Christmas day, 1996, a
6-year-old beauty pageant queen was brutally murdered in the comfort of her own
home. JonBenet Ramsey, a high spirited and innocent girl went missing
early on Christmas morning, and all that was left to find her was a
carefully written ransom note. Although many detectives have attempted to
crack this case, there has not been an official ruling on what actually
unfolded the morning of the murder. Since her disappearance, many different
conspiracy theories have erupted: the brother hit her but accidentally went too
far, the parents are responsible for her untimely death and staged a
kidnapping, or an intruder broke into the house which led to JonBenet's death. Let’s
further examine the brother’s involving in this case and how he could be a
possible suspect to this worldwide controversy.
Burke
Ramsey has always been someone that is very different than all the other kids,
and for that he is seen as strange and unusual. In his interview with Dr.
Phil back in 2016, you can see Burke eyes wide open and that he’s smiling
throughout the whole video, even though the topic that is being
discussed is his little sister’s death, not anything comical. His hands
can also be seen fidgeting throughout the talk with Dr. Phil, making
viewers unsure about his character and his possible involvement with
the JonBenet Ramsey case. Burke’s demeanor is portrayed as happy, and
even as he explains some very gruesome details of the murder, he does it
all with a smile swiped across his face. Even 20 years ago when Burke was
just a child he was portrayed as unusual. Although all
children’s behaviors are usually a little weird, it can be
displayed in the interview back in 1997 that Burke’s behavior is off when
speaking to the police officer after his little sister’s tragic death. You can
clearly see the constant squirming in his chair as he goes through the
questions with the officer, and how he has a carefree tone about the horrific
situation as if what had happened in his childhood home is nothing to be
worried about. The boy also gives examples of what could have happened
to JonBenet, saying, “someone took her very quietly, tiptoed down the
basement, then he took a knife out and went [mimes stabbing] …you know
something like that. Or maybe a hammer, hit her in the head maybe.” (Dilong)
Violence
has always been a trait of Burke’s as well. An old family friend of
the Ramseys, Judith Phillip, has come forward about why she thinks
Burke is responsible for the death of JonBenet Ramsey. Ms.
Phillips says, “Burke was quiet, reserved and very into computer technology. I
had seen him have emotional outbursts” (Iggulden). The family friend also says that Burke was adored
by Patsy, until JonBenet was born and became a beauty pageant
champion, another reason Burke would lash out and become aggressive. About
a year before the death of JonBenet, Burke hit her with a golf club,
leaving a scar on her cheek, further proving just how violent Burke was as a
child, and how easy it would have been for him to commit the
crime (Pollack). Although it might not be seen as an
act of violence, Burke’s feces were found smeared on his sister’s chocolates
she got for Christmas, on her bedroom walls, and even on her sheets that she
slept on. It is obvious that Burke did not like his little sister and
would do anything to try and sabotage her to be back in his mother’s good
graces. In the autopsy of JonBenet, a half-digested piece of
pineapple was found in her stomach. Many different theories about why the
pineapple was not completely digested have been brought to
the media's attention, but the one theory that makes the most sense
is that Burke got mad that she was eating his favorite snack, pineapple in a
bowl of milk. Now knowing that he was a violent child, many say that Burke
hit JonBenet on the top of her head, accidentally killing her in the
process of his outburst.
There were
many people following this case that were wondering if it could even be
possible for Burke to be strong enough to bash a skull in
like JonBenet’s was, so the investigators dove into this theory and
proved that it was indeed possible for a 9-year-old boy to fracture the
skull of an under-developed 6-year-old girl. Knowing that he was
physically capable of fracturing a skull and it being proven by
close family friends that he has always been violent, specifically towards his
little sister, Burke could very well have murdered JonBenet.
After the
murder of JonBenet Ramsey, several conspiracy theories erupted about
what exactly happened the night the 6-year-old pageant queen was killed. In the
first conspiracy, theorists say that the brother, Burke, was responsible for
her death. The second theory is that the parents are responsible for the
whole thing and staged a kidnapping to cover up their unspeakable
act. The other side of the theories is that an intruder really did break
into the Ramsey household and kidnapped JonBenet, which eventually led to
her unresolved death.
Burke
Ramsey was known to have a violent childhood, and considering his little sister
was a pageant queen champion that got all of the
attention from their parents, he took that violence out on her. December 26,
1996, Burke enjoys his favorite midnight snack, pineapples and
milk. When JonBenet wandered downstairs and stole a bite, Burke
was so outraged that struck his little sister in the head with a
flashlight. Many professionals have tested the flashlight theory, and it
is proved that it could have easily been a flashlight in the house that killed
the 6-year-old. When the pathologists performed the autopsy
on JonBenet, they
discovered undigested pineapple in JonBenet’s stomach,
so Burke was most likely the last one to see or talk to her, furthering the
idea that he could have been the culprit to the crime. This theory
states that the night of the murder, Burke had yet another violent outburst,
and JonBenet happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and
experienced her older brother’s violence for herself.
