Yesterday, the Boulder DA formally exonerated them for the murder of JonBenet Ramsey and apologized to them for the cloud of suspicion that has hung over them since her death. The DNA says it wasn't them. Fine. It's always good when a DA does the right thing.
The story made the national news last night and the mornng news shows this morning. Why is this such big news? I'm sure the Ramseys did suffer because of the investigation and the whisper campaign that followed. It is tragic that Patsy Ramsey died, still under suspicion of having murdered her daughter.
But . . .they were never charged; they were never arrested; no one was arraigned; no one was tried; no one was wrongly convicted; and no one spent a single day in jail or in prison.
Consider all of the exonerations that have occurred across the nation, many involving black men. These individuals not only suffered a wrongful conviction, they lost years of their liberty for which there is no remedy. They missed the birthdays of children and the funerals of parents. And of course, no one knows how many individuals may have died in prison--or been executed--having been convicted of crimes they did not commit.
So yeah, I do feel for the Ramseys. They lost their daughter and the murderer is still out there. But, let's not get carried away.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
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