BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The parents of JonBenet Ramsey have filed a libel and defamation lawsuit against a former Boulder police detective who accused the couple of having a role in their daughter's death.
The 51-page complaint filed Thursday in Atlanta alleges Steve Thomas made false accusations about the couple in a book he co-authored and in TV interviews promoting the book, "JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation." Thomas did not return messages left Thursday.
John and Patsy Ramsey are seeking $65 million from Thomas, publisher St. Martin's Press, and several other defendants. The suit accuses Thomas of securing a six-figure book contract with the promise he would say Patsy Ramsey killed 6-year-old JonBenet, and John Ramsey covered up the crime.
JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in her family's home Dec. 26, 1996. Police have said her parents remain under an umbrella of suspicion, but no one has been charged in her death.