The mystery into the murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey has haunted the nation for 20 years. No arrests have been made and there are still no answers as to what happened.
To educate the public on the importance of forensic evidence and crime scene investigation, the People’s Law School in Lansing brought in Forensic Document Analyst Leonard Speckin, with Speckin Forensics, who assisted police as a second set of eyes with looking at the ransom note and crime scene.
“I spent three days on it, going over the evidence and wrote a report,” said Speckin. “That was my role, to write another opinion or a second opinion, on the ransom note.”
In his report, Speckin wrote that the handwriting habits of Patsy Ramsey did appear in the ransom note, but there were differences that he couldn’t resolve so he could not make a determination of her as the author of the ransom note.
“It was a hard case, it was a very difficult case,” said Speckin. “The ransom note was two and a half pages and was written in a disguised manor with a fiber tipped pen. It was a hard case to work on trying to break down that disguise. However, other forensic evidence in that note that was compelling.”
The other evidence, Speckin explained, included where the ransom note was written, where the pen used to write the note was found, and also evidence of a practice note that was written and destroyed.
(To hear more detail into his role in the case, watch the video above to hear Speckin talk a little bit about what he found)
Speckin is hoping that talking about his role in the JonBenet Ramsey case will show people some areas that they may not be familiar with like dating documents, as well as showing people how difficult a crime scene is to work.
“People understand a lot about forensic evidence today – from the ID Channel to the Forensic Files….those are very good channels, very instructive.” Said Speckin. “What I want them to take away is maybe I can go into some areas they are not familiar with.”
The People’s Law School has been teaching the public about different topics of law for more than 15 years, and select their topics based on interest and usefulness for the general public.
Classes are held at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at the Hannah Community Center in East Lansing. The first class regarded military and veteran affairs law, and upcoming classes include:
- Rights and responsibilities in traffic stops with law enforcement
- Personal injury and auto no-fault insurance coverage issues
- Wills, trusts and estate law
- The story and purpose of the Innocence Project
- Family and domestic relations law
“Every night we try to offer some type of interesting presentation or legal topic,” said Stephen Sinas, Attorney at the Sinas Dramis Law Firm, who has been organizing the school for more than 15 years. “We offer a variety of topics and try to change it up each year that are relevant to everyday people. This year we have great schedule of presentations that are relevant to everyday people, and are of interest to them as well.”
The People’s Law School was started by the Michigan Association for Justice, and the Sinas Dramis Law Firm partnered with them more than 15 years ago. Now, Wayne State University Law School is also a partner. The goal of the school is to educate residents on law in a user friendly way.
To register for the entire session, the cost is $25, or $7 a session. Sinas explained that the price covers the cost for the events, and any additional monies goes to the James Tuck Memorial Foundation and Education Fund.
To learn more about the People’s Law School, or see upcoming classes and schedule, click here.
