A Colorado grand jury in 1999 indicted John and Patsy Ramsey on two counts each of child abuse resulting in the death of their 6-year-old daughter, JonBenet, according to grand jury documents released Friday, but did not directly accuse the couple of killing her.

The grand jury also charged that the couple helped whoever killed their daughter, but did not name any suspect for the slaying.

The prosecutor in the case refused to sign the grand jury or prosecute the couple, saying that prosecutors did not have sufficient evidence to file charges in the cases.

The four pages of documents were released Friday by a Colorado judge in response to a lawsuit byDaily Camera reporter Charlie Brennan and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

The Ramsey consistently maintained their innocence in the 1996 death of JonBenet, whose body was found in the basement of their Boulder, Colo., home.


Only two counts -- a total of four pages -- from the grand jury documents were released. The documents named John and Patsy Ramsey separately, but the wording was identical.



The documents however did not name any individual as being suspected of the first-degree murder mentioned in the counts.


Former Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter, who had convened the grand jury in 1999, refused to sign the indictment after months of presenting evidence in the case.


In addition to maintaining their innocence, the Ramseys offered a $100,000 reward for the killer and mounting a newspaper campaign seeking evidence.




Contributing: Associated Press

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