One of the
most controversial theories is that the murder was an inside job.
Theorists say that the parents are responsible and staged the whole
act to make it look like an intruder killed their “beloved” daughter. It is
said that Patsy had gotten upset that JonBenet wet her bed, which had
happened multiple times, and bashed her head into something hard like a
bathtub. Patsy had accidentally killed her daughter then had to cover up the
horrible crime she had committed. In the ransom note, the writer
declares a very specific amount of money, that happens to be the exact amount
that John Benet’s bonus was that Christmas. Handwriting analysists have proven
that the note was written by a female, further proving that Patsy could have
written the note to cover up their intolerable act. Below is an excerpt that
discusses the ransom note:
What follows is a breakdown of the ransom note, exactly as
it was written on several pages torn from the bedside pad of Patsy Ramsey and
printed with a black felt pen (taken from and then interestingly returned to
its original place in the home), before reportedly being found and read by Mrs.
Ramsey. (Diamond)
Thinking the intruder had
enough time to put the pen back exactly where it was before is absurd, and it
is highly unlikely that this event happened. John also searched the
house with a friend after the murder, and strangely went directly to
the basement where his deceased daughter happened to be. When he discovered the
body, he moved it immediately and took the tape off her mouth and put a blanket
over her, altering almost all evidence that could’ve been crucial to cracking
the case.
Although
there are many theories to this specific case, there is the reality of what the
world has been told of what happened that night. Investigators have said since
the beginning that it was indeed an intruder that killed JonBenet
Ramsey. Pictures taken on the morning on the crime display a scuff mark on
the floor of the basement that could have belonged to the intruder, along
with the broken window that could have been used as the point of entry. There
was also DNA from an unknown male found in JonBenet’s underwear, leading to the
conclusion that it was most likely a pedophile that had been stalking JonBenet
and her family, and eventually broke into the house to kill the 6-year-old
child.
In a recent
survey posted and polled on twitter done by myself, results showed that 48% of
people out of a total of 42 believe that JonBenet was murdered by her own
parents, 45% believe that it was Burke who committed the crime, and 7% believe
that it was an intruder that is responsible for her death. All three
of these theories contain about the same amount of evidence, making
this case so controversial, even today as the murder was over 20 years ago.
Burke was known for his violent outbursts and even had a history of hurting
JonBenet, so could have easily committed the act himself. When John and Patsy
found out what he had done, they refused to lose both of their children, so
they made up a cover story to protect the young boy. It could have also been
carried out by the parents themselves, when Patsy couldn’t take any more of
JonBenet’s bed wetting accidents she got too aggressive with her daughter and
smashed her skull. That’s when John had to assist Patsy and come up with an
elaborate plan to prevent his wife from going to prison, and after just losing
JonBenet, he couldn’t lose his wife too. While both theories above are more
than possible, the true story could just have well been what society has been
told the past 20+ years, and what most refuse to believe. JonBenet Ramsey was
killed by an intruder that had some sort of fixation with the beauty pageant
champion, and sexually assaulted the young girl before brutally murdering her.
Works Cited
P Diamond, Stephen A.
“Who Killed JonBenet? Part 2: The Ransom Note.” Psychology Today, Sussex
Publishers, 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evil-deeds/201702/who-killed-jonbenet-part-2-the-ransom-note.
S Iggulden, Caroline.
“Family Friend Says Burke Had 'Outbursts'.” NewsComAu, 26 Sept.
2016, www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/family-friend-says-burke-ramsey-had-outbursts/news-story/e039ffc7fc90925cecc4e31b9af33090.
S Lovitt, Bryn. “Who
Killed JonBenet Ramsey? 8 Possible Suspects.” Rolling Stone, 25 June
2018, www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/who-killed-jonbenet-ramsey-8-possible-suspects-129125/the-mother-129180/.
P Norman,
Abby. “What Did JonBenet Ramsey's Autopsy Report Say? It Prompted Even More Questions.”
Romper, Romper, 15 June 2018, www.romper.com/p/what-did-jonbenet-ramseys-autopsy-report-say-it-prompted-even-more-questions-18586.
S Pollack,
Hilary. “Did JonBenét Ramsey's Brother Kill Her Over a Piece of Pineapple?”
Munchies, VICE, 20 Sept. 2016, https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/ezkb8k/did-jonbenet-ramseys-brother-kill-her-over-a-piece-of-pineapple
S Reynolds, Emma, and Danny Collins. “JonBenet Ramsey's
'Disturbed' Brother 'Smeared Her Christmas Presents with Poo' amid Claims HE
Killed Her.” The Sun, The Sun, 21 Sept. 2016, www.thesun.co.uk/news/1826692/jonbenet-ramseys-disturbed-brother-smeared-her-bedroom-and-christmas-presents-with-poo-amid-claims-he-killed-the-six-year-old-beauty-queen/.
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