crawford hill house

For being a young city Denver has some very captivating architecture like the Crawford Hill House a French Renaissance mansion built in early 1900's, shortly after the Italian Renaissance designed Brown Palace set the bar for local socialites growing expectations.

Crawford Hill House is absolutely lovely, meticulously restored and maintained, home to Haddon Morgan and Freeman, PC one of the law firms selected by the parents of JonBenet Ramsey to help deal with the totally unfounded persecution for their daughter's murder. Partner Bryan Morgan, now retired from practice, was a friend of the family prior to the 1996 tragedy. Partner Hal Haddon is busy as ever, seen paying attention to the DV hearing for Charlie Sheen in Aspen - -

Sheen's next Aspen court appearance set for June 18

Published in the Aspen Times
By Rick Carroll

"ASPEN — Actor Charlie Sheen is scheduled to make his next Aspen court appearance June 18 for a motions hearing regarding his domestic violence case.

Sheen's Aspen attorney, Richard Cummins, appeared Monday in Pitkin County District Court during a discussion of further proceedings in the case....Also attending the hearing was Denver defense attorney Harold Haddon...

Haddon, who owns a house in Aspen, declined to discuss his involvement, if any, in the case.

“It's an interesting case,” Haddon said.

Haddon is a partner with the Denver law firm Haddon Morgan Freeman PC, which specializes in criminal defense and civil law. His firm represented NBA star Kobe Bryant in his sexual assault case in Eagle County, as well as John Ramsey, the father of JonBenét Ramsey, the 6-year-old who was found slain in her Boulder home..."[read more]

tainted for life

Provocative article by Jeff Gamso on the presumption of innocence that mentions the parents of JonBenet Ramsey along with others that have been wrongfully convicted, or otherwise presumed guilty. In his write up, Gamso is specifically speaking to the Danny Brown travesty. Based on DNA evidence, in 2001 Brown was released from prison more than 18 years after being wrongfully convicted of aggravated murder. And like the parents of JonBenet Ramsey, even though today Danny is free from imprisonment, he still deals with extraordinary legal complications and lives under a looming cloud of suspicion --

Because Innocence Isn't Enough
Posted at Gamso - For the Defense
Commentary by an Ohio criminal defense lawyer

"I've got to assume that it's coincidence that I read Gideon's eloquent and agonized take on the presumption of guilt from yesterday pretty much back to back with this morning's article by Jennifer Feehan in the Toledo Blade on Danny Brown...First, the short version of Gideon's post. (You should read the whole thing.)

The presumption of innocence, a bedrock principle of criminal justice systems the world over for generations, is really not that ambiguous or in doubt. . . .

It’s a catchy phrase: “innocent until proven guilty”. It nicely ties in the other core principles: the burden of proof is on the State; the defendant has a Constitutional right not to testify; each and every element must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. . . .

It’s all a lie. A big, bold-faced, wool over your eyes lie.

The presumption of innocence is dead, at least in practice. The real presumption, if you must, is that of guilt. Despite the Constitutional and historical directives to the contrary, the defendant “enjoys” a presumption of guilt from the moment of the institution of criminal proceedings...

One could jump in pretty much anywhere for an example.

The parents of JonBenet Ramsey?
Kobe Bryant?
OJ?
Ken Lay?
The latest not guilty in your local paper or on Fox News?

Does Nancy Grace let it go?

None of them is ever fully cleared of the taint of guilt - from the mere presumption. Where there's smoke . . . "[read more]

About Jeff Gamso: Criminal defense lawyer, civil libertarian (former Legal Director of American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio), anti-death penalty activist, public speaker. I am one third of GAMSO, HELMICK, AND HOOLAHAN, located at 1119 Adams Street, Second Floor, Toledo, Ohio 43604. My first career was English Professor. I studied medieval and renaissance English Literature, taught literature, film, and composition. I've been a film critic. [more]

more wood on woods

Lin Wood, the brilliant and highly regarded attorney that represents the Ramseys against false accusations made about family members in reference to the murder of JonBenet, weighs in on Tiger Woods public relations nightmare - -

Woods Must Protect Privacy

by By Lin Wood, Esq

"I believe a lawyer has a duty to advocate for a client in a court of law and in the court of public opinion.

I have long been an advocate for several high-profile clients over the years who found their reputations under attack in the court of public opinion by members of the media or "talking heads" who use the media as a forum to publish accusations or express opinions based on incorrect information, incomplete information or too often, no information at all.

These clients include Richard Jewell, falsely accused in the Olympic bombing, John and Patsy Ramsey, falsely accused in connection with the brutal murder of their six-year old daughter, JonBenet, and the victim in the Kobe Bryant case whose privacy was invaded and whose reputation threatened...My advice remains consistent, keep private matters private" [...read more]

number one

Counting down high profile Colorado cases, JonBenet's story takes first place in an article at Denver Legal News Examiner. Interestingly enough, Ramsey investigators still dedicated to solving the crime committed against JonBenet were instrumental in solving a few of the cases in this list--

Ten high-profile Colorado cases
by Glorianne Scott
Mar. 27, 2009

"Denver isn’t as hyped as Los Angeles or New York, and our state doesn’t often get the notorious cases common to more populous places. However (and unfortunately), we have had our share of cases that have grabbed the attention of the nation and the world. Here’s my top ten:

10. Ward Churchill v. University of Colorado
9. United States v. Joseph Nacchio
8. Bombing of Flight 629
7. Murder of Kelsey Grammer’s sister Karen
6. People v. Kobe Bryant
5. People v. Alfred “Alferd” Packer
4. People v. Robert Charles Browne
3. Columbine school shooting
2. U.S. v. Timothy McVeigh

1. Murder of JonBenet Ramsey -- This investigation has captivated the nation’s attention since JonBenet's 1996 murder. Recently, attention was refocused on the case when John Mark Karr was arrested as a possible suspect. Karr’s DNA, however, did not match the evidence found at the scene. In 2008, the Boulder District Attorney’s office formally cleared the parents of suspicion of JonBenet’s murder and apologized. The iconic image of this child beauty pageant contestant will continue to haunt many until the murder is solved..."