The
Last Christmas: JonBenet Ramsey Conspiracy Theories
Christmas is supposed to be a special time that is
celebrated around the world when many families come together to celebrate the
birth of Christ, spread love and laughter, and share many traditions with each
other, but not for the Ramsey family. On December 25, 1996, Christmas was a
gory horror scene when six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in her
Boulder, Colorado, home. Over the years many theories have developed about the
mysteries of what happened to the blonde, innocent, beauty queen:
1.
Did her older
brother kill her accidentally?
2.
Were her parents,
John and Patsy Ramsey, involved in her death?
3.
Was she murdered
by local sex offender Gary Howard Oliva?
Let’s
get a deeper insight to what happened on this bloody Christmas morning and
examine the different conspiracy theories, with Gary Howard Olivia as the
suspect.
At
only six years old, JonBenet Ramsey upheld the ideal standards of a beauty
pageant queen and had successfully won five titles. She dominated every stage
and was loved by the judges, her fellow aspiring contestants, and the public.
According to Meredith Worthen in a 2017 article, JonBenet had a “sparkling
smile” and “glowing blonde hair.” Her blue-eyed image was graceful, and she was
adored and admired by many. JonBenet was a light in the pageant world and made
friends with her competitors. Breanne Griego, her Little Miss Colorado sister
queen, described JonBenet in an interview with Inside Edition reported by
DailyMail as “a really nice fun-loving kid” (“JonBenet Ramsey’s Pageant Friends
Remember”). Undeniably, JonBenet left a dazzling mark behind. People from all
over, even those outside of pageantry knew of JonBenet Ramsey and what a
special soul she was.
JonBenet was born into the glitz and glam and she wished
to follow her mother Patsy’s footsteps, who was crowned the 1977 Miss West
Virginia (JonBenet Ramsey Biography). Her father John Ramsey claims that
“JonBenet very much wanted to take part in pageants,” which is a decision that
John regrets ever allowing her to do because he believes that “possibly might
have drawn attention” to his family, which could have led to the death and
discovery of his daughter’s 4’7 body (Chang). John reflects on the exposure he
and Patsy allowed of JonBenet as he reports being “naïve” and putting her on “public
display” (1).
Though
her life abruptly ended all too soon, the short life lived by JonBenet was full
of rainbows and sunshine; life was seemingly pleasant for this little girl. Not
only did she shine on every stage, but she dominated in her academics as well.
JonBenet attended High Peaks Martin Park Elementary School and was awarded for
her academics and good behavior (Evans and Krupski). She also had a bright
future planned for herself as “she had told people she wanted to become a
professional ice skater or maybe even an artist” (1). Despite pageantry,
JonBenet was like any ordinary kid with aspirations and dreams. Her father John
described her as a tomboy, who loved
to hike and play with her older brother, Burke (JonBenet Ramsey Biography).
JonBenet
was born in Atlanta, Georgia into a wealthy, successful family who appeared to
many as being picture perfect (JonBenet Ramsey Biography). Her father was an
excellent businessman and her mother was very involved in both her and her
brother Burke’s lives (Evans and Krupski). They were members of their local
Episcopal church and lived in a luxurious Colorado home (1). Clay Evans and
Alli Krupski wrote:
She lived in a 15-room manse – worth
at least $760,000 – in the upscale, bucolic quietude near Chautauqua Park in
Boulder with her brother Burke, 9, and her well-respected parents, who are the
portrait of all-American success. John Bennet Ramsey, 53, is chief executive
officer of a billion-dollar company and moves in powerful circles. He has a jet
pilot’s license. Patricia “Patsy” Ramsey, 40, is a former Miss West Virginia
who won plaudits for volunteering at her son’s school even as she recovered
from a bout with ovarian cancer in 1994 (1).
The Ramsey family had it all.
Several
conspiracy theories have developed revolving around the death of JonBenet
Ramsey. The first of these conspiracies is that Burke Ramsey, JonBenet’s older
brother murdered her accidentally. In the docuseries regarding the mystery
behind JonBenet’s death, “retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente” and
“world-renowned forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee,” along with many other
high-profile experts, unveiled that nine-year-old Burke Ramsey unintentionally
killed his sister (Willis and Brown). Discovered in her autopsy, pineapple was
consumed by JonBenet in the late hours of Christmas night in 1996. Though some
believe this evidence was considered insignificant, a broader aspect was looked
upon that rose concern when it was revealed that “latent prints” of Burke and
Patsy were found on the bowl of pineapples left on the kitchen table (Rahman).
Patsy served her son “a bowl of pineapple and some tea” as a snack, but
investigators bring light to the fact that Burke was aggressive and “had struck his little
sister with a golf club after 'losing his temper'” in the past, so if “JonBenet had attempted to sneak some of the
fruit later, it prompted Burke to lash out and strike her with a flashlight,
killing her” (1). Not only was JonBenet strangled, but she also had trauma
straight to her head prior.
