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Post by Scumhunter on Sept 15, 2015 7:46:22 GMT -5
 (Above photo credit: Wikipedia) The case of the unknown killer of JonBenet Ramsey, aired multiple times on AMW, unfortunately doesn't really need a case summary, as the entire nation is familiar with it. However, to give a quick refresher- on December 26th, 1996, in Boulder, Colorado, police initially responded to the home of the Ramsey family for an alleged kidnapping. A ransom note had been left in the family's home. JonBenet's body was found hours later by her father, John Ramsey. She was only 6-years old. Since then, the case, despite lots media attention, went cold, with lots of speculation but not many answers. Suspicion centered around JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, and even her brother, Burke, who was only 9-years old at the time of her murder. In 1999, a Boulder grand jury voted to indict John and Patsy Ramsey on charges of child abuse resulting in death. Alex Hunter, Boulder's District Attorney at the time declined to press charges despite the indictment, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove the charges at trial (this would not be revealed until 2013). In 2006, a man named John Mark Karr, a former school teacher, was arrested in 2006 in connection with the case, but the charges were dropped a week later when police discovered a confession he gave claiming responsibility for the murder was riddled with inconsistencies. Both John and Patsy, who died of ovarian cancer in 2006, were officially cleared of suspicion in 2008 based on DNA evidence from the crime scene. Investigators reopened the case in 2010, launching a fresh round of interviews about the murder. In February 2015, Mark Beckner, the former Police Chief of Boulder, talked openly and candidly about the case in an AMA (ask me anything) chat on the website Reddit, thinking his comments were only for a small group that talked about unsolved mysteries asking him questions, and not realizing they would later be open for public reading. Beckner admitted he wished his department did a better job and blasted District Attorney Alex Hunter for getting too involved in the case. He expressed doubts that there would ever be a conviction in the case. Thoughts? This case is a complete mess. First you had the sloppy way the crime scene was handled- it not being sealed off, friends and family allowed to go in and out of the house, etc. And I think it's a rare example of perhaps there being too much media coverage where usually the problem is no coverage- as it led to unfruitful speculation and no answers. I remember earlier on in my life (as a teen-early 20's), being a little upset the media only seemed to only care about cases like this (blonde white girl, wealthy family), when minority cases got neglected. Now that I'm older, I do feel guilty about my previous feelings and I'm mature enough to realize this was still an innocent girl that didn't deserve to be murdered, and she still deserves justice if that's at all possible. (Although I still maintain the media does not do a good enough job of covering minority missing and murdered cases). Unfortunately, I'm not sure how possible justice is, as it's always been a lot of speculation, but too few facts. How the heck did that John Mark Karr thing go as far as did? There are people who make false confessions to famous crimes all the time. There seemed to be no proof to back up his claims yet it took over a week for people to finally realize the guy was bonkers. I think I knew right away the guy was nuts. The only positive that came out of it is it for once allowed people to consider the possibility the JonBenet's parents had nothing to do with her murder, and could look at other angles and fresh perspectives. And fair or not, speculation, especially from the public, will always be centered on John and Patsy despite DNA evidence clearing them, unless the case is ever solved. In my opinion, it wasn't either of them, as foreign DNA was found at the crime scene, but fair or not, they will always be the main focus of many speculators. Media-wise and investigation-wise (similar to the Adam Walsh case, lots of investigative missteps), this case is a mess. All we can do is hope for a miracle here that one day a killer will be arrested. Admin Note #1: Based on crime location, our advice for anyone who wants to call in an anonymous tip on this case, is to try Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
web.archive.org/web/20000615044248/http://www.amw.com/site/archives/19990430/jramsey.htmlen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_JonBen%C3%A9t_Ramseywww.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/26/ex-police-chief-inadvertently-reveals-misgivings-about-jonbenet-ramsey-investigation/www.cbsnews.com/news/police-chief-speaks-out-about-jonbenet-ramsey-case-on-reddit-regrets-it/www.cbsnews.com/news/jonbenet-ramsey-update-judge-releases-1999-indictments-of-john-and-patsy-ramsey/www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/2wowat/i_am_former_boulder_police_chief_mark_beckner_i/ |
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Post by 912thamwuser on Sept 15, 2015 19:29:07 GMT -5
I remember reading briefly about this case, and remember that it happened in late December going out of 1996, rather than going out of 1997. I remember a picture of the ransom note said something like, "If you want your daughter to see 1997..." indicating it was December of 1996.
