla Brown White to the people of Colorado
September
9-15-98 Grand Jury convenes. The members and Colorado rules governing grand juries are listed here.
9-20-98 Lou Smit Resigns. Lou Smit quits DA's Office. His resignation letter asserted "John and Patsy Ramsey didn't kill their daughter."
9-28-98 John Ramsey Letter. This letter was written in response to Lou Smit's resignation.
October
10-16-98 Free-lance photographer Randy Simons apprehended walking nude in Genoa, CO.
10-29-98 "Grand jurors tour former Ramsey home" (Denver Post timeline).
1999
1-28-99 Santa Bear Plea. "Hunter asks public's help in locating manufacturer of a toy bear in a Santa Claus suit reportedly found in JonBenet's room" (Denver Post timeline).
9-23-99 Grand Jury Reconvenes. "Grand jury returns to work for the first time since May 25" (Denver Post timeline).
10-13-99 Grand Jury Adjourns. Grand Jury ends with no indictments brought against anyone. A day-by-day summary is here. The Daily Camera coverage of the Grand Jury is here.
10-27-99 Governor's Statement. Statement by Governor Bill Owens on the JonBenet Ramsey murder case.
11-17-99 Whites Letter to UC Board of Regents. Fleet Russell White, Jr. and Priscilla Brown White letter to Board of Regents, University of Colorado, regarding activities of Professor Michael Tracey.
2000
March
March 2000 New York attorney Darnay Hoffman "filed suit, again on his own behalf as plaintiff, against defendants {John and Patsy Ramsey} in the Supreme Court of New York, County of New York, for $ 25,000,000 in damages based on the allegation that he was defamed by certain passages in the defendants' Book. (SMF P 353; PSMF P 353.)" (Carnes 2003:41).
April
4-21-00 Darnay Hoffman dismissed his complaint of March 2000 against John and Patsy Ramsey (Carnes 2003:41).
May
5-11-00 Chris Wolf filed suit against John and Patsy Ramsey alleging "intentional affliction of emotional distress" because he was named in their book and on national TV as a possible suspect in the case (Carnes 2003:44).
5-31-00 "John and Patsy Ramsey and former Detective Steve Thomas square off on CNN's "Larry King Live." Patsy tells Thomas that he is "going down the wrong path" with allegations that she killed JonBenet in an "explosive encounter" over a bed-wetting incident" (Daily Camera timeline).
June
6-15-00 Chris Wolf amends his 5/11/00 suit against Ramseys to add claims for libel and slander (Carnes 2003:45).
8-28-00 Ramsey interviews with Michael Kane (Atlanta, GA)
2001
March
3-29-01 "The Ramseys file an $80 million libel and defamation lawsuit against Thomas and unidentified officers at the Boulder Police Department." (Daily Camera timeline).
2002
December
12-26-02 Mary Keenan New Boulder DA. New District Attorney Mary Keenan (now Mary Lacy) takes over investigation from Boulder Police Department (Daily Camera timeline).
2003
March
3-31-03 Judge Julie Carnes Ruling in Chris Wolf Libel Suit. Federal district judge Julie Carnes issues 93-page ruling in which she dismisses a libel-slander lawsuit brought against the Ramseys by Boulder journalist Chris Wolf, concluding that Wolf had failed to prove that Patsy Ramsey had killed JonBenét (Brennan 2003).
April
4-7-03 Mary Keenan Statement on Carnes Opinion. Boulder DA Mary Keenan issues statement: "I agree with the Court's conclusion that "the weight of the evidence is more consistent with a theory that an intruder murdered JonBenét than it is with a theory that Mrs. Ramsey did so.""
June
6-23-03 "Investigator Tom Bennett starts work at Lacy's office, where he will work on the investigation 20 to 30 hours a week" (Daily Camera timeline).
December 2003 DNA from a spot of blood in JBR's panties was entered into FBI national database (CODIS) (Daily Camera timeline).
2004
May-04 "Staff of Gov. Bill Owens meets with group, Forums for Justice, that wants a special prosecutor appointed in the case" (Denver Post timeline).
6-4-04 The Ramseys’ attorney says DNA found in JonBenet’s underwear did not match any sample in an FBI database of convicted violent offenders (Denver Post timeline).
2005
August
8-29-05 "Former Telluride town marshal Jim Kolar named the Boulder County district attorney's lead investigator in the case" (Denver Post timeline).
2006
February
2-1-06 Ramseys Check Case Status. "John and Patsy Ramsey meet with Lacy in Boulder to "check in" on the status of the investigation" (Daily Camera timeline).
3-24-06 Tom Bennett New DA Chief Investigator. Former BPD chief investigator Tom Bennett expected to replace Jim Kolar as DA chief investigator on JBR case (Brennan 2006)
6-24-06 Patsy Ramsey Dies. Patsy Ramsey dies in Roswell, GA at 49 after a long battle with ovarian cancer.
8-16-06 Karr Arrested. Arrest warrant sent by Boulder authorities to Thai police and a suspect, teacher John Mark Karr, is arrested in Thailand.
8-17-06 Karr tells reporters he was “with Jon-Benet when she died,” but that “her death was an accident” (The Denver Channel timeline).
8-20-06 Karr returns to the United States (The Denver Channel timeline).
8-22-06 Karr waives extradition hearing in Los Angeles courtroom and agrees to go to Colorado (The Denver Channel timeline).
8-24-06 Karr Arrives in Boulder. Karr arrives in Colorado, prosecutors acknowledge the case is still in its “early stages.”
8-26-06 No DNA Match. DNA tests show that Karr is not a match for the DNA evidence in JonBenet's underwear (The Denver Channel timeline).
8-28-06 Karr Charges Dropped. Prosecutors decide not to charge the teacher in the slaying after his DNA fails to match genetic material on the girl’s body.
2007
May
Early May John Ramsey Dating Beth Twitty. According to Internet poster Candy, the May 14 issue of National Enquirer reports that John Ramsey has been dating Beth Twitty, the mother of Natalee Holloway, a high school girl who went missing on Aruba in May 2005 during a graduation trip; Ramsey and Twitty reportedly met in late 2006 at a Nashville speakers bureau.
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