Maddie Fisher
English 1301
Professor
Hammett
Final Research
Exam
December 11, 2017
Conspiracy Theories on the Murder of JonBenet Ramsey
“What really
happened to JonBenet Ramsey?”
-True Crime Detectives Guild
JonBenet Ramsey was a beautiful and said-to-be
energetic little girl. At six years old, she had won many titles in several
beauty pageants, including Little Miss Colorado and Colorado State All-Star
Kids Cover Girl (Casarez). On December 26, 1996, Ramsey was found tied up in
her family’s basement, located in Boulder, Colorado, sexually assaulted and with
major bruising to her skull. Detectives begin investigating right away, turning
their attention towards John and Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet’s parents (1). However,
as more and more information was released into the public, several conspiracy
theories emerged:
1.
John Mark Karr
sexually assaulted and murdered JonBenet.
2.
Bill McReynolds,
aka Santa Claus, murdered JonBenet.
3.
Burke Ramsey,
JonBenet’s brother accidently murdered her, leaving Patsy and John to cover it
up.
Let’s
examine the evidence given and plunge into the different conspiracy theories
surrounding the case of JonBenet Ramsey.
JonBenet Ramsey, was only six the day she was
killed. Her blonde ringlet hair tangled in the ropes that strangled her neck
and tiny hands. Her blue eyes, lightly shut, her eyelashes resting softly on
her cheeks. Her body lay limp on the floor of her family’s basement, motionless
and cold. Although it is still not known today as to how JonBenet was murdered,
the case continues to float in the waters of society.
JonBenet, named after her father John Bennett, was
born on August 6, 1990, in Atlanta, Georgia (Worthen). JonBenet was born into
what seemed like a normal, wealthy family. Her father, a multi-millionaire
business man, her mother, former Miss West Virginia of 1977, and her older
brother Burke, all took on the roles of making a perfect lifestyle for their
new family member (1). Early in her life, JonBenet began to perform in
pageants. Some say that her mother, Patsy, pushed her too hard in pageants,
causing an internal conflict in JonBenet. However, it’s been said that she was
known for her southern spunk and how much she “enjoyed the spotlight” (1). In
an ABC interview, a family friend, Pam Bardet, described JonBenet as a
“mischievous, fun little girl,” (Inside the Day JonBenet Was Found Dead: Part
1).
Although it
is not completely known if JonBenet fully enjoyed competing in pageants, she
was very successful at winning them. By the age of six, she had won Little Miss
Colorado, Little Miss Charlevoix Colorado State All-Star Kids Cover Girl,
America’s Royal Miss, and National Tiny Miss Beauty (1). Many interviews and
articles discussing the murder of JonBenet, have stated that her activity in
pageants could be a contributing factor in her murder as it put her into
pedophiles’ view. Her father described in an interview, 15 years later, that he
regretted letting JonBenet participate in pageants and that, “If [he] had
another chance, he would not let JonBenet compete publicly like that,”
(JonBenet Ramsey’s Father, John, Reveals Regrets, Speaks Out Against ‘Toddler
and Tiaras’). Sadly, the decision to let their six-year-old compete in the eyes
of the public, could have tragically ended their daughter’s life.
On December 26, 1996, police dispatchers received a
frantic call from Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet’s mother (1). She reported that they
had found a three-paged ransom note explaining that if they wanted to see their
daughter again, they needed to pay $118,000 up front (1). The search for
JonBenet began. That afternoon, John Ramsey found his daughter laying on the
floor of their basement, later pronounced dead (3). To this day, it is unknown
who the killer of the vulnerable and innocent JonBenet was. Many fingers have
pointed to her brother Burke.
With
the case of JonBenet and her mysterious murder, comes many conspiracy theories.
As sad as it is, people obsess over occurrences like this, creating rumors and
unrealistic ideas. We are going to look at the top three conspiracies that have
developed around JonBenet’s case.
The first conspiracy is that child pornographer John Mark
Farr broke into the Ramsey’s house, sexually assaulted and murdered JonBenet in
the family’s basement. Being introduced to pageants at a young age had put
JonBenet in the eye of many grown adults, including child predators. John
Ramsey, JonBenet’s father, didn’t necessarily agree with the idea of his
daughter competing in pageants and stated that the only reason he accepted the
idea was because he saw how happy it had made Patsy and JonBenet (Moraski
1). He stated in an interview that the
whole pageant concept was, “Very bizarre” (1). The night of JonBenet’s murder,
they had found her lying motionless on the basement floor, after reportedly
being kidnapped. Once in investigation, investigators found vaginal injury
among JonBenet and DNA from another male, not related to the Ramsey’s, located
inside her underwear (“JonBenet Ramsey Murder Fast Facts 1). Ten years after
JonBenet’s death, John Mark Karr confessed to her murder. He described that he
had sex with the child after drugging her (Alfano 1). Investigators soon
discovered that the DNA inside of JonBenet’s underwear did not belong to Karr
and that there were no signs of drugs or alcohol in her system, ruling him not
guilty. Therefore, this cannot be how JonBenet was murdered.
