s-coffman-ramsey-photo.htm


	A Personal view of the Internet Subculture Surrounding the JonBenet Ramsey Murder case

This web page is part of a series covering found materials regarding individuals, items or events that apparently became part of what is commonly known as the vortex of the JonBenet Ramsey murder case Christmas night 1996. The webmaster of this site claims no inside official Boulder police information as to who has been interviewed, investigated, the outcome or what information is actually considered official evidence. These pages outline found material which can include but not limited to materials found in books, articles, the Internet, transcripts, depositions, legal documents, Internet discussion forums, graphics or photos, media reports, TV/Radio shows about the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. Found materials are here for historical archive purposes. (www.acandyrose.com - acandyrose@aol.com)

This webpage series is for historical archive and educational purposes on found materials

Photo of Frank Coffman at Ramsey House
Coffman is a free-lance journalist

Coffman Boulder Photo Incident
December 11, 1998

Snapped Photo of John Ramsey
John Andrew Ramsey

[Photo taken by Frank Coffman 12-11-199]

December 11, 1998, John Ramsey and his son John Andrew Ramsey. Frank Coffman reported that Ramsey yelled, "You bastard!" and lunged at him. (Photo taken by Frank Coffman

[Photo taken by Frank Coffman 12-11-1998]

December 11, 1998, John Ramsey and his son John Andrew Ramsey in front of Pasta Jay's Restaurant, 10th and Pearl Streets, Boulder, Colorado (Photo taken by Frank Coffman)

CHAIN OF EVENTS 1998

1998-12-12: Boulder News Forum thread, "Ramsey wrestles with photographer"

jan - 02:38pm Dec 12, 1998 MST
100% Borg no fillers no additives

"A photographer was seen wrestling with JR late last night in front of the new Pasta Jay's...With him was Mike Bynum and John Andrew. It seems this photographer was setting up to click as they came out of Pasta's and John saw him. He then violently lunged towards the poor shutterbug and grabbed his jacket and started a tussle.. The look in Ramsey's eyes were enought to send even the toughest back into the shadows, but this guy being determined continued to click away..Bynum was heard yelling something to John but the observer couldn't make it out.. This photographer exchanged heated words with the three..It musta been some tabloid guy...I guess we'll find out soon enough...Can't wait to hear first hand what it was about....I'm sure it's all over the local news by now..So much for hearing how passive JR is. We all knew about JA and Pasta having tempers but John???..My big question out of all of this has to be.....What we're they all doing in Pasta's????"

maskman - 05:12pm Dec 12, 1998 MST (#9 of 23)

"John Ramsey acted like Sean Penn last night! Around 11 p.m. last night (Dec. 11), John Ramsey physically attacked a photographer at the corner of 10th and Pearl in Boulder, CO. As the photographer tried to snap a picture of him, Ramsey yelled "you bastard" and charged at the photographer. Ramsey grabbed the man's jacket, tussled with him and seemed ready to tear him to pieces until Mike Bynum intervened, saying: "Don't, John! It's not worth it." Ramsey suddenly backed off, just before he got into a serious street brawl. No blood was shed, but Ramsey committed an assault. [Message for the Daily Camera: contact Bynum; he witnessed the WHOLE thing! Go get your story, Matt!] Message to John: Save your rage for the intruder -- you know, the one you're "not angry" with (as you said on CNN). It's too bad you're not as furious at the killer. A very telling episode. So much for the myth of the meek, gentle John Ramsey. He unmasked himself on Pearl street in Boulder last night!"

jan - 09:25am Dec 14, 1998 MST (#48 of 50)
100% Borg no fillers no additives

"As exposed on Peters show this morning, it was none other than......Frank Coffman.........Poor guy, didn't have a chance to file this morning and the news was out, thanks to a tipster...But.. the good thing is, is that he wasn't hurt badly, thanks to Bynum and maybe the Grand Jury will hear about John's trigger temper......."

jan - 12:09am Dec 21, 1998 MST (#62 of 64)
Only 4 more shopping days till Christmas....

"Sorry I haven't responded before this for your questions...Frank was not recognized by Ramsey. Ramsey has no reason to know Frank. Frank is a journalist in Boulder, but his face has not been posted all over town. It was also suggested that Frank had a telephoto attachment, again not true..He had a small camera, nothing like the photographers would use. I think Ramsey thought that Frank caught them up to no good and feaked out. And he had not been drinking. They were coming out of a tavern/pasta place that is not yet open for business, no liquor..He wasn't there for the 48 hours segment or to visit his son...Whatever it was, you can be sure he didn't want the media to find out..."

