Boulder police officers, including JonBenet Ramsey investigator, disciplined for failing to investigate cases

Five Boulder, Colorado police officers, including one of the original lead investigators in the JonBenet Ramsey case, have been disciplined after an internal audit found misconduct in the department’s investigation division.

"As part of her ongoing reform efforts since she was hired, Police Chief Maris Herold requested the department review its case management system," the city of Boulder said in a press release Tuesday. "While upgrading data and transitioning to a new open data portal, department officials became aware of cases assigned to a particular detective that had not been investigated or investigated fully between 2019 and the present."

The city says that after the issue was discovered, a Professional Standards Unit investigation led to the determination that five officers, Detective Kwame Williams and four supervising officers in his chain of command, had violated policy by not fully investigating cases warranting discipline that was imposed on Nov. 1. 

Commander Thomas Trujillo, one of the lead investigators in the murder of 6-year-old Ramsey in 1996, received an involuntary transfer from the investigations unit to night patrol and a three-day suspension. Trujillo was also placed on a Performance Improvement Plan.

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Commander Barry Hartkopp was given a one-year letter of reprimand and is required to undergo additional training.while 

Sergeant David Spraggs retired by resignation while Sergeant Brannon Winn was suspended for one day without pay, and Williams was suspended for five days without pay and reassigned from the investigation unit.

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"I regret that this happened and consider it a serious situation," Chief Herold said in the press release. "We had an employee who apparently became overwhelmed. He has since been reassigned from the Investigations Unit."

The city's Police Oversight Panel had recommended the termination of all five officers, the release stated.

Boulder spokesperson Sarah Huntley told Fox News Digital that none of the cases that were not investigated or not fully investigated were homicide cases.

Huntley said she could not release more details about the number of cases that were not fully investigated but anticipated more information being released later in the week.

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Ramsey’s half-brother, John Andrew Ramsey, responded to the news of Trujillo’s infractions on Twitter.

"Let’s not complicate this…the Officer that was solely responsible for the #jonbenetramsey investigation for the last number of years and was a carry-over from 1996 just got demoted to the midnight shift for NOT DOING HIS JOB," Ramsey tweeted.

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"Were leads not followed-up? Half-hearted effort? Calls not returned? Maybe DNA testing not pursued? Calls of assistance ignored? Time for fresh eyes."

Huntley told Fox News Digital in response to Ramsey's tweet that "a transfer is not a demotion."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Ramsey said he wished he was surprised by the news but "my experience with BPD mirrors what was described as cause for disciplining the detectives."

"Apathy is hard to measure but when you see it you know it. I am not sure where my sister's case will land but it would be a massive mistake to keep it with the same investigators from 26 years ago or worse to moth-ball the case as a ‘cold case,'" Ramsey said. "My hope is this can serve as a reset for the BPD, a fresh start, to finally PURSUE justice for JonBenet. It has been my constant refrain but it is true. This case can be solved but it will take hard work and more importantly heart. The time is now."

JonBenet's mother reported the 6-year-old missing to police on the morning of Dec. 26, 1996, after finding a lengthy ransom note demanding $118,000 in exchange for JonBenet. The girl's father, John Ramsey, found her body later that same day in their basement.

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An autopsy after JonBenet's death revealed that the girl died of strangulation and a blow to the head. The Boulder City Medical Examiner reported an 8 1/2-inch fracture on her skull. Authorities have not convicted any suspects in the case.

The Boulder Police Department is still investigating the cold case and says it has looked into leads from more than 21,000 tips, letters and emails and traveled to 19 states to speak with more than 1,000 people about the case.

Fox News Digital reached out to Commander Trujillo for comment and did not receive a response by time of publication. 

Fox News’ Audrey Conklin and Chris Eberhart contributed to this report.