March 14, 2000 news article
http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/extra/ramsey/0314ontv1.shtml
Wounds found on JonBenet Ramsey's face appear to match a particular type of stun gun, Arapahoe County's coroner said Monday.
Dr. Michael Doberson said he recently examined photos of injuries found on the chin and lower back of slain 6-year-old beauty queen and compared them to a Taser stun gun.
"It just looked to me, superficially, that it fits," Doberson said.
The two electrodes on the end of the stun gun were within a millimeter of the two injuries on the little girl's chin, Doberson said.
He also noticed where a small metal bar on the weapon also could have left a mark.
It's the first time a medical authority has confirmed the possibility a stun gun was used on the girl who was found slain in her Boulder family home Dec. 26, 1996.
Private investigator Lou Smit brought the autopsy photos, along with a Taser stun gun, to Doberson about two weeks ago, the doctor said.
Smit worked on the case for the Boulder County district attorney's office until he resigned 18 months ago. He said he quit because he believed John and Patsy Ramsey had been wrongfully targeted in the death of their daughter.
This weekend Smit went public, revealing evidence in the case that he says exonerates the Ramseys, such as a metal baseball bat found outside the house and packing materials found inside and outside a broken basement window. JonBenet was given a skull-fracturing blow to the head before she was strangled.
Doberson noted that any stun-gun wounds on JonBenet would not have been lethal.
Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner cautioned that people should not jump to conclusions.
"There's some danger in making a decision based on photographs without having talked to the people who did the autopsy and who saw the injuries," he said.
Boulder County Coroner John Meyer declined to comment on Doberson's opinion.
"I don't think it's appropriate for me to give my opinion on this at this point," Meyer said.
"If it ever does go to trial, I would be called as a witness. So it wouldn't be ethical for me to comment."
Beckner said he is familiar with Smit's theory that a stun gun was used on JonBenet. "I can say, we have evidence to the contrary," Beckner said.
Beckner said he was disturbed that Smit decided to talk about evidence in the unsolved case.
"He's willing to go out and talk about his theory, but in so doing, he ignores a lot of other evidence," Beckner said.