Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Who Killed Jonbenet Ramsey? by Hannah Aldeson

Not many murder cases stay open for two decades, but the death of Jonbenet Ramsey is still under investigation nearly 20 years later. The beautiful, talented, six-year old pageant star from Boulder, Colorado was reported missing by her mother, Patsy Ramsey, when she claimed she found a ransom note on December 26, 1996 and found dead in the basement later that morning.  The investigators still have not figured out who murdered her. Since her body was found there have been many conspiracy theories in the media:
1.      The mother, Patsy Ramsey, killed her.
2.      There was an intruder who attempted to take her and ended up killing her.
3.      Her brother, Burke Ramsey, killed her and their parents helped him cover it up.
Let’s focus on the evidence and possibility that Burke Ramsey was in fact the murderer of his younger sister.  
Who is Burke Ramsey? Burke is a young man who was accused of murdering his six-year-old sister in 1996. He was only nine-years-old at the time of the tragedy, but that didn’t count him out as a suspect. For nearly 20 years Burke has managed to stay out of the media, leaving people to wonder what he has to say about his alleged part in the murder. Today he is skeptical of media, socially awkward and successful.
Two decades later, Ramsey is finally speaking out about his little sister’s brutal death. He chose to speak about it on Dr. Phil along with his father who said this interview “would be the last time they spoke about it with the media”. The goal for Burke Ramsey talking about this was to make the media flare up around the 20th anniversary about remembering her death rather than making more stories. Burke has grown to have a mistrust with the media due to the constant cameras and questions since his sister’s death:
For a long time the media made our lives crazy," he told Dr. Phil (via the New York Daily News). "It's hard to miss the cameras and news trucks in your front yard. We'd go to the supermarket sometimes and there'd be a tabloid with my picture [or] JonBenét's picture plastered on the front." Burke said, "Seeing that as a little kid is just kind of a chaotic nightmare, so I was very skeptical of any media, like, it just made me a very private person. (“Things you didn't Know About JonBenet Ramsey's Brother”)