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Post by Scumhunter on Sept 15, 2015 19:41:26 GMT -5
Sorry, the AMW archive had the wrong year. It was 1996.
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Post by HeadMarshal on Sept 16, 2015 8:24:25 GMT -5
The fact that foreign DNA was found at the crime scene does prove that someone else unrelated to the Ramsey family has gotten away with her murder. However there are two things I've noticed that need further discussion.
- The ransom note demanded $118,000 dollars. That was the exact amount that John Ramsey received in a bonus earlier that year. The chances of whoever wrote that note randomly picking that as a ransom demand is extremely small. That doesn't implicate John necessarily, but potential business colleagues. John was the president of a computer company that was later acquired by Lockheed Martin.
- The second point is how would a stranger to the home supposedly take JonBenet from her bedroom (even knowing where her bedroom was), and murder her in a separate room without anyone else waking up and noticing something was going on. JonBenet's autopsy showed that she had eaten pineapple before she was murdered and a bowl of pineapple was found on the kitchen table with her nine-year old brother's fingerprints on it. However her parents claim they didn't give pineapple to JonBenet and claim that her brother slept through the whole night. Therefore that doesn't make any sense at all.
Simply put, this case makes no sense at all. I'm not convinced this was a sex killing since no detection of rape was found on JonBenet but I have no idea otherwise as to who would have wanted to kill JonBenet.
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Post by pakman on Sept 16, 2015 13:31:00 GMT -5
Here's something else that's odd; JonBenet's favorite food was pineapple. Now granted, a stranger could easily have asked if she was hungry and could have prepared pineapple for her, but it's just too weird.
I think this case is the perfect example of how NOT to investigate a murder. This investigation was pretty much botched from the start.
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Post by Scumhunter on Sept 28, 2015 11:47:57 GMT -5
Perhaps I'm nipping a problem in the bud that doesn't have to be nipped but I wanted to state I've seen someone claim all over the internet about supposed proof a Conservative Christian radio host murdered JonBenet Ramsey, that there's DNA evidence and the FBI won't say anything. I won't state his name here, but it's apparent if you google the case.
The problem I see is while I saw the host's wikipedia page and I agree he doesn't seem like a very nice guy and I disagree with his personal views, there is currently no proof to back up this man's claims. All this man claiming about the "real" killer has is a blog which links to articles that aren't from any reputable media sources.
I'm not naive enough to believe there aren't things that law enforcement hides from the public, (often they have good reason though), along with the news media.
But at the same time, I would have no choice but to reject anyone who tries to register that brings this name up and I will refuse to allow this person in question to be discussed on our forum.
Yes, we've talked about suspects in unsolved cases in the past, but their names were brought up in the media or other news articles, or in some cases even if they weren't the suspects were already fugitives or already in jail for other murders.
If it turns out one day this guy is named the killer, I'll be the first one to apologize. But the reason for my refusing to discuss this person in question here isn't because I doubt this person's claims. I don't have any reason to believe or not believe it. The issue is we have to deal in facts, not speculation on a person that is not currently a fugitive or convicted killer that can't be verified by anyone reputable. You can't just throw a name out there and accuse someone not in trouble with the law at the moment without any tangible proof.
And while I'm not accusing this person of doing so, a lot of times websites that mention one specific person because of a personal vendetta. While I admit the guy is unlikable, it also means he's more likely to have someone with a vendetta.
P.S. I realize the irony that I essentially talked about it by not talking about it, but it was pretty much the only way to get the message across.
