The Case of: JonBenet Ramsey (CBS Special)

This case has been making the rounds on TV, presumably because this is the twentieth year anniversary of the "unsolved" murder. We had some robust discussion of the Steven Avery case which, of course, occurred in Wisconsin and we "out-of-staters" had no prior knowledge of the case until Netflix presented it to a national audience.

In contrast, many of us may remember many details of the case of JonBenet Ramsey, which happened during Xmas in 1996. If it had occurred today, it would have gotten wall-to-wall commercial TV coverage by all the networks (48 Hours, Dateline, and numerous other TV specials).

CBS has put together a 4-hour special on the case, airing in two-hour segments on Sunday and Monday nights. I have just finished the first segment, and I will definitely tune in for the second as well.

In retrospect, this case is an instance of what is clearly evident today -- a two-tiered system of justice that treats the rich and powerful differently than the rest. Regardless, the evidence is well laid out that this was most likely an inside job, and had nothing to do with an outside intruder/kidnapper. That assumption is the only way to understand a crime scene that shows elements ranging from comical (e.g., a 3-page long note) to inexplicable (e.g., garrote).

 

The trouble is, it's hard to make the parent's likeable. If they did it, then that is just inexcusable. I can't think of a single instance that would redeem them.

 

So far it is not making the parents likable. Oddly Dr. Phil has been interviewing the son and talking about the case. . . very differently.

 

Spoiler alert.



I've seen a couple of shows lately that supposedly are in-depth investigations of this death. There is a lot of weird stuff and very strange people surrounding that case. There's also a lot of contradictory evidence - X suggests this person is the murderer, on the other hand Y suggests he or she couldn't have, but then again there's this ... that sort of this. Evidence that has you convinced one person is certainly guilty and then some other piece of evidence that makes every suspicion ultimately inconclusive. The one thing that sticks in my mind is just how incompetent the police were, especially at the beginning of the case. Another is how extremely adversarial the police department and the DA's Office were, and how entrenched individual investigators were regarding the 'killer in the house' vs. 'the intruder' theories. Patsy Ramsey is probably portrayed the worse of the lot - and considering some of the weird (very weird, creepy weird) people involved, that's not good. Although I get the impression most of the dislike for Patsy is rooted in the disgust for the kiddie beauty pageants in which she enrolled her daughter. [The photos of JonBenet dressed up for those pageants are very creepy.) The prevailing theory in the other programs is that Patsy in a sudden fit of angry hurt her daughter severely or killed her accidentally and then she and her husband covered it up. I'm not convinced of that. I doubt if the case will ever be conclusively solved.

 

In this case, the list of potential suspects can be narrowed to three: X or Y -- one of the parents; and Z -- the son, since there is zero evidence for an outsider intruder/kidnapper (like who would come into a house, use Patty's yellow paper pad and pen and write out that long of a ransom note? )

More food for thought: ‘The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey’: Investigator Says He and His Colleagues Will Name a Suspect »

 

I cant imagine wanting to watch this case get recycled again, particularly when it's the same old lingering questions with no new evidence to draw a strong conclusion on who killed the girl. Pass.

 

seems suspect #1, sadly, her deceased mom

 

I didn't watch this CBS narrative - but that is the real issue regarding solving the case. Incompetent police work - but in their slight defense, they weren't used to handling something like this. They were light staffed, not used to this, perhaps didn't know it was a murder right off the bat... but still. The crime scene - the entire house - compromised. Very sad. This an almost perfect case study of what NOT to do at a crime scene when you are in law enforcement.

I did catch up with the ID network 3-parter, and I follow John Douglas (FBI Criminal Profiler - Cases That Haunt Us) and can read this thing, see this thing from every angle they put out - and yeah, you can focus in on one part and then either 100% exclude the Ramseys, and the other suspects, or you can even convict Santa Clause in the court of public opinion (no joke - there's a "Santa" in this).

For those who don't go into depth and have seen the tabloids covers from Day 1, it will always seem like the parents (or Patsy more specifically). And then fill in the reasons (what kind of mom puts her girl out there looking like that, etc. etc.), but from the start - they were the main suspects. Nobody doubts that - not the DA, police - nobody. Everyone agrees they were the suspects at first.

But it all comes down to what Jack White said - the police did a HORRIBLE job. And that is most likely why this case won't be solved.

And for every "reason" to peg this on the mom (the note! no intruders!) there's a logical explanation. Maybe not logical to what we think we would do if it were us, but in the literal terms - logic. But as has been said by so many investigators in these kinds of cases, you don't think of the way "you will look" when you're friggin' daughter is missing! And unfortunately, it comes down to poor police investigation right away.

I doubt we'll ever know. I feel terrible for John Ramsey, and I retroactively feel terrible for Patsy. John must be a very strong man emotionally.

Jeff

 

The CBS special was very good. Likely will never be able to bring charges or get a conviction due to crime scene contamination, however the evidence is pretty strong. Highly recommend catching this CBS special if you're interested in the slightest about this case.

 

It's either the Mom or brother. Either way, I think everyone living in the house at the time, including the Dad, probably knows the truth and covered it up.

 

Based on?...

Jeff

 

Yes, the pictures showing the little girl dressed up for the pagents are creepy, and its going to draw creepy people too.
I think its unfortunate that CBS can't find other programming and has to delve further into this family's tragedy.

 

When I worked at QVC, I had spare time (the boss was an absolute *****), so I pulled the files of the hosts. One of them had on her resume that she was a judge in little girl pageants. I thought 'they hired her when she said THIS?'

 

If she was murdered by her family, it isn't a tragedy --- it's a crime.

 

Are the two mutually exclusive? I don't think so.

 

I think murder is a crime no matter who did it Mr. Ghostworld. My point is that I feel it is exploitative programming by CBS.

 

Probably not. It's a tragedy for all of us became it speaks of humanity.

 

The son comes across as a strange dude in the Dr.Phil interview. The grimace smile through disturbing questions. I wonder if he has some sort of disability.

 

I have no evidence on this and it's purely speculation. I think the son did it. He seemed to be the apple of the parents eye until "SHE" came along. Then Mommy covered it up so she didn't lose both her kids.

Again, purely speculation.

 

Dr. Phil (on Friday's show which was a Q&A session as well as as recap) says it's because he suffers anxiety, and this is its manifestation. I'm not sold, he's a strange fellow, but it's hard to imagine the situation not making him strange.

 

I think this as well.

 

I found the documentary fascinating. It's network TV, so there's always an exploitative angle, but I'm glad the discrepancies in our justice system are "put under a bright light" in prime time.

Just conjecture on my part, but if, say, John Ramsey was earning under $100k per year and lived in a more urban area and his wife worked in a liquor store, I think the police would have handled the crime scene and suspects in quite a different manner.

 

You need to watch the series -- the first part lasted two hours. I learned some new stuff watching this program (and I was old enough to absorb the material in 1996). It is not all just recycled old material. Though it is terribly sad that he lost his daughter, I have no sympathy for John Ramsey. I suspect that he, as the head of the household, is the one who orchestrated the cover up. If indeed the murder is an "inside job", which it does appear to be, think how cruel it is that both John and Patsy were trying to pin it on somebody else, thus ruining the life of an innocent person.

Scott

 

There was no need for a coverup by the parents if the brother did it. All you would have to say is "the kids were fighting." No prosecutor would have have pressed a charge.

 

Kinda off topic, but a friend of mine in Dallas used to have a band called "The JonBenet Ramsey Blues Explosion".
It might be time for them to re-form and cash in on the renewed interest in the case.