Burke has been talked about many times in articles or news casts saying that he isn’t reacting in a “normal” way to his family finding his sister’s body in their basement. He spoke about this in the interview saying that while his mother frantically searched for JonBennet in their home that morning  he just laid in bed because he “didn’t really know what else to do”. (“Things you didn't Know About JonBenet Ramsey's Brother”) During the Dr. Phil interview people were shocked at how “normal” and “happy” Burke was presenting himself. He showed how awkward he is when talking to people and specifically dealing with this topic:
Audiences watching the Dr. Phil interview and correlating footage may be put off by Burke's behavior. "There will be dark content, and he is smiling, and people are going to see this throughout the entire interview, really unusual affect, either smiling or laughing. This is a very socially awkward young man," McGraw told the Today show. "But understand, from the time that this happened, his parents, depending on your interpretation, either protected him or hid him, based on how you want to interpret that. He has not had the social contact most kids have growing up." He's essentially spent two decades off the grid. (“Things you didn't Know About JonBenet Ramsey's Brother”)
Through dealing with this disaster Burke has managed to make a noble but quiet life for himself after graduating from Purdue University in 2010. His father told People Magazine that Burke has a 401k and an IRA and that he reached this success on his own. He has a girlfriend who he is living life with and he is making the best of what he has. Burke has matured and become a man who provides for himself.
The media has put out an abundance of theories about how Jonbenet was killed and who did the fatal act. The theories that are of focus here are that the mother killed her, there was an intruder who attempted to take her and ended up killing her, or her brother, Burke Ramsey, killed her and their parents helped him cover it up.
            Patsy Ramsey was under the spotlight for allegedly killing her sweet daughter from the time of the murder to the day Patsy herself died. Steve Thomas, a former Boulder, Colorado, detective who spent two years investigating the death of Jonbenet Ramsey believes that Mrs. Ramsey is the murderer. (Janofsky) Detective Thomas and others in his department concluded that Patsy frantically strangled little Jonbenet on Christmas night 1996 after she caused a serious head injury. (Janosfky) The detectives also believe that when Mr. Ramsey found out about the tragic incident he chose to stick by his wife and protect her rather than helping the police find out what truly happened. (Janofsky) Detective Thomas strongly believes this theory so much that he went on to write a book about it. In his book, Thomas does mention that a veteran homicide detective, Lou Smit, who worked on the case as well does not agree with him in the slightest, showing that he has taken other theories into consideration. (Janofsky) The theory of Steve Thomas was thrown out in court after Ramsey’s lawyer called them “fiction and utter nonsense”. (Janofsky) The lawyer said in an interview that the theory that Thomas believes to be true is “refuted in its entirety by medical evidence”. (Janofsky) Patsy is no longer alive to defend herself and the case has gone cold. Chances are we won’t ever truly know.
            There have been many people in the media who have brought up the idea or belief that an intruder is to blame for Jonbenet’s death. While few people are fond of this theory there was, evidence found that makes it a possibility. The carpet fibers on the baseball bat, leaves and packing peanuts all found near the victim’s body were what finally convinced veteran Lou Smit that an intruder killed Jonbenet. (Emery) When the detectives went back to the basement where the girl was found to take pictures of the crime scene they were shocked to see that the basement window was open. (Emery) An open window near a dead body can make people assume there was an intruder rather quickly. Detective Smit’s goal is the find the killer. (Emery) He stated that he believes the intruder who killed Ramsey is a dangerous person who is still on the streets. (Emery) There was DNA found under Jonbenet’s nails that was from a male, but it did not match John Ramsey. (Emery) This evidence suggests that Jonbenet struggled while being killed and that she was not struggled with her father. (Emery) Smit believes that Ramsey was strangled and either dead or nearly dead when hit with a baseball bat on the head. (Emery) The baseball bat was found in the bushes outside of the family home and a paintbrush that was apparently used to make the garrote tied around Jonbenet’s neck was found just outside the room she was found in. (Emery) The theory that Jonbenet was killed by an intruder has supporting evidence but not enough for anyone to be convicted.
            Burke Ramsey was looked over as a suspect in his sister’s murder due to being a young child when it took place but the conspiracy that he was involved and the killer is becoming more believable as the days go by. Jonbenet’s autopsy report showed that she had undigested pineapple in her body which took investigators by surprises because John and Patsy Ramsey claimed their daughter was already asleep when they came home from the Christmas party they attended and had been put straight to bed. (Towers) A family friend of the Ramsey’s, Judith Phillips, spoke out about her feelings toward the murder and the evidence found. Judith said, “Burke was quiet, reserved and very into computer technology. I had seen him have emotional outbursts.” (Towers), which made it easier for her to believe that Burke was in fact the culprit. Although, the Ramsey family asked her not to speak to police or the media she recalled that Burke had just hit his little sister in the face with a golf club the year before leaving a scar on her cheek. (Towers) Judith also says she found part of the ransom note a little strange because she received a Christmas news letter from the Ramsey’s that year that used the phrase “And hence” just like the note. (Towers) She says that she did not think that was a usual term people used so it stuck out to her. (Towers) Judith said: “I agree with the theory Burke killed JonBenét but I don’t think he meant to do it. I think Patsy did everything in her power to protect her living child. I think she wrote the ransom note whilst John staged the scene in the basement. (Towers) It is hard to know if we will ever find out the truth but it seems likely that it could be Burke who did the crime.
            A survey of 20 people show that 65% of people believe that Burke Ramsey is responsible for the death of Jonbenet Ramsey when asked which of these three conspiracies are true. 25% of the people believed it was Patsy Ramsey who killed her daughter and 10% believed that an intruder came in and did the crime.
            The media will continue to speculate about who killed Jonbenet Ramsey, but it will be nearly a miracle if someone is ever convicted.
            After years of detectives and investigators going over the case again and again there are still three conspiracy theories standing:
1.      The mother, Patsy Ramsey, killed her.
2.      There was an intruder who attempted to take her and ended up killing her.
3.      Her brother, Burke Ramsey, killed her and their parents helped him cover it up.
Nearly two decades after the death of the beautiful, sweet, six-year-old pageant queen in Boulder, Colorado, the unsolved murder still has friends, the media and investigators confused and speculating.  However, it is likely that Burke Ramsey is responsible for the murder and that his parents covered it up and destroyed the evidence.
           


Emery, Eric. "News Columnists." JonBenet Ramsey Murder Case: The Denver Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.

Janofsky, Micheal. "Jonbenet's Mother Was A Killer, Detective Says." N.p., 10 Apr. 2000. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
Taylor, Sarah. “Things You Didn't Know About JonBenet Ramsey's Brother.” NickiSwift.com, http://www.nickiswift.com/24575/things-didnt-know-jonbenet-ramseys-brother/.

Ttowers. "Friend of Beauty Queen JonBenet’s Family Backs Theory Brother Killed Her and Parents Covered It up." The Sun. N.p., 26 Sept. 2016. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.


Vulpo, Mike. “Burke Ramsey Explains Why He Still Finds JonBenÉt Ramsey's Funeral &Quot;Traumatizing&Quot;” E! Online, 16 Sept. 2016, http://www.eonline.com/news/793958/burke-ramsey-explains-why-he-still-finds-jonbenet-ramsey-s-funeral-traumatizing.


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