The second conspiracy revolves around Bill McReynolds and
his appearance as Santa Claus two nights before JonBenet’s death. Suspicions
arose around McReynolds when investigators learned that his daughter had went
missing 22 years before the murder of JonBenet on the exact date (Did Santa
Claus Kill JonBenet 1). They also learned that McReynolds’ wife had written a
poem discussing a child who was sexually assaulted and then murdered in a
basement. The case over McReynolds was soon uplifted and he was proven not
guilty when DNA tests proved that he had not been a part of the murder.
Therefore, this conspiracy is false and is not how JonBenet was killed.
The final conspiracy is that Burke Ramsey, JonBenet’s
older brother, killed her, leaving the parents to cover it up. Lisa Wilson,
author of The Craven Silence, stated
that “massive jealousy” moved Burke to murder his sister (New Theory on Burke
Ramsey 1). She stated that JonBenet was set on a pedestal, a star in her
parent’s eyes (1). After the murder, people close to the Ramsey’s began
reporting several instances where Burke abused JonBenet. The Ramsey’s
housekeeper reported that there were multiple instances where Burke would smear
his feces on along JonBenet’s walls and toys (1). Family friend, Judith
Phillips, stated that Burke had once hit JonBenet in the face with a golf club,
also stating that Patsy and John had two different stories over this occurrence
(1). The night JonBenet was murdered, it has been rumored that Burke had gotten
angry at his sister for eating his pineapple, hitting her in the head with a
large flashlight (Editors, Newsor 1). Evidence has shown, by a picture taken in
the Ramsey’s house, a bowl of pineapple next to a giant flashlight resting on
the Ramsey’s countertop. An autopsy report also has proven that there was
pineapple in JonBenet’s stomach (1). The morning after Christmas, Patsy Ramsey
phoned 911 after finding a three-page ransom note claiming $118,000 in return
for their daughter (Worthen 1). During
investigation, police checked the piece of paper the ransom note was written
on, tracing it back to the Ramsey’s notepad (1). After having Patsy complete a
writing test, it was shown that the handwriting was almost identical to the
writer of the ransom note (1). Authorities also found it odd that the ransom
note was so long, considering most ransom notes are only a few sentences long
(1). With all the evidence given, it appears that Burke Ramsey accidently
killed his sister out of rage with a flashlight. In shock, Patsy and John
covered up the murder, terrified of the outcome of the situation. 18 out of 20
individuals surveyed, believe that this is how JonBenet was murdered in her
Colorado home that winter’s night. This theory explains the death of JonBenet
best and the case should be reevaluated with all this evidence.
After
examining the evidence surrounding the murder of JonBenet, three conspiracy
theories still float around the case:
1. John
Mark Farr broke into the Ramsey home, sexually assaulted, and murdered
JonBenet.
2. Bill
McReynolds, aka “Santa Claus,” murdered JonBenet.
3. Burke
Ramsey, JonBenet’s older brother, accidently killed her leaving their parents
to cover it up.
Although
the theory of Burke killing his little sister appears the most accurate, there
is not enough evidence to prove these theories are how JonBenet was murdered
that winter night. This case continues to puzzle Americans today.
Works
Cited
Alfano, Sean.
“JonBenet Confession Under Scrutiny.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 16
Aug. 2006, www.cbsnews.com/news/jonbenet-confession-under-scrutiny/.
Casarez, Jean. “The Death of JonBenet: A Case
That's Captivated the Country for 20 Years.”CNN, Cable News Network, 13
Dec. 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/12/13/us/jonbenet-ramsey-case/index.html.
“Did Santa Claus Kill
JonBenet?” CNN, Cable News Network, 23 Aug. 2006, www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/08/did-santa-claus-kill-jonbenet.html.
Editors, Newser. “CBS
Panel: Burke Ramsey Killed Sister JonBenet.” Newser, 20 Sept. 2016,
www.newser.com/story/231366/cbs-panel-burke-ramsey-killed-sister-jonbenet.html.
Inside the Day JonBenet
Was Found Dead: Part 1
JonBenet Ramsey’s
Father, John, Reveals Regrets, Speaks Out Against ‘Toddler and Tiaras’
“JonBenet Ramsey
Murder Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 17 Apr. 2017, www.cnn.com/2013/08/29/us/jonbenet-ramsey-murder-fast-facts/index.html
Moraski, Lauren.
“JonBenet Ramsey's Father Calls Beauty Pageants ‘Very Bizarre.’” CBS
News, CBS Interactive, 14 Mar. 2012, www.cbsnews.com/news/jonbenet-ramseys-father-calls-beauty-pageants-very-bizarre/.
“New Theory on Burke Ramsey.” NewsComAu,
5 Oct. 2016, www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/shock-claim-burke-ramsey-killed-jonbenet--but-with-different-weapon/news-story/b700bcd48d7bbc093b34cf7feb77d6de.
Worthen, Meredith. “JonBenét Ramsey.” Biography.com,
A&E Networks Television, 22 May 2017, www.biography.com/people/jonbenet-ramsey-12986606
No comments:
Post a Comment