1998-12-14: Justice Watch Forum thread, "Peter Boyles--Monday"

1. "More"
Posted by Panico on 08:16:13 12/14/98
Include Original Message on Reply

It's right now.

PB: We have breaking Ramsey news. JR was in Boulder. Walking out of Pasta J's Saturday night, along with with JAR and Bynum, a photographr took his picture---and JR went after him. What does this prove? It proves that JR has a violent temper. Quoting those that said "He never lost his temper with the kids"....

Says he'll be talking to someone with very good information about this at 7:30

THE TRANSCRIPT:

PB: We have breaking Ramsey news. JR was in Boulder. Walking out of Pasta J's Saturday night, along with with JAR and Bynum, a photographr took his picture---and JR went after him. What does this prove? It proves that JR has a violent temper. Quoting those that said "He never lost his temper with the kids"....

PB: The most significant thing next to the impeachment is the JBR murder. With us is Frank Coffman-- thank you for doing this. Tell us the story of Friday night

FC: I got word that JR was at the 10th & Pearl location--had my camera--when he walked out the door, I attempted to take his picture, but before I could do that, he charged at me, snarling and yelled "Basterd" -- I thought he was going to throw me around--Bynum yelled "Don't John, it's not worth it" I did not hit him or strike back at him, but he was getting pretty rough.

PB: Have you been to the police about this?

FC: No

PB: Are you going to?

FC: I'm thinking about it

PB: He's closing Pasta J's in Boulder and moving to the 10th and Pearl. Now who else do you think is invested in the restaurant.

FC: We heard Bynum-- and I assume Ramsey has some interest in it.

PB: They're all co-signatures on this loan in Vegas. We heard that Bynum was the first call that was made �

FC: I don't know....

PB: When Bynum was on the house tour, he was never identified as an attorney or business associate. Wasn't Bynum the consortium who had control over the sale of the house?

FC: Yes--- they didn't get market value out of it

PB: Yes, I understand they lost about $200,000. About JR's anger. The relatives---take on that disc jockey voice---- that he never raised his voice even with his children

FC: It is odd that he could be so un-angry about the murder of his daughter, and yet be so violently angry at me-

PB: How far away from him were you?

FC: Probably 15 ft. JAR was there. JAR is known to have a violent temper. I knew there might be trouble trying to take a picture, but I didn't think it would be JR. There's another time where Glen Stine and JR chased a photographer. But this one is the most extreme I've heard of. He can get raging angry. It was like showing a red cape to a bull. He grabbed my arm, my jacket, like he was trying to throw me down. I didn't try to fight him. The minute Bynum yelled at him, he immediately backed off.

PB: (laughing) it's Boulder---it's OK My final question is have you considered reporting this to PD?

FC: I guess so. I'm not after any legal rambling.

PB: Is Patsy in town?

FC: I don't know--maybe JR was just here visiting JAR

1998-12-15: Webbsleuths Community Forum (http://munitrading.com)
on thread titled, "John Ramsey vs Photographer"

"John Ramsey vs Photographer"
Posted by Murphy on 06:13:23 12/15/98
Include Original Message on Reply

Photographer says Ramsey grabbed him
Free-lance journalist cites 'very rough' treatment
By Charlie Brennan
News Staff Writer

BOULDER -- A free-lance journalist says he was roughed up by John Ramsey when he snapped a picture of him Friday night.

"I thought, 'Oh my gosh, we're seeing a whole other side to the meek, mild John Ramsey people talk about,"' said Frank Coffman. "He was very rough. He tried to manhandle me, no question about that."

Neither Ramsey or his attorney could be reached for comment.

Coffman, 50, said he was phoned at about 11 p.m. Friday by a friend who knows of his interest in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. That friend told him that John Ramsey, the slain girl's father, was in downtown Boulder.

Ramsey was with his 22-year-old son, John Andrew Ramsey, and several other people at a restaurant on Pearl Street. The eatery is being remodeled by Ramsey's friend, Boulder restaurateur Jay Elowsky.

