JonBenet's Brother Files $150M Suit Against Pathologist

When CBS convened a panel to re-investigate the murder of JonBenet Ramsey 20 years after the fact, forensic pathologist Werner Spitz could not have been more clear in his assessment: "It's the boy who did it," he said, referring to JonBenet's older brother, Burke. Now, Burke Ramsey has made good on a threat to sue for defamation, and he's going after Spitz for $150 million in damages, reports Courthouse News Service. "Spitz made this accusation without ever examining JonBenet's body, without viewing the crime scene, and without consulting with the pathologist who performed the autopsy on JonBenet," says the complaint filed in Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit.

Attorneys for the 29-year-old say they demanded a retraction but didn't get one, reports the AP. The lawsuit accuses Spitz of having a vendetta against the Ramseys "because he believes the Ramsey family shut him out of the investigation—thereby frustrating his pursuit of self-promotion." It also says he "has a disturbing history of making false statements related to the brutal murder of young girls," citing his testimony on other cases. Burke Ramsey recently appeared on the Dr. Phil show to maintain his innocence, a move he says he made solely because he was sure the CBS investigation would portray him as the killer. (More JonBenet Ramsey stories.)