Roy, there is no question that you're right: errors by LE and the DA's office collectively had a devastating impact on this case. However, these errors worked for the Ramseys as well as against them. And the fact that the Ramseys didn't co-operate with police is the single most damaging thing ever to happen to this case (at least until Lacy's baffling actions last year). Even assuming they are innocent, they were the only people on God's green earth who could shed a real light on JBR's life and provide the narrative that could lead to an intruder being identified. It is that simple. The Ramseys certainly had a right to lawyer up. That isn't, IMO, the same as being right to do so or for following their lawyers' advice so blindly - especially in a policing regime that was known for its softly-softly approach to justice.
Similarly, the early media coverage was harmful to the Ramseys and put pressure on Boulder for which it just wasn't prepared, meaning that hasty and ill-thought our decisions were made. However, as DoI demonstrates, the Ramseys were able to turn this around to cast themselves in the role of victims ('The most persecuted individuals in the history of the United States' is the tack they take in DoI). The continued press interest in the case, supported by the growth of the Internet for news dissemination and discussion, actually kept the case in the spotlight where you'd assume they would want it to be. As the judge in the Fox case said, discussion of the case will keep it alive and anyone who wants this can't complain too much if the coverage is less than flattering to them personally.