Coffman grabbed his camera and walked one block from his apartment to a building being converted into a new Pasta Jay's restaurant. Ramsey, 55, has been a business partner of Elowsky in the past.

"If John Ramsey wants to come over to my neighborhood, I'll take a picture of him any time," Coffman said.

He said his confrontation began when Ramsey and others emerged from the restaurant at the corner of 10th and Pearl streets.

"From 15 feet away I start to take a picture, but before I can, he shouts ... and he runs right at me at full speed, like a bull seeing a red flag," said Coffman.

Coffman said Ramsey grabbed him.

" He started tussling with me, pulling on my jacket and pulling my arm. He had both hands on me, and he looked like he was going to take me down."

It was at that point, Coffman said, that a man he recognized as Mike Bynum -- an attorney and Ramsey family friend -- intervened by saying "Don't, John, it's not worth it."

Coffman said John Ramsey then proceeded to a nearby parked car as Coffman went ahead and took their picture.

Bynum's law office on Monday referred calls about the episode to Ramsey attorney Hal Haddon. Haddon could not be reached for comment.

John Ramsey and his wife, Patsy, are suspects in the ongoing grand jury probe into the murder of 6-year-old JonBenet. She was found murdered in the basement of their Boulder home Dec. 26, 1996. They vow they are innocent.

http://insidedenver.com/extra/ramsey/1215jonn.shtml

17. "arrogance"
Posted by maxi on 12:58:40 12/15/98
Include Original Message on Reply

While I don't believe that this incident is any indication that John Ramsey may have killed his daughter, I do think it's another example of Ramsey arrogance. The Ramseys, like many movie stars, seem to want to use the media when it serves their purposes and attack it when it doesn't. I don't think this case would have engendered nearly the amount and duration of publicity it has had the Ramseys not chosen to appear on CNN.

It is no crime to take photos of a person walking down a public street. It isn't an invasion of privacy either since it wasn't private activity Ramsey and his party were engaged in. One major life lesson the Ramseys may gain from this terrible time is that they have no special privilige in the public forum.

1998-12-18: Webbsleuths Community Forum (http://munitrading.com)
on thread titled, "Photo's for $'s"

"Photo's for $'s"
Posted by Murphy on 07:39:22 12/18/98
Include Original Message on Reply

It's not a mugshot, Mr. Ramsey

For an aspiring paparazzo in Boulder, opportunities are rare. So when Frank Coffman got a call Saturday from a friend saying she'd spotted John Ramsey in a restaurant at 10th and Pearl, he grabbed his camera and raced to the scene. Coffman, who favors the title writer/researcher over paparazzo, has been "fascinated" with the JonBenet Ramsey case ever since her body was found. He's made an avocation of hanging around the fringes of the case collecting information, asking questions, talking to neighbors in hopes of writing a book or a long magazine article. Along the way he sells little bits of what he finds. A good picture of Boulder's most famous father, Coffman figured, could be good for some bucks from the tabloids.

When Coffman arrived, he found Ramsey's son, John Andrew, "standing guard, glaring out the window." He waited outside until the party exited. As he approached, camera in hand, the senior Ramsey yelled, "You bastard!" and lunged at him. "He grabbed me and started tearing at my clothes," Coffman recalled. "I specifically remember him grabbing my arm. He was just snarling, enraged."

Fortunately (though it's hard to tell who for, Coffman or Ramsey) a friend of Ramsey's interceded, telling him: "No John, it's not worth it." Ramsey backed off and turned the other way. Coffman followed, taking pictures. He got a good one of John and John Andrew-which he's titled "Father, Son and Holy Ghost"-and another of Ramsey sliding into his car.

"Nice camera," Ramsey told Coffman as he opened the car door. "I said, 'You know, you shouldn't attack people, it's against the law,'" Coffman recalled. "He seemed to have a hint of a grim smile on his face when I said that."

For his part, Coffman feels no guilt. "I wouldn't harass him if I didn't suspect he had knowledge of a specific crime," said Coffman, who wouldn't go so far as to say Ramsey is guilty.

The New York Times requested copies of the photos on Tuesday and the incident won Coffman a spot on the Peter Boyles Show Monday morning. "Where is this nonviolent John Ramsey we heard about?" asked Boyles. "Here's a man who on CNN says he's not angry at the killer, but he's angry at a photographer. What is that about?"

