http://www.cybersleuths.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004475 ===================================== Author Topic: Transcript of Lin Wood on The Today Show, 12/23/02 candy Member Member # 311 Member Rated: posted 12-24-2002 09:42 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Today Show with Lin Wood, 12/23/02 Katie Couric: But first, the JonBenet Ramsey case is back in the headlines this morning. The Boulder Police Department announced Friday that it has agreed to turn the nearly six year old murder investigation over to the Boulder District Attorney's office. Lin Wood is the attorney for JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey. Lin Wood, Good morning. Lin Wood: Good morning, Katie. How are you? Katie Couric: For...fine, thank you. For people, Lin, who have not been following every twist and turn of this investigation, can you briefly tell us why, in your view, this is such an important development? Lin Wood: It's a dramatic development, Katie. And it's important because for the first time since the death of JonBenet Ramsey, literally almost six years ago, we're going to have an unbiased investigation, an investigation that is going to move beyond John and Patsy Ramsey as potential suspects, an investigation that's going to pursue the evidence, and an investigation, I believe, that's going to go back and look at all the potential suspects and investigate them with the same level of thoroughness that the Boulder Police Department has investigated the Ramseys over the past six years. The days of, of John and Patsy Ramsey as the focus of this investigation are over... Katie Couric: In fact... Lin Wood: ...and that is a dramatic development. Katie Couric: ...you wrote a letter to Boulder DA Mary Keenan back in October asking the investigation be transferred from the police department to the sheriff's office, and now DA investigators are taking over. Do you think that precipitated this change of heart? Lin Wood: Well, I think the timing of the decision on Friday may have been affected by my letter. I did write Mary Keenan. I've been trying for over three and a half years as the attorney for John and Patsy Ramsey to get this case out of the hands of the Boulder Police Department and into the hands of legitimate, objective and experienced homicide investigators. I'm, I'm thrilled that Mary Keenan's office is going to staff the investigators to look at this case, not only because they'll bring that level of experience and fairness to the case, but she's going to draw on the experience and the wisdom and the knowledge of this case of Lou Smit, who's an experienced homicide detective. You met with Lou. You interviewed him over the course of a week, I believe, on this show. And, and you know how Lou feels about this case. Now we're going to have his involvement again, and I think that bodes very well for finding the killer of this child. Katie Couric: The Boulder Police Department released a statement on Friday about this. Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner, Beckner says, quote, "The primary reason for this change is an attempt to further the investigation in a positive manner." He goes on to say, "It is our hope that by changing the dynamics of the investigation, information maintained by the Ramseys will be forwarded to the DA's office for follow up. Obviously, it's impossible to investigate information you do not have access to." If you read between the lines, Lin, it sounds as if Mr. Beckner, or Chief Beckner, was frustrated by the, the amount of information he was getting from the Ramseys. Will they make, will they be more forthcoming now that the DA's office is taking over the investigation? Would they be willing to submit to another polygraph, for example? And will they be available for extensive interviews? Lin Wood: OK, you got about six questions there, let me see if I can hit both, all of them at one, one time. The Ramseys will cooperate with Mary Keenan. They will give her 100 percent unconditional cooperation because they trust her and they know that she will be fair. They've never had that ability in the past dealing with the Boulder Police Department because that police department has never treated them fairly. It's been a corrupt and a biased investigation from day one with the Boulder Police Department. Chief Beckner, I'm sure, put his spin on this development in his press release. But, but, Katie, the fact is Chief Beckner didn't ask for this investigation to be taken away from him, the Ramseys asked for it to be taken away from the Boulder Police Department. We offered information to Chief Beckner. If you look at the letter that I sent to Mary Keenan in October, I had written Chief Beckner in September offering information. I never heard back from him. And so that's what prompted my letter to Mary Keenan when I said, 'It's obvious this police department is not going to aggressively investigate other... Katie Couric: Ah,hmm. Lin Wood: ...leads and other information, and someone's got to do it if we're going to find the killer of this child. Mary Keenan looked at this case, she's looked at it for two years, and she agreed with me. It's time for a new investigation, time... Katie Couric: OK. Lin Wood: ...to look beyond the Ramseys to find the killer. Katie Couric: We only have a few seconds left. Lin Wood: I don't know if I got all six of the questions answered. Katie Couric: Are you going, I know. Are, are you going to give, I know you have some information about pertinent leads that may be helpful to DA's, investigators from the DA's office. Can you shed any light on that for us this morning? Lin Wood: Well, I don't want to go into specifics. I think it's important to realize that there are a vast number of leads and a large number of potential suspects that have never been thoroughly investigated. Mary Keenan has noted that John and Patsy Ramsey, on the other hand, have been exhaustedly and thoroughly investigated. They're going to look at the new information, information that has existed that hasn't been investigated, as well as new information that I will try to provide, that Lou Smit will try to provide, hopefully members of the public will provide, because now we've got an investigation that is going to legitimately follow the evidence. No pre conceived ideas of who did it, all the evidence, and find the killer. Katie Couric: And in closing, how have Ramseys reacted to this latest development? Lin Wood: I, I don't think the Ramseys could have come up with a better Christmas present. It's going to help ease a lot of their, their pain that they suffer during this time of the year. They have great hope now that Mary Keenan's investigation is going to eventually find the killer of their child. Katie Couric: Lin Wood, thank you very much for your time this morning. Lin Wood: Thank you, Katie. Merry Christmas. Katie Couric: Merry Christmas to you as well. END OF SEGMENT [ 12-24-2002, 10:13 AM: Message edited by: candy ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posts: 803 | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged =====================================