from Steve Thomas depo

[jameson245]

http://www.webbsleuths.org/showthread.php?tid=665

I posted this under LE - Steve Thomas but will link here

[jameson245]

Q. 331, the second full paragraph, it starts with "Fleet and Priscilla White were being hauled over the
coals because they wanted to see their previous statements, pointing out that they were being denied
the same privilege given to the Ramseys"?
A. Yes.
Q. "Chief Mark Beckman declared to the Whites, who had supported another candidate for his new
job, were 'morally empty' and again suggested putting Fleet White in jail." When did that occur?
A. That was late spring, I believe, of '98, certainly in 1998. But I recall this.
Q. Do you recall Mark Beckner ever asking you if you thought that Fleet White could possibly be the
murderer?
A. Mr. Wood, I think maybe even in this same passage.
Q. I think that's where it is, here it is, I'm sorry. "'For what?' I had asked Beckner incredulously.
Beckner later asked me if Fleet could possibly be the murderer." Have I read that correctly?
A. Yes.
Q. That would have been a comment made in 1998 by Chief Beckner?
A. That's correct.

[jameson245]

Q. How about the two friends of Fleet White that were there, did you all ever get any non-
testimonial evidence from those two individuals?
A. Which two friends are you referring to?
Q. The ones that were with him on Christmas and were at the Ramseys on I believe the party of the
23rd; do you know who I'm talking about?
A. Mr. Fleet White's house guests at the time?
Q. Yes. His friends that were house guests, did you all ever get any non-testimonial evidence, hair,
DNA, 5 handwriting from Mr. Cox or Mr. Gaston?
A. I believe Detective Harmer received that assignment and made attempts to conduct that
investigation. And I'm not sure whether or not she was successful in those attempts.

[jameson245]

1 Q. You met many times with Fleet
2 White, didn't you?
3 A. I did.
4 Q. And it was your responsibility and
5 I'm sure you carried it out in terms of
6 reporting because I think you get the record
7 so far at least as of August of 1998 you had
8 filed more reports than anybody on this case,
9 did you know that?
10 A. I believe so.
11 Q. And every time you met with Fleet
12 White either because he was and he was a
13 suspect himself, was he not?
14 A. Again, that ambiguous suspect
15 label, yes.
16 Q. And either because he was a
17 suspect as that term is used by the Boulder
18 Police Department or because he was a
19 witness, each and every time you met with him
20 and had discussions with him it was your duty
21 and responsibility to prepare a report about
22 it, true?
23 A. Not necessarily.
24 Q. Why not?
25 A. Well, initially he wasn't my

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1 assignment. I think Linda Ardnt shouldered a
2 lot of that. And then after she was removed
3 from the case, Detective Jane Harmer --
4 Q. I'm not asking about Harmer. I'm
5 asking about you, Mr. Thomas. I don't need
6 to know about Harmer and Arndt. They can
7 answer themselves. I want to know if you
8 made reports on each of your meetings with
9 Mr. White. That's my question. Maybe you
10 didn't understand that one.
11 MR. WOOD: Despite that
12 interruption, you may continue with your
13 answer.
14 THE DEPONENT: Thank you.
15 Q. (BY MR. WOOD) Yeah, answer about
16 your contacts with Mr. White and whether you
17 made reports on each of those or not?
18 MR. DIAMOND: You asked him why.
19 He was explain' -- answering the why
20 question.
21 MR. WOOD: I asked him why --
22 you're right. I asked him why he did not
23 make a report, why he did not make a report.
24 MR. DIAMOND: Thank you.
25 he's about to tell you that if you just let

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1 him finish.
2 Q. (BY MR. WOOD) I assume what
3 you're telling me is because of Arndt and
4 Harmer somehow what they did, that's why you
5 didn't do reports?
6 MR. DIAMOND: Why don't you listen
7 to the answer, then you won't have to assume.
8 Q. (BY MR. WOOD) Why don't you
9 answer my question about why you didn't
10 prepare reports when you had contacts with
11 Mr. White and then we can move to another
12 question.
13 MR. DIAMOND: You can now finish
14 your answer, if you haven't completed it.
15 Q. (BY MR. WOOD) Maybe now you can
16 answer.
17 A. Detective Harmer inherited I think
18 the Fleet and Priscilla White assignment, if
19 you will, and was friends with them,
20 compassionate to them trying to do her job as
21 a police detective. When she introduced me
22 then at some later date to the Whites, I
23 completed and prepared reports on contacts,
24 meetings, interviews that I felt were relevant
25 at the time certainly and did so concerning