Attorneys representing Ramsey did not return phone calls seeking comment on the incident.

-Joe Miller
http://www.boulderweekly.com/article.cfm?aid=1080

1998-12-28: Webbsleuths Community Forum (http://munitrading.com)
on thread titled, "What John saw"

"What John saw"
Posted by jameson on 05:58:38 12/28/98
Include Original Message on Reply

When John, John Andrew, Mike Bynum and Pasta Jay left the new restaurant and Frank Coffman met them outside, it was a surprise. None of them noticed the man until he pulled something out, and then they didn't know it was a camera.

Not knowing what kind of person they were dealing with, I don't think it is hard to imagine that they felt this man posed a threat. Frank Coffman had his arm grabbed. When it was determined he was holding a camera, the "assault" on Coffman ended.

I know the Ramseys are "news", but they are also human.

The story of this assault on a photographer was told from one POV and the person was paid for it. Like other stories the press has run on the Ramsey case, this one clearly made John Ramsey look bad.

My source told me he had shared this information with reporters and it never surfaced in the press. Gee, what a surprise. NOT!

1. "Jameson has it wrong."
Posted by MaskedMan on 22:02:22 12/30/98
Include Original Message on Reply

Now, Jameson even knows what John Ramsey and others were "thinking." Incredible. Jameson somehow KNOWS that John and the others feared that the photographer might have been holding a gun, instead of a camera. This is utter baloney. I was there and I KNOW that this is a BIG LIE. But, of course, Jameson is so ready to justify ANYTHING that the Ramseys say that Jameson automatically believes John Ramsey's lame excuse for going berserk and attacking a photographer in Boulder on Dec. 11.

In the first place, a camera doesn't look like a gun. John Ramsey was close enough (15 feet away) to see that it was a camera. Second, no one said "look out" or expressed any fear. Third, before John attacked the photographer, Mike Bynum made a comment indicating that he was annoyed, not afraid. Fourth, when John got right up on the photographer -- close enough to touch the camera -- John CONTINUED to attack the photographer. John KNEW that it was a camera. Anyone could see that it was obviously a camera. Ramsey didn't say anything like: "Oh, it's just camera."

No one showed any fear. John stopped attacking only because his lawyer friend, Mike Bynum, warned him that he was about to get himself into trouble. If not for Bynum's comment, there could have been a bloody street brawl. John Ramsey behaved like a violent maniac, but now he wants to cover up the episode with a LIE.

Instead of just reporting John Ramsey's version of the incident, Jameson blindly endorses this phony story. Jameson wasn't there, so how does Jameson know what happened? This phony story shows how John Ramsey is capable of lying and how Jameson is a willing tool to spread lies. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Jameson doesn't care about the truth. Jameson is merely an apologist. The Ramseys can do no wrong. Shame on you, Jameson.

2. "More misinformation from Jameson."
Posted by MaskedMan on 00:01:40 12/31/98
Include Original Message on Reply

Jameson says: "My source told me he (JR) had shared this information with reporters and it never surfaced in the the press. Gee, what a surprise. NOT!"

Oh, really? Tell us who these "reporters" are, Jameson. PLEASE NAME THEM! I know that you cannot name them because this is baloney. Does anyone think that reporters wouldn't have loved to have a comment from John Ramsey on this incident? Of course they would!

Charlie Brennan, a reporter from the Denver Rocky Mountain News, who wrote an article about this incident, tried to get a comment from Mike Bynum and from Ramseys' lawyers. They refused to comment. Carol McKinley, from Fox News, tried to get a response from the Ramseys, but she couldn't get any response.

Jameson seems to think that reporters aren't interested in reporting the Ramseys' side of an issue. This is a stupid notion. Anything that the Ramseys say is news. Reporters want to get comments from the Ramseys.

In Jameson's typical fashion of distorting the facts, a violent attack by John Ramsey (and his failure to comment on it) has now been twisted by Jameson into a case of alleged media bias against the Ramseys. This is an appalling lie.

Why is Jameson spreading these lies? The episode "made John Ramsey look bad," so Jameson has to clean it up with falsehoods. Jameson couldn't care less about the truth because Jameson is just a propagandist for the Ramseys. The truth is what ever makes the Ramseys look good.

