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Although I thought the CBS documentary was flawed in that they did not present straight facts only, but also a lot of expert opinion, and there were a lot of unnecessary dramatics more suited to a "reality" (lol) suspense show than to a documentary, I think they got it right in their conclusion that Burke was responsible for her death and that Patsy and John were involved in the cover-up.
That is just my opinion, however -- unlike many posters who are apparently more expert and more knowledgeable about the case than the paid experts (both past and present) and who say unequivocally that John did it, or Patsy did it, or an intruder did it or [fill-in-the-blank] did it or even, yes, that Burke did it. I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I don't think that opinions should be presented as facts.
[I do admit, though, that I have been outspoken in my belief for years that Patsy DID write the ransom note and was involved in the cover-up, at least -- and I also know that until I read Kolar's book, I have also often written my opinion that Patsy killed her daughter. (I always thought Steve Thomas's theory that Patsy did it in a rage over JonBenet's bedwetting to be convincing, but I now think that the "Burke scenario" is every bit as likely -- even though the balled-up turtleneck would better fit into Thomas's scenario.)]
It will be interesting to see if John Ramsey pursues a slander/libel/defamation case (not sure which would apply in this case), but if it does, I hope that it will be a public trial.
I didn't watch the CBS or the A&E special but have been reading about this case on and off throughout the years. The biggest reason why I think that this was an inside job vs an intruder is due to the ransom note which not only closely matches Patsy's handwriting, but also her language style. The ransom note was highly unusual in it's length, content and tone. In addition it mentions the exact dollar amount of John Ramsey's Christmas bonus as the amount the supposed kidnappers wanted.
The layout of their home also makes it difficult to believe that an intruder came in, got JonBenet out of bed and dragged her into the basement without anyone hearing or noticing. The sexual assault was staged, although evidence of probable prior sexual abuse was noted in the autopsy.
No footprints in the snow. Odd behavior by the family post murder.
Just some of my thoughts.
Pretty much this. The family was bizarre in the after math of a 'murder.' I never felt like there was some deranged person out there from the Ramsey statements. They wanted to leave, John called his pilot an hour after finding the body.
Burke is completely bizarre. Never coming out of his room.
They wrote books to prove their 'innocence,'versus a memory book of their daughter.
They didn't. Work with LE to find the 'supposed killer.'
Can someone explain to me why everyone is 100% onboard with the family vs. intruder theory? To me, the evidence wasn't compelling. And please don't tell me it's "because the 'experts' on CBS told me so."
It will be interesting to see if John Ramsey pursues a slander/libel/defamation case (not sure which would apply in this case), but if it does, I hope that it will be a public trial.
I doubt either John or Burke will pursue this. That would be to their detriment. Bringing a lawsuit means they would have to attend a trial and answer questions I'm sure they don't want to answer.
So sounds like everyone's convinced, per the TV show, that someone inside the house did it. Any other intruder theorists out there?
I was convinced 2 decades ago when the evidence started to become known and the Ramsey parents were avoiding interviews with police for FOUR months and dictating the terms. That's when I knew there was really no intruder.
The CBS show just proved that BR could not be excluded as a suspect, that a 9/10 yr old absolutely can inflict a mortal head wound on a 6yr by hitting them in the head with something with some heft to it, and BR himself puts himself downstairs after everyone went to bed (he admitted that in his Dr. Phil interview aired a couple days before).
So Burke is "in play" as far as who done it.
I hadn't considered him before reading John Kolar's excellent book. Now I do consider him the likely person who injured his sister. The rest of the Ramsey's behavior makes better sense since it was their other young child they were endeavoring to save at all costs.
Pretty much this. The family was bizarre in the after math of a 'murder.' I never felt like there was some deranged person out there from the Ramsey statements. They wanted to leave, John called his pilot an hour after finding the body.
Burke is completely bizarre. Never coming out of his room.
They wrote books to prove their 'innocence,'versus a memory book of their daughter.
They didn't. Work with LE to find the 'supposed killer.'
They were a very odd family.
Burke smeared poop on JonBenets stuff
Etc etc
Another thing, I don't like how they never questioned the pageant system. There's a lot of people to meet doing that. If you really believed a stranger was in your home, why wouldn't they question that or speak badly of pageants? They have no problem blaming neighbors and friends and as John said not trusting anyone afterwards. However, not even he questions pageants. He should have been more outspoken about it. I think it's weird even Patsy with her past with pageants didn't turn on them, but John had no reason to speak out against them and the sexualizing young girls. That's wrong.
