Det. Linda Arndt's 1999 interview on the JonBenet Ramsey case

[candy]

Arndt wasn't allowed by department brass to stay on the case. She was pulled off in April 1997, quit the force two years later and unsuccessfully sued the department for defamation. Arndt, who still lives in the West but is no longer a police officer, is now occupied, she said, "putting my life back together, trying to find my way back in the world."
And she's writing a memoir in hopes of keeping her promise.
'The right thing to do'
In her first in-depth print interview, Arndt remembered Ramsey as "a lady of grace and courage and spirit, particularly in the face of such unrelenting adversity."
"She was imprisoned by secrets. This whole case has been imprisoned by secrets."
Arndt was reluctant to reveal many details of her contact with JonBenet's mother in the final year of her life.
"I gained nothing and risked everything to contact her. And it was just the right thing to do," Arndt said.
"There's no way to undo the wrong that was done (to the Ramsey family). But (it was) just to acknowledge what you could or couldn't do, and apologize for any error on my part and to offer myself in any way that was helpful to her."
Arndt would not discuss her theories of the case, saying only that she doesn't hold the "prevailing view" within the Boulder Police Department, which increasingly keyed on Patsy Ramsey.
"I'm able to confirm a lot of things that Patsy was maintaining for 10 years," Arndt said.
Asked if what she is writing will eliminate anyone's suspicions about Ramsey, Arndt stopped short of saying so.
"I think our expectation of the justice system is that you clear 'em or you don't, but you don't leave people hanging in the wind this long - at least, that's my interpretation," Arndt said.
"I don't know that (the book) will exonerate. It will give people a context that they have not had before, and it will give them an understanding for everyone involved - but, particularly, for Patsy."
Ramsey hard to reach
National airwaves have been buzzing since Saturday with legal pundits weighing in on the question of how Ramsey's death affects the investigation - whether it represents an ending or perhaps even the opening of a new chapter.
Arndt leans toward the latter.
"I think it's just starting," said Arndt. "I think the real story is just coming out now....
"I think her death really shakes the foundation of what people have been content or comfortable in believing, refusing to accept or refusing to look at."

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[candy]

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The mere act of connecting with Ramsey, who along with her husband was identified in December 1997 as being under an "umbrella of suspicion" by then-Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner, was not easily accomplished by Arndt.
"I contacted every attorney she's ever worked with," she said. "I was willing to contact anyone in order to get a message to her."
Arndt spoke of a bond of trust that evolved between them during her time on the case - cutting against the grain of her department's overall approach.
"I knew that would not be allowed directly during the time that I was on the case,(because of) individuals from both sides. Direct contact between the two of us was never allowed."
During her June 2001 defamation trial at U.S. District Court in Denver, however, Arndt admitted to arranging an hourlong meeting with Ramsey in March 1997, independent of her fellow investigators, after concerns grew about Ramsey's health.
"When Patsy heard I wanted to reach her, every time, she allowed me to meet with her and call her," Arndt said Tuesday.
Despite the renewed contact between Arndt and Ramsey in 2005, the former detective admits she was blindsided by her death.
Not owning a television for the past few months, Arndt got word from her brother, who lives in the Denver area.
"I had no idea" she had taken a turn for the worse, Arndt said. "I knew she was just in Boulder (in February). Different people call and tell me, because I don't follow a lot of it. I was really stunned. I thought she had beaten it again."
Arndt said she would "absolutely" want to attend Thursday's services for Ramsey but she won't.
"Those around her see my presence differently than she does," Arndt said.
"There would be nothing positive for the people assembled there from my presence. Patsy would appreciate it. I doubt anybody else would."
Arndt admitted she doesn't have the answers as to who did what that Christmas night to the 6-year-old who, in death, became the nation's most famous child beauty queen.
"Nobody does," Arndt said. "But I have the information, for somebody else who might. All the information is there."
She said 90 percent of the case details have not been disclosed accurately.
"If anyone wants to understand and make sense of this case, yes, the information I have allows them to do it," Arndt said.
"You can make an informed decision, rather than uninformed speculation."
Who is Linda Arndt?
• On the case: Arndt was left by her colleagues at the Ramsey home with JonBenet's parents and family friends in the first hours of the investigation. She shouldered the blame for numerous police errors at the crime scene that day in December 1996.
• Off the case: Arndt, a 14-year veteran of the Boulder well-respected as a staunch victim advocate, was taken off the case in April 1997.

• Against the force: Arndt sued Boulder police brass for defamation, alleging a departmental gag order left her unable to defend herself against accusations that she mishandled the crime scene.

• Off the force: Arndt quit the department in April 1999.