3. "Nope"
Posted by jameson on 03:33:16 12/31/98
Include Original Message on Reply

I am not a posting just to refute an attack on John Ramsey. In fact I didn't get this information until recently - that is why it is just going up now. I don't make up stuff, otherwise I would have posted a response long ago.

John Ramsey didn't tell me this himself, he told a third party, a reliable source. They told me.

My purpose is to provide information. I did not call you a liar or say THIS IS THE TRUTH - I posted what I was told. Let the posters decide what they want to believe.

12. "Jameson is irresponsible."
Posted by MaskedMan on 15:38:30 12/31/98
Include Original Message on Reply

I told Jameson in detail exactly what happened on the corner of 10th and Pearl in Boulder at 11:00 p.m. on Dec. 11, 1998, when John Ramsey attacked me as I tried to take his picture. I KNOW what happend, Jameson does NOT know. Mike Bynum was a witness and he, of course, also knows. Let him speak up. When reporter Charlie Brennan tried to get Bynum's comment, Bynum refused. Jameson wasn't there and yet Jameson accepts second-hand hearsay about what REALLY happened. Jameson even knows what JR was thinking! This is absurd on the face of it.

A camera doesn't look like a gun! I was holding the camera like a camera, up to my eye, when John Ramsey snarled "you bastard" and charged at me. He knew it was a camera! If he thought it was a gun, why did he say "you bastard"? He should have said "look out" or "get down." Why did he continue to push me around even after he got in my face? He didn't stop "when it was determined that he [I] was holding a camera," as Jameson falsely claims. No one said "oh, it's just a camera" or anything like that.

Don't give me this bull about John's "POV." John knew it was a camera. That WAS his POV at the time, regardless of whatever lie he's telling now to cover up his berserk behavior.

Furthermore, I was NOT "paid for" my story, as Jameson falsely claims. Nor, did I try to get paid for it. I didn't even take the story to the news media! The news media came to me, inquiring about what happened. There was no payment and if Jameson claims otherwise, please specify WHO allegedly paid me. This is just more baloney from Jameson, concocted to discredit my account.

I stand corrected, however, about the pronoun "he" referred to in Jameson's thread. I misunderstood. I have been reluctant to press charges against John Ramsey for assault (even though he committed an assault). There are witnesses to the incident and I have a photo of Ramsey coming at me. At first, I declined to press charges, but if JR is now lying about what happened, I may change my mind and press assault charges against John Ramsey.

Jameson is again exposed as a propagandist and mouthpiece with little regard for the truth. Since Jameson refuses to correct his/her error, I am convinced that Jameson is dedicated to the willful distortion of the truth.

18. "The incident - and a note to Masked Man"
Posted by jameson on 06:02:38 1/01/99
Include Original Message on Reply

Coffman has his version of the story of what happened that night. I believe that is how he saw it. I also believe that the whole altercation took about 30 seconds, the walk to the car was much longer. So in 30 seconds you have Coffman moving the camera to his face, John seeing it, lunging, realizing it was a camera, Bynum seeing a camera and telling John to stop. I think it all happened so fast either story is believable.

Then John let go of Coffman, immediately chilled, said something like "Nice camera" and walked towards his car.

Coffman continued to take pictures. Now some might think HE should have walked away at that point, but I can understand he was excited, a bit angry, and he went after the picture. He DOES earn money selling such photos. It is what photo-journalists DO.

But I think his last comment to Ramsey showed that HE (Coffman) was playing a bit of a game, perhaps baiting the situation. He said "You really shouldn't assault people, it is against the law" - or something close to that. I am sure he will correct the quote if I am wrong. Was he trying to get Ramsey angry again? I don't know.

Pasta Jay, JAR and Bynum were all there. If there was going to be a violent altercation that night, Coffman wouldn't have walked away without a bruise. His arm was grabbed and he was shaken a bit. Not thrown against the brick wall he was standing next to, not thrown to the ground, not punched. This lends a bit more credibility to the Ramsey version, IMO.

Actually I think this is a very unimportant story. Coffman knew he would not be welcomed by the Ramseys and I think John Ramsey, a man who has been threatened in the past, responded to seeing Coffman there. No matter what he thought was in Coffman's hands, there would have been some response.

Note to Masked Man - I am not a Ramsey Apologist - I don't speak for them - I say what I think. I also post the news and whatever my personal research uncovers.

