Do you know how this petition came
about? Was it you or your family?
Really suggested by crime Con,
which is this conference
we're at in Las Vegas?
And I didn't know anything about
crime con going into this,
but you know my objective in working
with the media throughout all this
has been to push the government
the police to do the right thing.
And so I want to keep the pressure on.
It's not going to go away.
I'm not going to go away and say,
well, this would be an interesting,
maybe an interesting venue
to continue that effort.
And they suggested that they said we need
to make something positive come out of this.
And you know,
we have what have they had 5000 people here?
And we talked about what what needs
to be done and we said, well,
there's some some big things that need to
be done and some some not so big things.
One of the the the the manageable task
that ought to be done is the police.
Somehow we've got to force the
police or take it away from them.
The ability to go ahead and test some of
the crime scene evidence it was never
tested for DNA and why that's never
been done and won't be done by the police.
It baffles me, but so they said,
let's let's get people behind it.
Will petition the Governor of Colorado to.
Make this happen.
Either take the the.
The.
Case away from the police,
which I would love.
It'll ever be solved if it stays
in the Boulder police hands,
or at least get the the the crime
scene material tested for DNA samples.
The technology has advanced so
so far in the DNA world.
From you know 20 years ago and
to just not do that is is is.
It baffles me and you know, we're not
asking to be forgiven or apologize to.
Just test the DNA.
Let's solve this crime.
And the police won't do it,
and so we're petitioning the governor.
And a lot of people have gotten behind it.
To say this is crazy,
make it happen.
You say you said you, you say you're baffled.
Do you have any idea why they won't test
it? I think the Boulder police decided
on day one that it was the parents that
did this horrible thing and have not
been confused by facts or evidence.
On that conclusion,
and the same people that concluded
that on day one are still there.
And either they don't want to be
embarrassed if the answer isn't
what they decided 25 years ago,
or they're just totally incompetent.
I don't know. I really don't.
It's baffling to me that a Police Department.
Would be so. Ignorant of the facts.
And and dismissive of the acts,
and in fact misrepresent the
facts publicly, it's crazy.
Have you have you had any contact
over the years or recently
with the governor's office?
Do they even know that
they know this is coming?
No, we have not had any contact with them.
And then when's the last time you had any
contact with anybody from Boulder police?
Oh gosh, I don't know.
Maybe three years ago I
asked for a meeting with the.
At the time, the new police chief.
This is before the current police chief
and we had a meeting in Boulder for.
I don't know a couple hours and my
point to them was to the new chief.
I hope there was a new new direction.
I said look, the past is the past.
Let's start a new chapter here.
I want this resolved and solved.
If you boulder police solve this crime,
you'll have nothing but praise for me.
But please get on with it.
That was the last time I've
ever heard anything from them
or had any contact with them
and what was their response to that?
Well, at the meeting it was
they were just listening and.
I think by the evidence their response was.
Nah, we're not going to do that.
We know that we know who the killer is,
so don't we're not gonna
mess around with DNA and.
You know, I was told by an experienced
prosecutor that she's never seen a Police
Department try to explain away foreign
meal DNA in a sexual assault case.
So it's just shocking.
And yet that's what they tried to do.
Have not been able to.
We still have four and male DNA that
hasn't been attached to any person and.
That's the problem for the police,
but they tend to ignore the.
It's not a DNA case.
Don't worry about that.
This nonsense.
And you start foreign male
DNA there, saying foreign.
Well it's it's not been
identified to in person.
Identified that's better.
Better word, yeah.
Do you still have hope 25 years
later that this case will be solved?
I think it'll be solved eventually.
It will never be solved as if it
if the jurisdiction for this case
stays in the hands of the Boulder
police or the people that were there
25 years ago and are still there,
retire and go off to Florida and we get
some competent detectives in Boulder.
But until that happens,
it's it won't be solved.
Can you tell me you know,
25 years later? Your thoughts,
I mean, how often do you
think about Jon Benet?
And it's pretty much.
It's, uh, you know. I have pictures
on my desk of Jon Benet and Beth,
my oldest daughter that was killed
in a car accident before that
happened with Chardonnay and that.
It's kind of a bittersweet
memory that comes up I,
but I think about both of them frequently.
You know, I wouldn't say every day,
but because you get up and you're
focused on the day and I get
reminders every now and then that.
Remind you know friend of mine,
a minister said,
you know today and this was 25 years ago.
He said today memories of Jon
Benet will bring pain eventually.
Memories will bring joy and
that's I found to be true.
So it's it's a normally a pleasant.
Memory that comes to mind of my children
that they're not with me anymore
and then just and this is
an impossible question.