The second
conspiracy theory is the highlight of her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey’s
involvement in her death. There are several accusations targeting the couple,
but the primary focus is that they covered for their son Burke. John and Patsy
conducted odd behavior following the death of their six-year-old daughter. FBI
profiler Jim Clemente claims that “the lack of the Ramsey’s getting involved
with the case was 'atypical' as most families in such situations are desperate
to resolve the case” (Rahman). One of the most important elements to the theory
is a peculiar phone call to the police made by Patsy that was revealed by the
investigators. Khaleda Rahman wrote:
Using modern technology, they said they uncovered the
voices of three people having a conversation after Mrs. Ramsey thought she had
hung up after calling police 20 years ago. Three phrases can allegedly be heard
during the extra six seconds of 911 audio, which are believed to have come from
JonBenet's parents John and Patsy and her older brother Burke. Investigators
believe they can hear Mr. Ramsey's voice saying, 'we're not speaking to you',
before Mrs. Ramsey allegedly asks: 'What did you do? Help me, Jesus'. They
claim JonBenet's brother Burke can then be heard asking 'what did you find?' -
even though his parents have always claimed he was asleep at the time (1).
Raising concerns, the 911 operator
“felt the call was rehearsed” (1). Suspicions of JonBenet’s parents caused
fingers to be pointed towards them, but the phone call wasn’t the only reason why.
There were also many speculations regarding the “three-page ransom note” found
(1).
The
third conspiracy theory lies among a completely different line with local sex
offender Gary Howard Oliva as her murderer. Known as a “longtime suspect” in
JonBenet’s death, Gary revealed this in written
letters that he sent to a longtime friend by the name of Michael Vail
(Butterfield). According to Vail, he “has
suspected Oliva's involvement in JonBenét's murder for 22 years” (1). Oliva
carries a past of crimes with him including “trying to strangle his mother,”
and was “arrested in 2016 for possessing child pornography on his phone” (1).
Prior to this, he was also arrested in 2000, for “criminal trespass, marijuana
possession, and possession of a weapon by a previous offender” (1). The weapon
found was a stun gun which became “significant because several investigators,”
including a homicide detective named Lou Smit, “believed one was used on
JonBenet” (1). Oliva was already a
registered sex offender and it was revealed that he lived close to the Ramsey’s
household around the date of her murder. Though police and other sources
discovered that Oliva’s DNA was not detected in the crime scene, “in 2015
former Boulder police chief Mark Beckner admitted crime scene evidence may have
been mishandled” (1). The abundance of evidence that points to Gary Oliva has
not been finalized with a result, but Alan Butterfield wrote:
Vail told DailyMailTV: 'Gary is a danger to everyone.
Since that phone call to me where he said he had hurt a little girl, I've
always known he had something to do with JonBenét's death. 'I hope Boulder
police will finally charge him. I think they have been placing too much
emphasis on DNA matches. We now know the crime scene and evidence in the case
was compromised. 'I am begging Gary to do the right thing and reveal everything
he knows. He may also be able to name people he was possibly involved with when
he broke into JonBenét's home. They need to face justice as well.'
On
December 25th, 1996, six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was mysteriously
murdered in her Boulder, Colorado, home. Over the years, several accusations
and suspicions about what happened to the blue-eyed beauty queen have
developed:
1. Did
her older brother accidentally kill her?
2. Were
her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, involved in her death?
3. Was
she murdered by local sex offender Gary Howard Oliva?
Almost twenty-three years
later, this case remains unsolved with significant evidence shining a spotlight
on Gary Oliva as the primary suspect.
Works
Cited
Butterfield, Alan.
“Exclusive: ‘I Killed JonBenet Ramsey!’ Convicted Pedophile Gary Oliva has
Confessed
to the Murder of Six-Year-Old Pageant Princess in Prison Letters to his Friend-
Claiming it was ‘an Accident.’” Daily Mail, 10 Jan. 2019, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6555009/Pedophile-Gary-Oliva-confesses-killing-JonBen-t-Ramsey-accident.html.
Chang, Juju. “JonBenet
Ramsey’s Father Regrets Letting her in Pageants, Says ‘Toddlers and
Tiaras’
is ‘Bizarre.’” Abc news, 15 Mar. 2012, https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/jonbenet-ramseys-father-regrets-letting-her-in-pageants-says-toddlers-and-tiaras-is-bizarre.
Evans, Clay and
Krupski, Clay. “JonBenet Ramsey’s Storybook Life Ends Suddenly and
Brutally.” Daily Camera, 5 Jan. 1997, https://www.dailycamera.com/2016/10/25/jonbenet-ramseys-storybook-life-ends-suddenly-and-brutally/.
“JonBenet Ramsey
Biography.” Biography, Biography.com Editors, A&E Television
Networks,
“JonBenet Ramsey's Pageant
Friends Remember the Slain Beauty Queen 20 Years on as a 'Fun-
Loving' Girl Who Had a Bright
Future and Would Have Thrived at College.” DailyMail,
DailyMail.com Reporter, 13 Sep.
2016, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3787893/JonBenet-Ramsey-s-pageant-friends-remember-slain-beauty-queen-20-years-fun-loving-girl-bright-future-thrived-college.html.
Rahman, Khaleda. “’Burke
did it’: Crime Show Claims JonBenet Ramsey was Killed by her
‘Violent’
Older Brother and her Parents Covered it up After the Siblings ‘Clashed Over a
Midnight
Snack of Fresh Pineapple.’” Daily Mail, 19 Sep. 2016, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3797692/Burke-did-Crime-claims-JonBenet-Ramsey-killed-violent-older-brother-parents-covered-siblings-argued-pineapple-midnight-snack.html
Willis, Charlotte and
Brown, Vanessa. “Investigators Reveal who they think Killed JonBenet
Ramsey.”
Herald, 21 Sep. 2016, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11713822
Worthen, Meredith.
“JonBenet Ramsey: A Beauty Queen Whose Death Immortalized her Life.”
No comments:
Post a Comment