You know I have spoken to the Ramseys in the past, you know I have some excellent connections (as do you) so let's not go there. That is playing the name-calling game and I don't care to engage.

Let's put this incident in perspective. Personally I think it is being blown out of proportion.

CHAIN OF EVENTS 1999

1999-02-11: Webbsleuths Community Forum (http://munitrading.com)
on thread titled, "Lorraine Lawrence-Coincidence!"

"41. "Maxi..."
Posted by Seal on 06:59:59 02/11/99
Include Original Message on Reply

"I understand that MM is Frank Coffman, the photog. that had a run in with John Ramsey when he was sliming on a corner in front of Pizza Jay's waiting for Ramsey and his son to come out. Talk about 'interjecting' yourself into a case. LOLOLOL As far as BlueFire and what he's done...I know for certain that BlueFire does alot of research on this case...so does Jameson. BlueFire found some porno sites on the internet and turned them into the BPD...these sites have been shut down. Some of us are readers, like myself, and some are 'doers' like BlueFire and Jameson. Jameson has kept a very well thought our TimeLine on this case, and the police have looked at this, as have many, many other 'amateur sleuths'. This is a discussion forum MM...we can and we will discuss EVERYTHING that could even remotely be connected with this case. Some of us believe the Ramseys are innocent, some believe their guilty, and a great deal believe they havn't seen enough proof of guilt or innocence. IF you don't like it...take a hike bact to WS where you spend a great deal of time, and talk to THOSE POSTERS about all their amateur sleuthing. LOLOLOL" JMO...Seal

44. "Nothing wrong with discussion, but. . ."
Posted by MaskedMan on 07:54:39 2/11/99
Include Original Message on Reply

"There's nothing wrong with discussion, but when Jameson and Bluefire tried to throw suspicion on innocent people by fabricating false charges of child pornography, they crossed the line into trouble-making. In their misguided zealotry, Jameson and Bluefire managed to get Colorado law enforcement to go after innocent people, causing pain to those people.

My taking a photograph of a major suspect in a murder case isn't "slimy" and it certainly doesn't constitute "injecting" myself into the investigation, as Seal claims. Isn't this the same "Seal" who called me a "jerk" for claiming to know certain people that I do, in fact, know?"

CHAIN OF EVENTS 2000

2000-02-00: Brill's Content Article: "JonBen�t, Inc"
Section titled, "THE RAMSEYS ARE FAIR GAME"

By Katherine Rosman
Issue Date: February 2000
http://www.brillscontent.com/features/benet7_0200.html

(SNIP)

THE RAMSEYS ARE FAIR GAME

Time is by no means the only mainstream media organization that has looked to those who employ tabloid tactics to get the goods. Outlets such as Dateline NBC and The New York Times have turned to a Boulder gadfly named Frank Coffman to keep them competitive in their JonBen�t coverage.

Coffman, 52, is something of a town crier in the saga. A resident of Boulder for more than 20 years, he once lived a quiet life making Halloween masks and writing occasional columns for a Boulder weekly newspaper. But that was before his town's serenity was rocked by the murder of a little girl. As an accident of proximity, Coffman says, he became entangled in the case.

On December 11, 1998, in his downtown Boulder apartment, which looks like a graduate student's crash pad, Coffman's phone rang. John Ramsey's standing on a street corner by your apartment right now! cried the caller.

Coffman took the cue: He snatched a camera and dashed out the door. Coffman saw Ramsey standing on the street corner with his son, a friend, and one of Ramsey's lawyers; with his heart pounding, Coffman raised his camera, aimed, and fired.

Ramsey wasn't pleased to see Coffman with his camera hoisted. "He attacked me," Coffman says, claiming that Ramsey lunged at him and grabbed his jacket before one of Ramsey's attorneys, Michael Bynum, stopped the potential brawl. (Bynum did not return phone calls seeking comment.)

"I was not stalking him," Coffman says without being asked. Still, he adds, it's "kind of weird to take a picture of somebody like that. I wouldn't do it to anybody else...but John and Patsy Ramsey are fair game."

Despite the scuffle, Coffman snapped a few shots, though the camera's flash didn't go off for the one picture that captured Ramsey allegedly lunging at Coffman. "If that flash had gone off, that would have been a fabulous picture," says Coffman. "It would have made him look so damn guilty. Because people would have said, 'Ah-hah! Here he is. The killer,' " Coffman purrs, adding, "and I don't know that Ramsey killed anybody."