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Post by Scumhunter on Apr 15, 2016 8:34:40 GMT -5
A P.I. is claiming a man named Michael Helgoth, whose family ran a private junkyard near the Ramsey's home, is JonBenet's killer. He committed suicide in 1997. The P.I. believes there is a tape where Michael confesses. I guess we'll wait and see what develops with this. It seems more promising than other leads, but I always try to remain cautiously optimistic when it comes to cases like JonBenet's since we've heard so many theories over the years. www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/has-jonbenet-ramseys-killer-finally-been-found/ar-BBrLL0x?ocid=spartandhp |
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Post by HeadMarshal on Jun 24, 2016 9:46:11 GMT -5
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Post by HeadMarshal on Sept 21, 2016 19:41:57 GMT -5
There are reports that JonBenet's brother Burke is about to sue the CBS television network over it's two-part documentary regarding his sister's murder. Now I haven't actually watched any recent television or documentary reports on this case, I know that the investigators showed in the report placed the blame on Burke. I really, really worry if anyone goes on trial for JonBenet's murder, how completely insane the tabloid coverage and the jury selection/treatment is going to be on this. www.torontosun.com/2016/09/21/jonbenet-ramseys-family-fires-back-threatens-to-sue |
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Post by Scumhunter on Sept 21, 2016 20:07:35 GMT -5
Without some sort of DNA evidence, sadly I fail to see how anyone can be convicted. It just seems like the case is long gone and there needs to be some sort of smoking gun or else it's just the case has been tainted from day one. I think Burke obviously was way too young to go on trial even if he really did kill her when he was a pre-teen child.
I haven't seen the CBS show but unlike Making A Murderer which was well reviewed, the JonBenet airings seem to be getting mixed reviews.
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Post by Scumhunter on Jan 12, 2019 0:41:54 GMT -5
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Post by Scumhunter on Jul 18, 2019 0:15:01 GMT -5
66-year-old Randall Simmons, JonBenet's former photographer, has been indicted on child pornography charges.
Apparently in 1998 he was arrested for indecent exposure in Lincoln County Colorado and when approached shouted out "I didn't kill JonBenet Ramsey."
You'd think there would be some sort of evidence against him by now but this is an interesting twist.
One thing we've learned over the years from the cast of characters and suspects, including some suspects who "confessed" is there seemed to be no shortage of pervs who lived within driving distance of Jonbenet's home. Registered ssx offenders are usually public information, and I guarantee most of you will be pretty shocked if you enter your zip code on the sex offender registry.
At the same time, I find it weird he volunteered his innocence for something no one asked him about. It's sort of detective work-101 when someone answers a question they didn't ask. For instance, you'll see on the First 48 a suspect say something like "I didn't stab her." When they only told the suspect the victim was deceased and not how she was killed. They immediately go "we never told you she was stabbed" and in most episodes the guy ends up confessing.
Obviously a bit different here. To be honest I feel the Boulder Police Department botched the case so badly we'll never find out the truth, but I hope one day I can be proven wrong.
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Post by Scumhunter on Apr 11, 2020 3:17:46 GMT -5
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Post by pakman on Apr 25, 2020 13:46:35 GMT -5
What's always struck me about this case is that this is the only case I can think of where I've heard John Walsh flat-out say he doesn't think it'll be solved. That is shocking, given that John is so positive about every unsolved murder and is always bragging, "We've solved tougher cases with less to go on!" But I saw an interview with him on Larry King Live where he said he doesn't think the case will ever be solved. He thinks the Boulder PD botched the investigation so poorly that it'll never happen.
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Post by Scumhunter on Apr 25, 2020 17:41:51 GMT -5
Unfortunately I somewhat agree- specifically because the crime scene was contaminated by not being sealed off right away- and that will not sit right with modern juries obsessed with DNA. There have been guys who have actually confessed to killing JonBenet and there is no way of proving it. The irony is we may one day get a true confession and still have no idea if the person is being truthful or not.
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