Detective says JonBenet was sexually assaulted By Marilyn Robinson Denver Post Staff Writer May 03, 2001 - JonBenet Ramsey was sexually assaulted before she was strangled with a garrote, a retired investigator theorized Wednesday. Lou Smit, a veteran Colorado Springs homicide investigator who once worked on the Ramsey case for the Boulder district attorney's office, has been discussing his theories all week on NBC's "Today" show. Today's Thurs segment will focus on the 21/2-page ransom note found in John and Patsy Ramsey's Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996. Their daughter's body was discovered in the basement later that day. Smit said he believes the garrote was used not only to kill the little girl but as part of a sexual act. "The majority of the evidence I see points to an intruder," Smit said. Smit was coaxed out of retirement by then-District Attorney Alex Hunter to help investigate the slaying of 6-year-old JonBenet. He quit the investigation in 1998 because he felt authorities were wrongly concentrating on her parents. The Ramseys have maintained their innocence, but police say they remain under suspicion. JonBenet's body was found by her father after her mother reported finding a ransom note demanding $118,000. A coroner's report said JonBenet had injuries to her genital area, but it was never clear whether she was sexually assaulted. Smit said the intricate design of the garrote and the loops on the child's hands suggest a sexual fantasy. Coupled with the fact her body was found in the basement, Smit said, it's unlikely a family member would treat JonBenet so brutally. "The chances of that happening are extremely remote," he said. Hemorrhages in her eyes indicate JonBenet was alive when the garrote was tightened around her neck, Smit said. He said she then was struck on the head. "The blow to the head was extremely forceful," Smit said. "The person who did this wanted to brutally murder her." Smit also said unidentified DNA under JonBenet's fingernails and on her underpants match and point to an intruder, not her parents. "The point is there is foreign DNA," Smit said. "There is common foreign DNA. It is not John. It is not Patsy. It is not Burke (JonBenet's brother)." There's also an unidentified hair on the blanket that covered JonBenet's body that could be a significant clue, Smit said. Smit's theory is at odds with former Boulder police Detective Steve Thomas, who contends Patsy Ramsey struck her daughter on the head in a fit of rage and then strangled her to cover up the crime. "Innocence is not determined by Steve Thomas. Innocence is not determined by Lou Smit. It's a jury that does that," Smit said. Gov. Bill Owens has challenged the parents, who now live in Atlanta, to return to Colorado to help find their daughter's killer. His spokesman said there's "nothing new" in this week's report. "There's nothing new in the material presented by Mr. Smit, and nothing that would not be refutable if the district attorney's office and the Boulder police could ethically discuss this in public," Dick Wadhams said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ------- Alex Constantine Politicial Conspiracy Research Bin: http://alexconstantine.50megs.com/