But whether Ramsey killed anyone matters little when you've got an exclusive picture. Coffman says the incident surrounding his photography was reported in an Internet chat room and that once the word was out that he had a few photos of John Ramsey, his phone was ringing like a car alarm in New York City. "The New York Times called me," he says. "I didn't try to sell it, but they said, Look, we want to buy this, we want to publish it, so I said, Okay.

Why not?"

The Times ran one of Coffman's pictures on December 16, 1998, along with an item that described the alleged tussle with Ramsey. Coffman says he made $150 from the sale of the photo. (In addition to getting work from the Times, Coffman says, he has peeped through the windows of the Ramseys' former home in Boulder, taken photos, and sold them to Schiller's movie production team. The photos helped the producers properly re-create the crime scene.)

That the Times considers it newsworthy that a "stalkerazzi" photographer claims to have had his collar grabbed by John Ramsey indicates how far even the most legitimate of news outlets have gone for a JonBen�t story. Asked about the paparazzi-like photo, Times deputy picture editor Mike Smith said, "We don't encourage or look for that kind of work."

Coffman says he is not a profiteer seeking to make hard cash off the death of a kid. "I never tried to make money on the Ramsey case," says Coffman. "I never asked anyone to send me money....They just spontaneously-all these people who were so desperate to get information and photographs and whatever on the Ramsey case."

Coffman admits that he now accepts retainers from various media outlets in case he finds himself in possession of information they want, but won't say which outlets. "I'd rather retain my freelance independent status," he reasons.

(SNIP)

CHAIN OF EVENTS 2001

2001-08-23: Webbsleuths Forum (http://www.webbsleuths.com)
"Offensive post to MM"

"Offensive post to MM"
Posted by jameson on Aug-23-01 at 08:08 PM (EST)

I posted this to MM on weBsleuths. It will be deleted, I am sure - - but I want to post it here so no one can twist the words and say I said something I didn't.

It is nasty - - don't read it if not prepared.

How many hours a day do you think of me? Am I there in your dreams? Geesh, Frank - - get over it! You lost something and attacking me isn't going to get it back.

You have a place in the story - so quit your bellyaching.

You were one of the first to publicly encourage hate against John - by making up the posters and posting them all over the mall.

You wrote some articles on case - remember those days when you were writing for the Boulder Weekly? Then you went a bit over the top - IMO - protecting LHP at the expense of the paper's integrity. Wasn't that your last article?

Oh -sorry - you did have that tabloid article you wrote for Craig.

And your photo of John - - remember the ambush shot? That was in the NY paper and you got on Boyle's show with that one! You had your 15 minutes - - you are in the books, special thanks from Hodges and others...

If you aren't proud of the places you have been and the things you have done, it isn't MY fault. Act like a man - - look in the mirror and repeat this - -

I am a man. I am a man. I am a man.

Basically, I think the message is this - - "Grow the fuck up."

2001-11-02: From River's Websleuths The Jury Room thread titled,
"Another BIG LIE"

MaskedMan (33 posts)
02-Nov-01, 01:31 PM (CST)
"Another BIG LIE "
LAST EDITED ON 02-Nov-01 AT 01:39 PM (CST)

Everyday, Jameson (Susan Bennett) tells more lies. Today, she is claiming that John Ramsey felt "threatened" when I tried to take his photo as he stood on a busy street corner in Boulder on Dec. 11, 1998. She claims that when John attacked me, he thought the camera was a gun. What nonsense. Jameson (ever the apologist) says that "I think John was acting out of fear, not anger."

That is totally untrue. Jameson doesn't know how John acted. She wasn't there. Furthermore, in the news story about the episode that Jameson posted, she dishonestly deleted John's angry remark: "You bastard." She deleted his remark because she wants to conceal the fact that John acted aggressively, not defensively. Jameson wants to deceive by omitting a key fact. She even pretends to know what John was thinking at that moment. Jameson (Susan Bennet of Hickory, NC) doesn't know squat.

In reality, John Ramsey acted enraged, not scared. He yelled "You bastard" and then he charged at me. He didn't try to protect himself. He was angry. He didn't say "look out, it's a gun." No, he obviously knew it was a camera.

