Perfect Murder, Perfect Town - Lawrence Schiller [238]
As for Burke, who turned ten the month following his sister’s death, Beckner said, “At this point, we’re treating him as a witness.”
That the media had picked up the scent was evident from the next question: “Can you tell us specifically why it’s important to reinterview John and Patsy Ramsey and what kind of progress you’re making in getting them to agree to a second interview?”
Beckner explained that many witnesses had been interviewed more than once. That happens in many cases, he emphasized. “Also understand,” he added, “it’s been approximately six months since we last interviewed the Ramseys. During that time, there’s been a lot of investigation. We’ve uncovered a lot of new information. We have a lot of new questions. And they can help us answer those questions. They are significant in this case, and they have information that’s important to us.”
Then Beckner concluded, “We made our formal request last week and have not heard back from them. But they have indicated every willingness to cooperate and have done so during my nine weeks anyway. So I expect we’ll get that done in the near future.”
As anticipated during the strategy sessions with Steve Pitt, the press picked up on the theme of the Ramseys’ alleged cooperation. “Can you outline or give us a sense,” one reporter asked, “of how the Ramseys have been cooperative and helpful since you have taken over?”
“I can only talk about the time that I’ve been involved,” Beckner replied. “And thus far we’ve made several requests, and they’ve honored those requests. We have several more pending and we’re still waiting to hear from them.”
“Is it fair to say your office is trying to establish a new relationship with the media and with the American public?” Beckner was asked.
“I’m being myself,” the commander said. “This is me. And you either like it or you don’t, but I’m not Tom Koby. I’m not anybody else. And this is how I interact when I interact with the media.”
When the Ramseys’ attorneys reviewed Beckner’s press conference, they were sure a deal had been cut between Hunter and the commander to take the case to the grand jury. It now looked inevitable. They only hoped that once the case got into Hunter’s hands, it would be investigated seriously.
When Fleet White heard there might be a grand jury, he understood that he would be called as a witness. White, who had been cleared as a suspect on April 16, requested copies of the statements he and his wife had made to the police during the first days of the investigation. He wanted to refresh his memory, and must have read that the Ramseys had received copies of their statements. He wanted the same consideration. In fact, unknown to the public, other witnesses’ attorneys had guaranteed their clients’ cooperation in exchange for copies of their early police statements.
In White’s case, Mark Beckner said no. The commander didn’t care what had been done in the past; his policy was different. Hunter’s office had the final word, however, and agreed with Beckner’s decision. White was told it would not be appropriate for him to have his statements. Unable to reconcile that decision with the treatment the Ramseys had received, White let it be known to the police and close friends that he was losing confidence in the DA’s office.
GRAND JURY STRATEGY
Grand juries are valued in certain cases, such as government malfeasance, investigation of powerful public officials and prosecuting big-time drug dealers and organized crime rings. Nevertheless, the modern-day grand jury has been criticized by many as a bludgeon for prosecutors. Some critics even say its original purpose—to protect the average citizen—has been turned on its head; that it often is used to harass citizens or provide political cover for police and