(i) Who the perp was
I believe John, Patsy and Burke all know what happened in the house that night. I believe they can all be accused as perpetrators of Jon Benet's death. I believe Burke delivered the blow to her head, and that this was the cause of death.
(iv) What caused the head blow
I believe this had something to do with the bowl of pineapple and milk that was left on the table. During his questioning as a child, Burke acted strangely when he was asked what he saw in the photo of the kitchen table. He quickly identified the glass of tea next to the bowl, acted out that he couldn't identify the contents of the bowl - but then exclaimed, "Oh, I know what that is" (or something to that effect) - as if it had some other meaning to him. He also stated that Patsy always cleaned up dishes once the children were done eating. Things were not usually left sitting on the table overnight.
I believe that this bowl of pineapple and milk was not intended for Jon Benet. She'd wet the bed that night. Patsy (or John) had changed her but in their frustration, they wiped her roughly which is why during the autopsy, it was noted that she may have been assaulted, but that there was no internal trauma which would be consistent with sexual abuse. I believe that once Jon Benet had been changed into pyjamas (which may not have happened once they arrived home, as John stated that he carried a sleeping Jon Benet upstairs and put her in bed), she came downstairs and pinched some of Burke's late night bedtime snack. This infuriated him, and with the flash-light within reach, he clubbed her over the head with it.
(ii) What the motive was
I believe Burke's actions caused John and Patsy to panic, and with a seemingly dead Jon Benet in their arms, they feared the consequences for their son. They blamed themselves as they'd seen Burke's violence against his sister on many occasions, which had escalated to this point without proper parenting or intervention. They also knew that their position in the community as pageant parents and popular neighbours was now in jeopardy. Burke's motive was to retaliate and harm his sister, who he despised for the excessive attention and favouritism their parents bestowed upon her. He may not have been thinking about this directly at the time, but his violent behaviour towards her was growing in severity as a result of his jealousy. He didn't blame his parents. He loved his parents and desired their love, attention and affection. He hated Jon Benet, and blamed her for making him the outcast of the family.
I believe John and Patsy's motive for covering up the unintentional manslaughter of their daughter was to save their son and themselves from social repercussions. They knew that the courts wouldn't charge their 9 year old son, that he wouldn't serve time for murder - but they would become socially ostracised and lose everything they'd worked so hard for. They wanted to save their lifestyle and the place they'd become so accustomed to holding within their community.
Due to the nature of my theory, there is no reason for me to theorise over a perpetrator entering or leaving the property, how long they were in the house for or whether the perpetrator had offended before or since Jon Benet's death. The perpetrators to the crime were all present when the first responder arrived in the early hours of December 26th.
(vii) What pieces of evidence are for real and what are red herrings?
I believe the "stun gun marks" on Jon Benet's torso were caused by the metal prongs found on the model train track set in the basement owned by Burke Ramsey. As the marks did not cause significant blood loss or bruising, I believe this wound was inflicted after she died. I believe that John and Patsy had plenty of time to stage their fake kidnapping scene, and that this wound was intended to look like a stun gun had been used on her. I theorise that Jon Benet had been injured previously by Burke with one of these train track pieces, and that the parents had noted how much it had resembled a stun gun mark. This led them to pierce her skin with the prongs that night to enhance the idea that "someone" had been in the process of kidnapping her when she was killed.
I believe the suit case was planted under the broken window, which had been broken long before Jon Benet's death (as John later admitted). They knew that this would be the most believable point of entry and it occurred to them to stage this element of the "crime" when they were already down there inflicting the "stun gun" wound, and planting Jon Benet's body in the basement.
The most telling pieces of evidence are:
a) The ropes tied around her neck and hands. Jon Benet would have been able to struggle free if her hands had been tied in this way while she was alive. They were incredibly loose, and caused no indentation on her wrists or arms, nor any bruising. In the same way, there is a startling lack of bruising to her neck from the ligature marks left by her "strangulation". I believe she was either already dead or dying when this was applied to her neck and tightened. I believe the parents may not have known that she was still alive after she was struck on the head by Burke, or that they decided that she probably wouldn't survive such an injury and it was better to end her suffering and stage a failed kidnapping scenario.
