Monday, December 3, 2018

JonBenet Ramsey Conspiracy Theories- Madison Walsh


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 
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.  
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.  
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/.  
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.  
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   
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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