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1 the Whites. But every time I either spoke
2 or met with these people, no, I did not
3 complete a written report.
4 Q. Give me your best recollection
5 percentage-wise of how many times
6 percentage-wise you think you may have
7 prepared reports with meetings with Fleet
8 White or Priscilla White, half the time, 75
9 percent of the time, 90 percent of the time,
10 what is your best estimate?
11 A. I don't know how many reports I
12 completed and I don't know how many times I
13 met with them, but completed several reports
14 I'm sure concerning the Whites and met with
15 them a number of more times in which I
16 didn't. So half, a quarter, I don't know.
17 Q. So there may be as many as half
18 to 75 percent or 25 to 50 percent of the
19 times you met with them where we couldn't
20 find a report and find out what you all
21 discussed or what they said to you?
22 A. As I said, I don't know. I'm
23 trying to answer your question as far as a
24 percentage goes.
25 Q. I take it if they gave you any

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1 significant information as it would apply to
2 the investigation of JonBenet's murder you
3 would have prepared a report, true?
4 A. And I did at times.
5 Q. So we can at least know that any
6 meeting you had with Priscilla White or Fleet
7 White by phone, in person or otherwise, if
8 there was any significant information about
9 the case, you would have prepared a report,
10 true?
11 A. Most likely, yes.
12 Q. Why would you not, if they had
13 given you significant information about the
14 case, why would you not prepare a report?
15 A. Well, again at the time and
16 standing in those shoes, you know, three,
17 four years ago, if it was significant at the
18 time and I brought it back to the police
19 department and it was significant, yes,
20 absolutely I think I would prepare a report.
21 Q. Fleet White tell you that when he
22 was downstairs in the basement with John
23 Ramsey that John Ramsey went into the wine
24 cellar room and turned on what he called a
25 neon light and then cried out, my baby; did


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1 Fleet White tell you that?
2 A. As to the matter of flipping on
3 the light --
4 Q. Yes, sir.
5 A. -- yeah, I don't recall that.
6 Q. Do you have any knowledge as you
7 sit here today to deny it?
8 A. I would look at my report before
9 I gave you a definitive answer.
10 Q. Whose idea was it to go down to
11 the basement first after Linda Arndt suggested
12 to Fleet White that she ought to keep John
13 busy and they could go search the house.
14 And as I recall, Fleet White didn't really
15 want to go tell John that himself and asked
16 Linda Arndt to suggest it to him. Does that
17 scenario sound familiar to you and accurate?
18 A. No.
19 Q. Not at all?
20 A. No, sir.
21 Q. How is it inaccurate?
22 A. Detective Arndt's description of
23 that was that she gathered Fleet White to
24 occupy a distracted John Ramsey to keep his
25 mind busy and instructed him to search the

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1 house in her words from top to bottom. Upon
2 which time Arndt's recollection to me was
3 that it was Ramsey who led the two men
4 downstairs.
5 Q. What was Fleet White's recollection
6 to you about who made the decision to start
7 down in the basement?
8 A. I don't know that -- again,
9 without reviewing my reports and my interview
10 with Fleet, but that's not today, consistent
11 -- no, Fleet White hasn't indicated to me
12 that he was the leader going downstairs.
13 Q. Are you telling me if Linda Arndt
14 says, listen, I want you two guys to go over
15 here and I want you to search this house
16 from top to bottom, you think that was -- is
17 to be interpreted as saying I want you to
18 start at the top and go to the bottom or
19 does that really say I want you to search
20 this entire place? What do you think is the
21 more reasonable way to interpret that
22 statement search the house top to bottom?
23 A. You would have to ask Linda
24 Arndt --
25 Q. You said you did?

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1 A. -- but her -- I did and her
2 comment to me was, quote, From top to bottom
3 and the indication I took away from it was
4 that her instruction was to search the house
5 from top to bottom.
6 THE DEPONENT: Chuck, can we take
7 a break?