BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The grand jury investigating the death of JonBenet Ramsey met again Friday, and the lead prosecutor said its work is coming to a close.

Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter also said an announcement of the results of the investigation could come at any time, telling reporters to stay in contact with his office this weekend because "it's a fluid process."

Arriving at the courthouse for the first back-to-back session in months, the normally closed-mouthed Hunter said his wife told him this morning, "Go get 'em ... go get 'em," and he smiled cryptically.

Hunter has been under pressure for nearly three years to find the killer of the child beauty queen, found dead in her home the day after Christmas in 1996.

JonBenet, the daughter of millionaire businessman John Ramsey and his wife, Patsy, was found strangled, beaten and her wrists bound with cord in her home the afternoon of Dec. 26, 1996.

Both parents have been considered suspects and both have said they are innocent.

Ramsey's discovery of JonBenet's body came about seven hours after his wife called 911 to report that the girl, a star of child beauty pageants, was missing. She told police she had found a 2 1/2-page note demanding $118,000 for JonBenet's safe return.

Hunter said the case has been difficult.

"I've had some interesting cases, some wins and some losses, and this case you all know has been a very difficult one and my faith in the process has never been shaken. I have terrific confidence in the people working with me on this case.

Stressing that only one phase of the case was ending, he thanked other district attorneys who have helped him. "There's been more oversight in this case, and I think the public has deserved that, than any case I think probably in the country," he said.

The eight women and four men on the grand jury began wrapping up their work Thursday, a day after some of them came down to the courthouse to look over evidence in the case.

After meeting for more than six hours, the grand jurors went home without issuing a statement. They returned to work today, their first back-to-back session in months.

They have an Oct. 20 deadline to issue indictments, issue a report or disband after taking no public action.

City officials have been preparing for the end of the grand jury for months, setting up phone lines and trying to arrange a meeting place for the crush of journalists expected when the decision is announced.

Legal analyst Andrew Cohen, who has followed the Ramsey investigation closely, said if the grand jury fails to issue an indictment, it's a mixed bag for Hunter.

"It doesn't mean prosecutors can't indict someone. You can interpret that as a failure of the prosecution to get an indictment or you can conclude that prosecutors got what they needed from the grand jury," he said.

— Steven K. Paulson

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