This. For someone outside of the family to have done this, they were too ok with not finding out how killed their daughter. Look at how people react in other circumstance. Look at the Goldman family. Look at how upset they still are TODAY. Ron was an adult. That's how a sibling acts.
If the Burke-did-it-parents-covered-for-him is indeed true, my conclusion will be: it's a very sick family--for a 9 year old boy to do such to his sister, and for the parents to do such unspeakable thing to their deceased "precious" daughter in the staging. For all the "love" and attention JonBenet had thought she got from her parents, she would never have imagined how she'd be treated by her family after she dies in their hands.
Burke doesn't even mention JonBenet when he talked about his "family".
I can go so far as to believe that Burke accidentally inflicted a mortal wound on his sister -- in anger, but not intentionally. I can even believe his parents endeavoring to cover it up with an intruder story. I can go so far as to see Patsy writing a fake ransom note and John pretending to discover the body. However, I still cannot -- and never will be able to -- see anyone but a pedophilic stranger doing the garrotting. Why would the Ramseys have felt it necessary to introduce a method of execution that's not only grisly, but a sexual perversion? Why could the story not have stood at a botched kidnapping (essentially what happened to the Lindburg baby, suffering a fatal skull fracture in the midst of the crime)? If anything, making it "sexual" is an indictment of their lifestyle, in which they sexualized their daughter for beauty pageants, not that they're alone. Totally unnecessary, horribly sadistic, and unbelievable.
Can someone explain to me why everyone is 100% onboard with the family vs. intruder theory? To me, the evidence wasn't compelling. And please don't tell me it's "because the 'experts' on CBS told me so."
"Everyone" is not on board, but many people are, including me.
The evidence is what informs. Throw away your "beliefs" and follow the evidence.
1. A 9/10 yr old absolutely can inflict a fatal head blow to a 6 year old's head with a MagLite. (source: CBS show on JBR case with reenactment with a 10 yr old)
2. BR was up and out of bed that very night, after everyone else went to bed, and downstairs (source: BR himself on the Dr Phil show)
3. BR is forensically tied directly to that bowl of pineapple sitting on the kitchen table that wasn't there before they left for the Xmas party at the White's that night (source: his fingerprints were found on the bowl)
4. Partially digested pineapple was found in JBR's system, and there was no pineapple served at the White's Xmas party. The parents insisted they put her right to bed upon coming home as she was asleep. Pineapple doesn't appear until after everyone is in bed (Burke was up as we learned).
5. BR tried to distance himself from that bowl of pineapple, coyly refusing to identify it in his interview with an investigator when he was 11 yrs old (source: Burke as seen on video with a detective, being shown picture of the table with the bowl of pineapple and the glass with tea bag.)
6. BR showed increasingly disturbing signs indicating extreme jealousy of his sister, prior acts of violence including hitting JBR with golf club in the cheek a few months before her death, he spread his feces in JBR's bed and on her things / walls, including on a box of candy JBR had received that Xmas.
7. BR's voice was heard at the end of the 911 call, proving he was awake and downstairs at the time, despite the story the Ramsey's & he told, which we now know was a lie.
8. What 'intruder' writes a 3 page ransom note *inside the victim's house* after writing 2 practice notes, using a pad and pen from 2 different places found inside the house, only asks for $118K from a multi-millionaire family, puts back the pad and the pen in their original places, doesn't take the child but instead kills them and then leaves the ransom note anyway. It's *never* happened before in the annals of crime (source: FBI)
9. The large MagLite flashlight was found on the kitchen counter. That flashlight had been wiped of all fingerprints. Further, even the batteries inside the flashlight had been wiped clean of all fingerprints. The Ramsey's at first claimed the flashlight was not theirs, didn't know where it came from. More recently John Ramsey said he "used a flashlight to take Burke up to bed after helping him put together a toy after coming home from the Xmas party." Story's suddenly changed, how interesting.
There are so many more pieces of evidence but those are certainly among the most compelling pieces.
Last edited by lottamoxie; 09-22-2016 at 02:40 PM..
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