26."Transcript (courtesy of Anon.)"
Posted by Chris on Dec-09-99 at 08:45 PM (EDT)

Julie Hayden: "Linda Arndt believes that investigators should have taken a much harder look at what she calls the 'incest dynamics' in the case. She describes a complicated criminal case hampered by politics, internal power struggles and ego.

"Former Boulder detective Linda Arndt says that the Ramsey case brought to the surface all the weaknesses of the system and people in it. She says investigators were too focused on physical, forensic types of evidence.

"Arndt, who specialized in sex assault cases, says that 'You look at behavior. That's what child cases and sex cases are all about.' And she says in the hours that she spent at the Ramsey house, she found 'a lot of behavior that piqued my investigative curiosity.'

"She found John Ramsey's calm and cordial demeanor noteworthy. She noted that John and Patsy had very little contact and even stayed in different rooms. And she felt the presence of the Ramsey friends in the house was orchestrated.

"The other people in the house had comments and concerns about the odd ransom note, but, she says, not the Ramseys. And when the deadline for the kidnapper's call came and went, she says, no one seemed to notice.

"She claims that John Ramsey disturbed the crime scene when he found the body, despite her specific instructions to not touch anything and to call her if he found anything. She noted the way he carried his daughter's body, not cradling it, but holding it rigid, away from him.

"And when she told him he could take a moment to say good-bye to JonBenet, she noted the way he knelt by the body, but didn't look at his daughter. He looked over his shoulder, she claims, as if more concerned about appearances than saying good-bye.

"After the body was found, she says, the other people in the Ramsey house became fearful the killer might still be inside the house. But she claims John and Patsy expressed no such concerns.

Julie Hayden: "Arndt says she tried to speak her mind on these issues, and she feels that's one reason why she became, in her words, scapegoated for everything that went wrong in the case.

Arndt's lawyer, Bruce Jones: "It also starts from the misconstruction of what her role was and how the entire situation evolved."

JH: "Arndt's lawyer points out that she was not in charge of the entire crime scene that day."

Bruce Jones: "'The fact of the matter is that there was a more senior person at the house when she arrived, who had already made decisions about who would be allowed to stay there.'"

JH: "Arndt says she had a specific assignment: tape the expected kidnapper's call. She says she was told the Ramseys had already been interviewed. She was told the house had been searched twice, and that every room of the house was being photographed from different angles. And when the other officers left she was told that back-up would arrive soon."

BJ: "The tough questions are: Why was she left there by herself? Why wasn't more support sent to that scene?"

JH: "Officially, investigators have had little to say about the case, and the grand jury investigation was secret. Arndt says: "'If everything is secret, then no on can be held accountable,' and that, Arndt says, is the bottom line of this case. Arndt says: "'Speaking the truth was not allowed. Anyone who tried to speak the truth would be silenced, literally and symbolically,' beginning, she alleges, with JonBenet.

"Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that Linda Arndt's lawsuit against the Boulder Police Department can go forward. She hopes that it can provide some answers in this case."