ARNDT GMA TRANSCRIPT - THURSDAY - 9-16-99

Vargus: ...you were even called in one account the mark Furhman of the JonBenét Ramsey case.

Why has so much criticism been leveled at you?

Arndt: I think it's not only the criticisms, it's the focus. Whatever people wanted to dump, I was

the person that then became responsible. And how did I end up with, um, the honor or dishonor

of being the person who was the total screw-up and the person who made all these decisions

regardless of the many people involved?...is that I was a highly competent woman in, uh, in a

male-dominated career.

Vargus: You thing it was sexism?

Arndt: Absolutely

Vargus: Did you ever think at any point during the morning before JonBenét's body was found

that this was anything other than a kidnaping?

Arndt: No

Vargus: Should you have?

Arndt: Well, do you want me to look back at the information I know now, um, with what I knew

at the time, this was a kidnaping

Vargus: But you yourself were noticing things all morning that didn't quite fit.

Arndt: It would have been great to have the luxury to have even a couple seconds to, just sit

and think and assimilate the information that was coming from me, nonstop from many different

directions. But I didn't.

Vargus: When John Ramsey put the blanket on JonBenét's body you had to know that that was

going to contaminate evidence.

Arndt: JonBenét's body was in and of itself a crime scene. Would it be nice if John hadn't found

JonBenét. Absolutely. And would it be nice if he hadn't put a blanket. Yeah it would be great. It

would be nice if there were other people to help control and keep people away. That would have

been wonderful. But that's not the circumstances that I had available that day.

(VOICE OVER) We also asked Arndt about another criticism. That her bonding with Patsy

Ramsey derailed the case.

Arndt: Well I have compassion that I bring to work. And compassion is not the same as

empathy. Just simple courtesy towards people in this case went out the window. Just was gone.

Vargus: Should there be courtesy when people are murder suspects?

Arndt: Absolutely. I should show you respect. Does that mean I'm bonding with you? No. You

want someone to talk with you. You establish trust, you, uh, you show sincerity. And you can't

fake it cause people know when you're, when you're insincere.

Vargus: Did you give the Ramseys a Xerox copy of the ransom note?

Arndt: On January 5th I gave a Xerox copy to Patsy Ramsey's attorney.

Vargus: Why?

Arndt: The attorneys for the Ramseys, respective attorneys, had asked for copies of the ransom

note. And that request I had bumped up to the supervisor making the decisions.

(VO) Arndt adds it did not compromise the case at all. She says the Ramseys already read the

note and had already provided handwriting samples using working from the note.

Vargus: Do you concede you made mistakes?

Arndt: Did I make mistakes in the decisions I made? No. Did I make the mistakes in who I trusted

and the faith I put in? Absolutely. Absolutely I did.

Vargus: You made no mistakes in your handling of this case?

Arndt: The decisions I made, when I made them at the time I made them, they were sound

decisions.

Vargus: You stand by them even now?

Arndt: I stand by the decisions I made.

(Ends with typical disclaimer by Charles Gibson)