When he saw me, I was standing only 15 feet away from him, with my camera up to my eye. I snapped a photo of him as he approached within a few feet of me. He could plainly see that it was camera. No one rushes toward a gun. And a gun isn't held like a camera. It doesn't make any sense to believe that John thought the camera was a gun. His remark, "You bastard," showed his attitude.

John Ramsey has a history of attacking photographers. He wrestled a photographer to the ground in the Atlanta airport. On another occasion, he chased a photographer through a restaurant. So, his behavior in Dec. 1998 was consistent with his past behavior.

John Ramsey has no right to attack photographers. He is committing an assault by doing so. I could have pressed assault charges against him, but I didn't. His assault on me was interrupted when John's friend, Mike Bynum, who was standing there, shouted at John: "Don't, John! It's not worth it!" Only THEN, did John suddenly stop his assault on me.

Obviously, Bynum and John knew that I was snapping a photo. John acted like an enraged maniac. He was very belligerent. He wasn't scared at all. Later, he lied to Jameson about what happened. The episode makes me question John's honesty. This incident suggests that he will lie when it suits his purposes, e.g. to make himself look better.

MaskedMan (33 posts)
02-Nov-01, 06:36 PM (CST)
4. "RE: Another BIG LIE "

Jeanilou,

I doubt that it's a photo of me, but Jameson does consider me to be a possible suspect in the murder of JonBenet. Jameson (Susan Bennett) has been quietly planting the idea that I should be investigated, but she hasn't yet publicly named me as a suspect. There's no limit to her crazy ideas.

MaskedMan (33 posts)
02-Nov-01, 06:59 PM (CST)
7. "RE: Teehee, Pookiecat!"

Tex,
As you can tell, JAR has a hot temper. He's full of a lot of rage. In 1997, in a bar in Michigan, he threatened to crash a beer bottle over a reporter's head. JAR is known to be very volatile. As you can tell, he's full of hate.

JAR didn't say anything to me when I took the photograph of his father on Dec. 11, 1998. We didn't have any exchange of words. He just glared at me, but we didn't talk to each other.

MaskedMan (33 posts)
03-Nov-01, 12:38 PM (CST)
21. "JAR refutes Jameson"

I read JAR's account on Jameson's forum. JAR doesn't say anything about his father thinking that I had a gun that night. JAR says that he knew right away that I was "snapping pictures." He says that his father "went for the camera." No mention of his father mistaking my camera for a gun. JAR's account refutes Jameson's fantasy that John was afraid of a possible gun. In fact, Mr. Ramsey never said "look out" or acted afraid in any way. He was aggressive, shouting "You bastard" and lunging at me.

I didn't "charge" or run toward Mr. Ramsey. Nor did I "run across the street." I simply walked slowly down the sidewalk and stopped about 15 feet from Mr. Ramsey. He didn't even notice me until I was standing there, ready to click a candid photo. Then, as my photo shows, John Ramsey came at me with his hand reaching out to grab me. He attacked me for simply snapping a photo. He wasn't scared and he didn't think it was a gun. (The picture of Mr. Ramsey and JAR walking down the street was taken later.)

John Ramsey is a public figure who wrote a book and who chooses to appear on TV shows. He is fair game for photographers. He should stop acting like Sean Penn, assaulting photographers. On other occasions, he has gone after other photographers in a similar manner. That's psycho behavior.

John Ramsey had no good reason to attack me. He cursed ("You bastard"), grabbed my jacket and tried to throw me to the ground. The tussle could have become much more violent if Mike Bynum hadn't intervened. When Bynum told Ramsey to stop, Ramsey immediately stopped grappling with me. I didn't resist or hit back. I'm glad that Bynum intervened before the episode got really ugly.

Jameson says that John Ramsey has no reason to lie about the episode. Yes, of course, he does. He's fibbing about the episode because he doesn't want to admit that he acted like a crazy maniac. He wanted to brawl with me on the street. That's very strange behavior. I don't blame Mr. Ramsey for trying to deny what he did. It must be embarrassing to him.

It's obvious what happened. As usual, Jameson (the faithful lackey and apologist) has told a false story that doesn't make any sense. JAR doesn't corroborate Jameson's fantasy. The truth is exactly as I told it: John Ramsey went berserk merely because I tried to take his picture. Period.

CLICK HERE: Flight 755 15th Street Main Directory

Home

1998 to 2007 ACandyRose�

E-Mail