But try to answer it if you could.
But what effect has this
case had on your life?
What effect does her
death had on your life?
Well my my oldest daughter Beth,
was killed four years before and
a car accident one afternoon.
Just a tragic accident and that really.
Took me to the floor.
I was just devastated and but it
caused me to examine my faith.
My, you know what's life all about?
How can I continue on without?
Someone I loved dearly and
particularly a child that you know
I've experienced other things in life.
There's nothing worse for parent than
the loss of a child is my my opinion.
But you know, I've told people this.
I said, you know,
the killer of Jonbenet and that was
totally different than my daughter Beth.
That was an accident.
This was a willful act by another
so called human being to take
the life of a child.
That's just,
it's just you can't comprehend the
mentality that someone would do that,
but.
I've said,
you know that the police and their actions.
Well, John Menard's death.
Took away my desire to live for a while.
The police actions took away my
ability to live for a while.
I lost my job. Victims of violent
crime normally end up broke,
and we pretty much got close to that.
So yeah, it affected not only
my life but my children's life.
Now my grandchildren will be impacted,
particularly if this is never resolved.
So yeah, it it. It.
Dramatically affected my life.
Not just the loss of my daughter,
which was you don't go,
but you don't get over that.
You just you move ahead and
but we had to move ahead with.
Some pretty heavy.
Assaults by my fellow man
and the police and the media,
of course,
was took the took the took the bait
and and ran with it so but you know
people have been wonderful to us.
I've had people early on said
house to be out in public.
You must be getting, you know.
People.
Treating him poorly and I said no,
people are wonderful to us.
It's just it's so uplifting.
I mean people stop us in the street
and give us hugs and I'm so sorry
what's being done to you folks.
And and wow, my fellow man really
cares about people and has changed
me to be much more compassionate
person towards my fellow man.
You know everybody has a problem
everybody's carried a burden and
you don't know it but you just
have to look at somebody and say
you know I know life's not. Easy.
And I'm sure it hasn't been easy for you.
I don't know.
What your circumstance is, but but you have.
I'm sure some burdens you're carrying,
so it just it just opened
up my eyes to to that and.
So it it it changed that changed
me for the for the better.
Frankly is human being
and then give me some some of
the hits, runs and errors here.
If I can ask, how old are you now?
Believe it or not, you look good.
Thanks. It's the makeup.
That's my line. And then where you living,
it's what state are you living in?
Utah, Utah, southern Utah and tell me
what you're working are working now?
Yeah, we have a air charter company that
I got involved with and I don't own it.
I just manage it, but it's kept me busy
and kept food on the table and you're
remarried and remarried, remarried.
99 years 10 years to Jan.
My wife has been a real blessing in my life.
And she didn't know what
she was getting into.
She she tends to get the media calls
and the people that call because
she's easier to find than me.
I guess you don't do a lot of this though.
No, I don't want to.
Even when I was doing it,
it was because I wanted to keep pressure
on the police to do the right thing.
It wasn't to seek, you know,
exoneration, or or, but it was just.
This has got to be solved and I'm not
going to go away until it is solved.
And that's so any media appearance
idea was that was always my
objective and it had to have that.
Potential outcome and same with
this event this weekend it it's to
keep pressure on the government.
The police to do the right thing.
OK, wonderful, thank you very much.
Is there anything you didn't say
that that you wanted to anything?
I didn't ask you that you wanted me to.
Well, this one of the this
petition we talked about.
Is important that people that
believe that the DNA ought to
be tested further in this crime,
which I think is just a very logical thing
to do if they can sign that petition,
the more we get, the better.
And I think we're up to a
couple 1000 now signatures.
This is only been a day, but you know,
people don't understand why in the world.
Wouldn't they do that?
It it makes no sense and.
So if that would be helpful
if people would would do that.
When when I know this is all
just sort of coming together,
when do you expect hope to present it?
I mean, I don't even know
how these things work.
When will be given to the governor,
I don't know. That's a good question.
I'm not sure, I think. It just got
started that you know the momentums.
I think building I we spoke to a group
of about 3500 people yesterday that
were in attendance at this meeting and
asked him the same thing. Please if you.
I think this is a good thing.
Please support it and I think I think
they were generally pretty supportive so,
but I don't know what happens next.
Quite honestly, the first time
I've been involved with this,
but I've got. I've done a couple.
I don't know that have
the mechanics of the work.
I'll ask somebody to change that.
Yeah, I don't know, but.
Hope is we'll get thousands and
thousands of signatures until
the government Colorado and say
please do the right thing here,
and I think he will.