• Afterward: A U.S. district court judge issued a summary judgment against Arndt in a June 2001 trial of her defamation suit. She is now 45, lives outside Colorado and is writing a book.

[The Truth Hurts]

I wonder why she never wrote and/or published her book.

[Mama2JML]

The Truth Hurts wrote:

I wonder why she never wrote and/or published her book.

Perhaps her book will be published this year? Tricia @ FFJ is confident the truth will be revealed in 2012. Could Arndt be the source to which Tricia is referring? I honestly do not know, just speculating...

[The Truth Hurts]

Mama2JML wrote:

<quoted text>
Perhaps her book will be published this year? Tricia @ FFJ is confident the truth will be revealed in 2012. Could Arndt be the source to which Tricia is referring? I honestly do not know, just speculating...

I don't know. I thought Arndts book was supposed to be published a couple of years ago.

[realTopaz]

The Truth Hurts wrote:

<quoted text>
I don't know. I thought Arndts book was supposed to be published a couple of years ago.

she's probably waiting for JR to die. She said she looked into his eyes and mentally counted her bullets, not knowing if they'd "all be alive" when help came. She said she prayed he didn't know what she was thinking when they had their non verbal communication. I'd say he gave her the willies and she's not going to take that gamble until he nolonger exists.

[Legal__Eagle]

The Truth Hurts wrote:

I wonder why she never wrote and/or published her book.

Lin Wood! No doubt if he got wind of it, he threatened to sue.

[Capricorn]

Legal__Eagle wrote:

<quoted text>
Lin Wood! No doubt if he got wind of it, he threatened to sue.

Good morning LE

I am sure the threat of lawsuits hung heavy and that is why she never wrote the book or went public with anything she still believed or felt.

With all that she was going through legally with the BPD, etc., I'm sure the "book" would only have been a real headache and she just didn't want to "go there"

Maybe someday, but I'm sure she probably still has a lot to say

[FoolsGold]

Ole blue eyes was disgracefully inept on the scene. She later was unable to hold down a job as rape counselor at the university even though it was mainly paperwork.

She had nothing to contribute to the case then (other than destroying forensic evidence) and she has nothing to contribute to the case now.

[Ole South]

FoolsGold wrote:

Ole blue eyes was disgracefully inept on the scene. She later was unable to hold down a job as rape counselor at the university even though it was mainly paperwork.
She had nothing to contribute to the case then (other than destroying forensic evidence) and she has nothing to contribute to the case now.

I can't believe that the ineptness at the scene all can be attributed to her. It looks to me that she was abandoned and could get no help from other investigators and the entire case was literally dumped in her lap with others completely ignoring her pleas for assistance. This was no way to run an investigation and I can't believe that a department even with no experience in investigating homicides could have been so dismally lacking in the usual cohesiveness displayed by law enforcement agencies in times such as these. The lack of cooperation and the suspicions between the D.A. and BPD as well as politics more than likely played a significant role in the way the case developed.

And as things turned out, I can see that she has been made the scapegoat for those who have been busily engaged in muddying the waters and concealing evidence that could lead to the resolution of the case. She said,

"90 percent of the case details have not been disclosed accurately.
"If anyone wants to understand and make sense of this case, yes, the information I have allows them to do it."
"You can make an informed decision, rather than uninformed speculation."

So, if she had information that would allow the understanding and making sense of the case, I'm reasonably certain that the information she had was not hers alone and with that information in hand, the case could have been solved by now.

IMO, there was pressure applied to keep the case from being solved. The question is, "who all" was responsible for that pressure?

[Mama2JML]

It seems to me that Arndt's initial suspicions of JR have since diminished a great deal, but I cannot determine (from her statements) whether she still has some suspicions about JR's involvement in/knowledge of the crime(s). It does, however, seem (to me) that what she has to share would not be defamatory with regard to the Rs...

Arndt alludes to the public being surprised by the information she has to share. This seems to indicate that she finds little accuracy in the more prevalent RDI/IDI theories. She also states that PR had "secrets" and that 90% of the case evidence has not been released. I imagine the publicly undisclosed evidence was shared, by LE, with PR (and JR), who in turn shared the info with Arndt. Perhaps Arndt has not released her memoir as it contains confidential case-related information?...

The following excerpts from Arndt's interview lead me to conclude the opinions I have shared above...

