BY PEYTON GARCIA | @CITYCASTDENVER

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JONBENET RAMSEY

Why her name is back in headlines:
The death of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was one of the most highly publicized murders to ever come out of Colorado. For a quarter of a century, the cold case has continued to captivate the nation. Now, just five months after the crime’s 25th anniversary, the Ramsey family thinks we could be closer than ever to a break in the case… if the Boulder police hand it over to someone else, that is.

Last weekend, at the 2022 CrimeCon in Las Vegas, John Ramsey, the father of JonBenét, publicly announced his request that his daughter’s case be removed from the care of the Boulder Police Department and handed over to an independent investigative agency. Since then, a petition on Change.org has begun circulating calling on Gov. Jared Polis to take decision-making away from BPD.

What’s the ‘big break’?
Advances in DNA and forensic technology are rocking the cold case world right now. Genetic genealogy is a new way to identify unknown DNA, and has notably led authorities to the capture of the infamous Golden State Killer in 2018. New technology in 2008 turned up DNA of an unknown male at JonBenét’s crime scene, and now the Ramsey family wants to know why BPD hasn’t done something with that evidence.

The Boulder police have been harshly scrutinized for how they botched handled the investigation in its early stages. But the department pushed back on the petition, saying they’ve always followed up on every lead and JonBenét’s case will remain a priority for the department.

But there’s no magic DNA wand.
While there’s been tremendous leaps and bounds in DNA and forensic science, there’s still a lot to be explored within genetic genealogy, and investigators need to be judicious in the way they utilize the technology.

More specifically, in the case of JonBenét, the main reason BPD says they haven’t ventured into genetic genealogy is because there is a very limited amount of DNA from the crime scene to work with. Going the genealogy route would likely require utilizing all the DNA that is left, leaving none to be tested should bigger and better testing options emerge.

🔎 Want to know more? Check out my source material: CNN, Denver Post, Denver7, and Westword.

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CINCO DE MAYO DE DENVER 🇲🇽

🇲🇽 TODAY:
+ You’ll find margs and live music at the McGregor Square plaza from 4 to 6 p.m.

+ Explore the traditions of Cinco de Mayo through music and poetry at this event from CU Denver at Number Thirty Eight beginning at 4 p.m.

+ Nab good beer and free tacos at River North Brewery starting at 3 p.m.

+ It’s Thirsty Thursday all day at Avanti F&B, featuring specials on Mexican-style lagers, margaritas, and tequila.

🇲🇽 THIS WEEKEND:
+ Denver’s official, annual Cinco de Mayo “culture festival” at Civic Center Park will take place Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

+ Go deeper than margs and tacos — the Westwood community is “reclaiming” Cinco de Mayo with a community celebration that honors the historical significance of the holiday on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Find more Cinco de Mayo events 👉 here. 

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FOR THE SOBER AND SOBER-CURIOUS 🍹

“Coming out of COVID… I only want to play shows that feel good. I only want to create spaces that feel good. And so to me, Clearheads is like coming from a new place of joy and clarity, and having a clear head about it.”

Can Denver Throw a Booze-Free Party That’s Actually Fun?
Art and music are often intertwined with drinking culture — but it doesn’t have to be that way. Enter “Clearheads: A Booze-Free Hang” from local musician Jen Korte. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with Korte about this new monthly event and how it de-centers alcohol, and refocuses on community, entertainment, and fun.

🗓️ Get tickets to this weekend’s Clearheads event 👉 here.

📧 Got a go-to bar or restaurant that serves your fave mocktail? Tell us about it by replying to this email! 

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MORE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

🎨 Colorado’s Chicano murals are officially “endangered”: Chicano murals across Colorado have been named on the 2022 list of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.” The fight to preserve our state’s deep Chicano roots is at the heart of the Chicano/a/x Murals of Colorado Project (or CMCP) directed by Lucha Martinez de Luna, daughter of acclaimed Denver Chicano muralist Emanuel Martinez. [History Colorado] 

• 🔎 Get some background: This time last year, City Cast Denver spoke with Lucha Martinez de Luna about the push to name La Alma-Lincoln Park a Historic Cultural District and the campaign to recognize more Chicano / Latino historical sites in Denver. Listen to that episode here: “The Urgent Push to Preserve Chicano Murals”

🌳 Denver’s parks? Meh. This week, the Trust for Public Land announced its annual ranking of park systems in major cities across the nation. The report judges each city on how well they’re using their parks to aid the climate crisis. Denver held the No. 18 spot for the second year in a row. So… like a B-? [TPL]

• 🚲 How are we with bikes? A ranking from WalletHub listed Denver as the third best city in America for bicyclists. Based on the number of podcast episodes we’ve put out covering issues with cycling infrastructure, I’m calling BS on that one. In fact, another recent ranking for bike-friendly cities named Fort Collins and Boulder, but no Denver at all — and that sounds more accurate to me. [Axios Denver] 

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