Gov. Owens Gets Strong Support in JonBenet Case

State residents Thursday rallied to Gov. Bill Owens for calling on the parents of slain child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey to “quit hiding” and return to Colorado to help find their daughter’s killer.

“The governor spoke for 99.7% of the people,” a caller named “Val” said on KMGH-TV, echoing the sentiments of others who called radio stations in the Denver area.

Owens announced Wednesday that the state would not launch a new probe to investigate the murder of the 6-year-old, whose beaten and strangled body was found Dec. 26, 1996, in the basement of the family’s Boulder home.

But in strong language criticized by some attorneys, Owens also said the parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, should quit hiding behind their attorneys and public relations firm and “come back to Colorado and work with us to find the killers in this case, no matter where that trail may lead.”

Police have said the parents remain under “an umbrella of suspicion,” but the governor’s remarks have been the most pointed to date.

When asked directly if he thinks the parents, who have steadfastly maintained their innocence, were involved in their daughter’s death, the governor declined to comment.

“In the space of a few minutes Owens had fueled talk radio for a week,” the Denver Post noted in an editorial, saying the Republican governor’s remarks may have carried him “past the limits of legal prudence.”

Ninety percent of telephone calls and 75% of e-mail to the governor’s office--200 in all--have been favorable, said his spokeswoman, Amy Jewett Sampson.

The Ramseys, however, were outraged.

Their attorneys said the governor’s “slanderous remarks pander to the fringe lynch mob which long ago cast aside the time-honored presumption of innocence.”

The governor showed no intention Thursday of backing off and rejected criticism that he went over the line, saying he wanted the people of Colorado to know that the nearly 3-year-old probe that has cost about $2 million has not been in vain.

He said that he also wanted Coloradans to know he has confidence in the team now working on the case and that new evidence has surfaced outside the grand jury, which recently ended its 13-month probe with no indictments. He has declined to discuss the evidence.

The Ramseys also said the governor ignored their offer to provide information to the task force formed to see if a special prosecutor was needed. Owens told Denver radio station KOA that the offer was considered. “The prosecutors who were part of my team didn’t think it wise for me to meet with persons who might be under suspicion in the case,” Owens said.

The parents, who now live in the Atlanta area, were not alone in their criticism of the governor.

“The idea that it’s OK for the chief executive officer of the state to do something an ordinary prosecutor can’t do is absurd,” said Scott Robinson, a prominent Denver attorney.

“He’s got his finger on the pulse of the community, but pandering to public opinion doesn’t make it right,” Robinson said.

A poll of 500 Colorado residents conducted for Denver television station KUSA showed that 76%believed Owens’ remarks were appropriate; 20% thought they were inappropriate and 4% were unsure.