""There's no way to undo the wrong that was done (to the Ramsey family). But (it was) just to acknowledge what you could or couldn't do, and apologize for any error on my part and to offer myself in any way that was helpful to her."
Arndt would not discuss her theories of the case, saying only that she doesn't hold the "prevailing view" within the Boulder Police Department, which increasingly keyed on Patsy Ramsey.
"I'm able to confirm a lot of things that Patsy was maintaining for 10 years," Arndt said.
Asked if what she is writing will eliminate anyone's suspicions about Ramsey, Arndt stopped short of saying so.
"I think our expectation of the justice system is that you clear 'em or you don't, but you don't leave people hanging in the wind this long - at least, that's my interpretation," Arndt said.
"I don't know that (the book) will exonerate. It will give people a context that they have not had before, and it will give them an understanding for everyone involved - but, particularly, for Patsy."
Ramsey hard to reach
National airwaves have been buzzing since Saturday with legal pundits weighing in on the question of how Ramsey's death affects the investigation - whether it represents an ending or perhaps even the opening of a new chapter.
Arndt leans toward the latter.
"I think it's just starting," said Arndt. "I think the real story is just coming out now....
"I think her death really shakes the foundation of what people have been content or comfortable in believing, refusing to accept or refusing to look at."
..........

Arndt admitted she doesn't have the answers as to who did what that Christmas night to the 6-year-old who, in death, became the nation's most famous child beauty queen.
"Nobody does," Arndt said. "But I have the information, for somebody else who might. All the information is there."
She said 90 percent of the case details have not been disclosed accurately.
"If anyone wants to understand and make sense of this case, yes, the information I have allows them to do it," Arndt said.
"You can make an informed decision, rather than uninformed speculation.""

[Heloise]

Capricorn wrote:

<quoted text>
Good morning LE
I am sure the threat of lawsuits hung heavy and that is why she never wrote the book or went public with anything she still believed or felt.
With all that she was going through legally with the BPD, etc., I'm sure the "book" would only have been a real headache and she just didn't want to "go there"
Maybe someday, but I'm sure she probably still has a lot to say

I think you're right, Cappy. I suspect she is just trying to do as well in her current work as she can and will maybe revisit the JBR case when she retires. BTW, did someone mention Jane Harmer had recently quit the BPD or her frontline police job? I always thought her voice would be good to hear.

[Capricorn]

Heloise wrote:

<quoted text>
I think you're right, Cappy. I suspect she is just trying to do as well in her current work as she can and will maybe revisit the JBR case when she retires. BTW, did someone mention Jane Harmer had recently quit the BPD or her frontline police job? I always thought her voice would be good to hear.

Very true Heloise. I think Arndt was one of the few real "scapegoats" in this case. None of what happened was HER fault. The crime scene left her in a position of handling the Ramseys with kid gloves as instructed, yet trying to keep a crime scene clean. An impossible task, especially when asking for assistance and not getting it in a circumstance such as that

She made her share of errors, as did everyone that morning. Yet she is the one who gets all the blame. I'm sure she also has plenty she would like to say but I'm sure her situation with the BPD and the fear of lawsuits, loss of pension, etc. prevents her from speaking out

There sure is plenty of blame to go around for that morning's mess

[FoolsGold]

Ole South wrote:

<quoted text>
I can't believe that the ineptness at the scene all can be attributed to her. It looks to me that she was abandoned and could get no help from other investigators and the entire case was literally dumped in her lap with others completely ignoring her pleas for assistance.

No matter what happened or did not happen at headquarters she was in charge at the scene. No Scene Entry Logbook, "searches" of the basement without knowing what to look for and without reports as to what was done. Surfaces wiped down under police supervision? Headquarters didn't allow that, SHE did.

Even the eventual discovery of the corpse was solely a makework project to get those two pesky characters out of her hair.

[moonjack]

The Boulder Police Department was set up by Hunter's office.

The answer is not in lost Ramsey cell phone records but personal phone records of those working for the DA's office in the wee hours of 12/26/1996.

[moonjack]

A call from John Ramseys's cellphone to a friend

calls from this friend to Hawaii

calls back to 15th street

calls back to Hawaii

and finally the landline call to 911

[koldkase]

moonjack wrote:

The Boulder Police Department was set up by Hunter's office.

The answer is not in lost Ramsey cell phone records but personal phone records of those working for the DA's office in the wee hours of 12/26/1996.

moonjack wrote:

A call from John Ramseys's cellphone to a friend
calls from this friend to Hawaii
calls back to 15th street
calls back to Hawaii
and finally the landline call to 911

Or some variation thereof....

I believe Hunter was in this up to his bloodshot eyeballs.

[realTopaz]

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery..I'm flattered that someone's so jealous of me and my intellectual property that she puts the sandwich down long enough to attempt my style. LOL poor greasy 300lb gorilla..weak knees and all. LOL