Chief Mark Beckner
Appearances
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
The Boulder Police Department recently became aware that someone was unlawfully sending emails using the name of Chief Beckner. On April 25th, 2003, Rocky Mountain News columnist Charlie Brennan received an email titled as being from Chief Beckner, complimenting Mr. Brennan for a recent column he had written on the JonBenet Ramsey case.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
According to embedded information within the message, the email was sent from an MSN Hotmail account, becknerbpd at hotmail.com. The email was then signed off with, regards, Mark. please see below message text. From Chief Beckner. Sent Friday, April 25th, 2003, 1.16 p.m. to Brennan C. at RockyMountainNews.com. Subject, great articles.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
Charlie, just want you to know I thought those two articles you wrote today were excellent. You got everything right, as you always do. Thanks for all your support. Eventually, it will be proven right. Regards, Mark. Being skeptical of the message's authenticity, Mr. Brennan telephoned Chief Beckner to ask him about the message. Chief Beckner confirmed that he did not send the message.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
The chief was alarmed that someone was apparently using his title and name without authorization to communicate about the JonBenet Ramsey case with members of the media. Search warrants were obtained and executed for MSN Hotmail in California. According to MSN Hotmail, the BecknerBPDAtHotmail.com account was established in 2000.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
The account creator provided information stating that the owner was Chief Beckner from Boulder, Colorado, and furthermore provided an accurate birth year for the chief. Further investigation led police to the Internet Protocol IP numbers from where the suspect had been accessing the BecknerBPD at Hotmail.com account.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
Since early March 2003, all access to the BecknerBPD at Hotmail.com account were from a single Netcom, now owned by Earthlink, dial-up account. A search warrant was obtained and executed for Earthlink in Georgia. According to Earthlink's records, the account holder that has been accessing the BecknerBPD at Hotmail.com email account is Susan B. Stein, 5760 Long Grove Drive, Atlanta, Georgia.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
Susan Stein is known as a close friend of John and Patsy Ramsey and has been interviewed as a witness in reference to the Ramsey investigation. The search warrants also yielded other messages that had been received by the BecknerBPD at Hotmail.com account.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
A number of these messages indicate that the BecknerBPD at Hotmail.com user had been attempting to convince others that he or she was Chief Mark Beckner. Others appeared to be nonsensical. Please note that the investigators were able to confirm that the messages to and from Rocky Mountain News reporter Charlie Brennan and Rita Johnson were received or sent by those individuals.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
The other messages were not confirmed as received or sent by those parties. At the request of the Boulder Police Department, members of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, GBI, went to Ms. Stein's residence in an attempt to interview her on June 3, 2003. However, she refused to talk with the GBI agent.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
Chief Mark Beckner is alarmed by the discovery that his name and position as Boulder Police Chief has been used in an effort to communicate with others. Given the history of the Ramsey case and the concerns we have had with information being distributed to the public, oftentimes inaccurate information, this discovery is disturbing, stated Chief Beckner.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
I want the media and public to know that if they have received communications from this email address purporting to be me, that it is bogus. My official email address is public and is becknerm at bouldercolorado.gov. Under Colorado law, criminal impersonation is a class six felony and impersonating a police officer is a class one misdemeanor.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
The Boulder Police Department and the Boulder County District Attorney's Office have agreed to issue a letter to Susan Stein advising her of the unlawful conduct and that the use of Chief Beckner's name in such a manner must cease immediately. The BecknerBPD at Hotmail.com account has been frozen by MSN Hotmail.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
The Boulder Police Department would like anyone receiving email messages from any reported member of the Boulder Police Department to know that official email addresses use the member's last name and first initial, followed by at bouldercolorado.gov. If you are not sure that a message is legitimate, please call the department member to confirm that they did in fact send the message.
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
"'We are concerned that there could be other messages out there, reportedly from either me or other department members, that are fake in an attempt to either receive information or communicate false information,' stated Beckner."
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey
On June 3rd, 2003, Jeef Beckner did receive an email from Susan Stein in which she apologized for using the Hotmail account, describing it as a sophomoric prank and apologizing for any distress she may have caused. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to call Boulder Police Detective Jim McPherson at 303-441-3330.