Slain child's mother denied evidence linked to her in videotaped interview

<br>BOULDER, Colo. (AP) _ More than a year after the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, an investigator told her mother that physical evidence linked her to the slaying, according to a videotaped police interview.

Friday, October 4th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) _ More than a year after the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, an investigator told her mother that physical evidence linked her to the slaying, according to a videotaped police interview.

The interview, which is expected to be shown on CBS 48 Hours on Friday night, is used in a segment called ``Searching for a Killer.''

It was not clear who made the video available to the network. Boulder police insist they did not.

During the June 1998 interrogation, a detective said: ``If I told you right now that we have trace evidence that appears to link you to the death of JonBenet, what would you tell me?''

Patsy Ramsey replied: ``That's totally impossible...go retest.''

The detective responded: ``How is it impossible?''

Ramsey replied: ``I didn't do it.''

JonBenet, 6, was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996, hours after the girl had been reported kidnapped.

CBS will show another video that includes Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner confirming in a November 2001 deposition that detectives regarded Patsy and her husband, John, as suspects in the death of the 6-year-old.

Beckner declined to comment on his deposition excerpt, citing a confidentiality order.

Beckner said his office gave the Ramseys copies of each videotaped interview. He said his department did not give copies of the tapes to CBS and refused to speculate how the network acquired them.