Judge: Ramsey Housekeeper Can Talk
D E N V E R, July 5 -- A federal judge today ruledthat a former housekeeper for the parents of slain child beautyqueen JonBenet Ramsey can reveal what she told a secret grandjury two years ago.
No indictments were ever issued in the Boulder, Colo.,grand jury proceedings that ended in 1999 and neither was anyreport ever issued, meaning under Colorado rules that grand jurywitnesses had to keep their testimony secret indefinitely.
Linda Hoffmann-Pugh, who wants to write a book about herexperience working for John and Patsy Ramsey when they lived inColorado, sued Boulder's current district attorney, Mary Keenan,arguing the state's strict secrecy rule for grand juries wasunconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Wiley Daniel agreed, ruling thatHoffmann-Pugh could repeat what she testified before the grandjury in 1999.
The judge said the rules were "invalid to the extent theyprohibit grand jury witnesses from disclosing their own testimonyafter a grand jury" has completed its work. Daniel's decisionopens the door for about 100 other grand jury witnesses to speakabout their testimony.
Suspicion About a Swiss Army Knife
Hoffmann-Pugh has been talking with the media about heropinions on the case. The difference is that now when shedescribes things she believes about the case she can also say shehas said the same thing in front of the grand jury.
But she may not disclose what questions she was asked ordescribe any reactions she may have seen from grand jurors, herNew York attorney Darnay Hoffman told reporters after the today'shearing.
The Ramseys were not a party to the case, but their attorneyLin Wood said he agreed with the judge's decision. "Ourpreference would be for the public to know the complete truth,"he said by telephone from Atlanta where the Ramseys now live.
The former housekeeper can for instance, relate how she toldthe grand jury that she hid a Swiss army knife that was foundnear JonBenet's body and that she believes only Patsy Ramseywould have known where the knife was.
