were very complimentary about the family. No one has a life with few blemishes, and all of a sudden become a sadistic killer of a beloved child--it doesn't happen. What changed? They got an attorney right away......and at least one lead detective didn't like it.....and took the law into his own hands, and was determined to find guilt, once he made his mind up that it was the parents.
Slain girl's father a top Boulder exec
By Charlie Brennan and Kevin McCullen
%%byline%%By Charlie Brennan and Kevin McCullen
News Staff Writers
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BOULDER -- Ramsey was a name well-known in Boulder long before it became linked to tragedy. John Ramsey, the 53-year-old father of 6-year-old slaying victim JonBenet Ramsey, had a big impact on the community since moving to town five years ago.
Ramsey had owned a Georgia-based computer company, Advanced Products Group, that merged with two other companies to form Access Graphics in 1989 in Boulder. Access Graphics, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp., distributes computer equipment and peripherals. Ramsey joined the company as vice president for sales and marketing and became president and chief executive officer in 1991.
He won the Boulder County Business Report's Esprit Entrepreneur of the Year award in 1995. He was well-liked by his employees.
JonBenet occasionally visited her father at Access Graphics. "She was an adorable child,'' said Laurie Wagner, a company vice president.
Her charm won her the title of Little Miss Colorado this year. Already she was following in the footsteps of her mother. Patricia "Patsy'' Ramsey reigned as Miss West Virginia in 1977. "They were so serious about this beauty-queen stuff, but they never put any pressure on her,'' said Dee Dee Nelson-Schneider. Al Cox, president of the Miss West Virginia pageant, said Patricia Ramsey and her family were close friends who contributed to a pageant scholarship every year.
"This is unbelievable,'' Cox said. "She is a real big supporter to our program and maintained close ties to us.'' The pain of the Ramseys' loss reverberated across town at High Peaks Elementary, the back-to-basics school JonBenet attended. The Boulder Valley School District dispatched counselors to the school, which was opened Friday for parents and students who wanted to talk about the tragedy. "She was a very bright child,'' said Barbara Chomko, director of secondary education for the district and former principal at High Peaks.
Students are on vacation until Jan. 6, and a team of grief counselors is scheduled to be at school that week, Chomko said.
The tragedy also stunned the close-knit neighborhood of narrow, tree-lined streets and well-appointed homes where the Ramseys settled in 1991. "She was a beautiful little girl,'' neighbor Diane Brumfitt said. "But her personality -- she was very engaging and charming.''
"They're such a nice family,'' neighbor Joe Barnhill said, petting Jacques, a bichon frise. The dog once belonged to JonBenet but has become a regular boarder with the Barnhills, who cared for the girl's dog this summer while the Ramseys vacationed at their summer home in Michigan.
"Why something like this would happen to such wonderful people,'' Barnhill said, "I'll never know.''
December 28, 1996