John Ramsey Launches Petition for Colorado Cold Case Reform, Inspired by Daughter JonBenet’s Unsolved Murder

At CrimeCon’s 2025 convention in Denver on Saturday, John Ramsey stood before a packed auditorium and unveiled a new petition that could transform how Colorado handles cold cases. Nearly three decades after the tragic Christmas 1996 murder of his six-year-old daughter JonBenet, Ramsey is calling on Colorado lawmakers to adopt legislation mirroring the federal Homicide Victim’s Families’ Rights Act. The petition, launched by former NASA aerospace engineer Lura Vernon, aims to ensure that families don’t need media attention to secure a fresh review of stalled investigations. “Fairness over favoritism,” reads the petition, which would grant families the right to request a cold case review after three years without resolution—a right currently unavailable at the state and local levels in Colorado.

The proposed legislation would address several critical aspects of cold case reviews that Ramsey believes have been lacking in his daughter’s case. Under the proposal, new investigations would be conducted by investigators who weren’t part of the original probe, potentially bringing fresh perspectives to cases that have languished. The legislation would mandate evaluation of whether state-of-the-art DNA tools could help solve these cases—a particularly relevant point for the Ramsey family, who have long advocated for advanced DNA testing in JonBenet’s case. Additionally, the review process would include transparency requirements, accountability measures, and concrete deadlines. If a case remains unsolved after the review, families would retain the right to request another examination after five years, unless new evidence emerges sooner.

The heartbreaking case of JonBenet Ramsey began on December 26, 1996, when her mother reported her missing after finding a ransom note demanding $118,000. John Ramsey later discovered his daughter’s body in the basement of their Boulder home. An autopsy revealed JonBenet died from strangulation and a blow to the head, with the medical examiner noting an 8½-inch skull fracture. Despite nearly 30 years of investigation, no one has been convicted of her murder, and the case remains one of America’s most haunting unsolved crimes. Ramsey made the announcement alongside investigative journalist Paula Woodward, author of “We Have Your Daughter,” a book about the case. Both have consistently questioned the Boulder Police Department’s handling of the investigation.

This isn’t Ramsey’s first effort to seek justice through public advocacy. At a previous CrimeCon in Las Vegas, he launched a petition asking Colorado Governor Jared Polis to allow an independent agency—rather than the Boulder Police Department—to conduct modern DNA testing in the case. For years, Ramsey has criticized the department for what he describes as “arrogance,” “pride,” “ego,” and inexperience at the time of his daughter’s murder. However, in a notable shift, Ramsey recently expressed renewed hope after meeting with the department’s new leadership. “I’ve been extremely critical of Boulder police,” he told Fox News Digital in October 2023, acknowledging that his criticism might be “unfair” to new officials who “inherited this mess” over the years. “Until I’m proven wrong, I have hope that the new leadership within the police department, who I was impressed with, will make good on their promise to use outside help to solve this case.”

The petition’s creator, Lura Vernon, was moved to action after hearing Ramsey speak at a previous CrimeCon event in Memphis about the Federal Homicide Victim’s Act. “I’ve followed the case since the beginning and have daughters who are JonBenet’s age,” Vernon told Fox News Digital. “I heard John Ramsey at CrimeCon in Memphis talk about the Federal Homicide Victim’s Act, and I thought this should have been the headline of every story… I asked myself what I could do. This petition was the answer.” The initiative represents a growing movement to expand victim family rights in cold cases beyond the federal level, with Ramsey noting during his presentation that similar legislation has already been “enacted in six states and at the federal level” and that “it needs to be enacted in every state.”

While the petition focuses on systemic change, authorities continue to seek information related to JonBenet’s case specifically. They encourage anyone with relevant information to contact the Boulder Police Department or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers. For the Ramsey family and countless others waiting for answers in cold cases across Colorado, this legislative push represents more than just policy reform—it offers hope that justice delayed might not always mean justice denied. Through this petition, John Ramsey transforms his personal tragedy into potential protection for other families caught in similar circumstances, ensuring that even decades-old cases receive the benefit of modern investigative techniques and fresh perspectives without requiring families to wage public campaigns to keep their loved ones’ cases alive in the public consciousness.