BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A grand jury investigating the JonBenet
Ramsey slaying returned to work for a second consecutive day today,
one week before its term is to expire.
The eight women and four men began arriving at the courthouse at
8 a.m. as about 50 photographers and reporters watched from the parking lot.
Jurors met for nearly seven hours Tuesday, after which they were
escorted to their cars by armed sheriff's deputies as part of an
increased effort to keep the media at a distance.
This morning, district court officers initially barred reporters
from the Boulder County Justice Center, but relented an hour later.
Boulder County spokeswoman Margaret McKinney refused to say who
gave the order to ban journalists, but said, "There were a lot of
complaints from the public, a lot of frazzled citizens."
The grand jury, which was convened in September 1998, faces an
Oct. 20 deadline to decide whether to issue an indictment or a
report, or simply disband without comment.
The jurors took the summer off, then returned to work last month.
District Attorney Alex Hunter has said he could continue the
investigation without the grand jury's help. Under state law, a
prosecutor can file charges directly if he believes there is enough evidence.
The body of JonBenet, who had been beaten and strangled, was
found in the basement of her family's home Dec. 26, 1996. Police
have said her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, remain under an
"umbrella of suspicion." The Ramseys have steadfastly maintained their innocence.