b) The flash light left on the kitchen counter. This piece of evidence is completely out of place for a family who were so pedantic about appearing to be so perfect and organised. And to my recollection, none of them claimed ownership over the item. They were also scheduled to leave for a family holiday on that fateful day - so why hadn't Patsy cleaned up in preparation to leave the house?
c) The empty glass of tea and half-eaten bowl of pineapple and milk. Again, the family were scheduled to leave for a holiday on December 26th. They claim to have arrived home from their dinner party relatively early. Patsy had enough time to make this snack for Burke, to change JonBenet's wet bedclothes when she awoke - but left the cleaning up for that next morning? But what strikes me is once again, Burke's realisation once this photo is presented to him during questioning. The questioning officer has to put the words in his mouth even after he states that he recognises what is in the bowl. This realisation seems to make Burke strangely uncomfortable, especially considering that if he was completely innocent and oblivious to how or why Jon Benet was killed, this 'piece of evidence' should be just as meaningless and normal to him as the glass of tea was.
d) The ransom note. This is arguably the most damning piece of evidence in this case. It strongly suggests that the 3-page letter was written by a woman (as language-analysis professionals have expertly testified). The choice of wording is consistent with language a woman would select and use. The handwriting is strikingly, if not convincingly identical to that of Patsy Ramsey. During her interrogation, she denies knowing who penned the captions to the photos found in their very own family albums, as does John. Who else would have captioned the photos found in their family albums?! They're well aware by this point that her handwriting is under scrutiny, and assuming they both know she wrote the ransom note, they would have been even more committed to denying that it resembled her handwriting at all. It would have brought everything crashing down upon them. It was a key piece of evidence that they desperately needed to distance themselves from. They were known to be avid movie-fans, and references to movie quotes were found within the ransom note. The references to very particular sums of money also suggested that the author of the note was well aware of the bonus John Ramsey had accumulated that year.
e) Detective Linda Arndt's testimony. She's experienced. She's trained. She was promoted to detective - she had to work for it and prove her capability in this field. She was well aware how important it was to keep evidence and a crime scene from being contaminated, and while she was left with the family, friends and the family's priest, she did everything in her power to keep people calm, designated them a room to gather in, and tried to keep everybody occupied. She allowed for two of the men, John Ramsey and a family friend, to search the house. She instructed them to search "from top to bottom" and noted that John Ramsey "headed straight for the basement". By that point, other officers had already searched the house, including the basement, but failed to check behind the latched wooden door (because it wasn't considered an exit point for an intruder). Within minutes, John appeared at the top of the stairs with Jon Benet's body in his arms. Linda Arndt testifies that in the moments where she and John knelt down beside Jon Benet's body, he asks her if she is dead. Linda confirms with John that she is, and it is clear that this moment has and will haunt her forever. She says that in that moment, something about that exchange completely and absolutely convinced her that she knew who Jon Benet's killer was. She is still yet to claim who she believes killed Jon Benet, but her interview is incredibly telling. She does not allude to any one of the family members, but it is evident that she is incredibly frustrated and unsettled by the way the case was handled and how none of the family have been convicted.
Unsettling observations:
The behaviour of all three surviving Ramsey family members, to me, is very unsettling and concerning. I have yet to see or hear of any footage or testimony that says that any of these family members shed a single tear. Their composure is eerie and unusual. John and Patsy's compulsion to use proper language and their unfaltering calmness is almost sickening. While neither of them have the hallmarks of proud killers, their inability to show any anguish or pain at the death of their daughter is unfathomable. When compared to parents who are still practically inconsolable over the deaths of their children, even decades after the fact, it's hard to believe that Patsy or John have ever grieved the loss of their daughter. Their behaviour is much more consistent and closely comparable to sociopathic murderers, and particularly the ones who unwaveringly deny their crimes. Their behaviour was mirrored some 11 years later by Gerry and Kate McCann (parents of missing British toddler, Madeleine McCann). In addition, Burke Ramsey's recent interview with Dr Phil McGraw gained world-wide attention as this now-adult's account of the day his sister died was curious and emotionless. In fact, Burke "smiled" a lot in this interview. Dr Phil went on to explain his behaviour as anti-social and a product of the life he'd been subjected to in the aftermath, however I believe that something much more sinister and dark is behind those "awkward" smiles.
I think it's also worth noting that Patsy Ramsey was still wearing the same outfit she'd worn the night before, and that her hair and makeup were done. By all accounts, Patsy Ramsey took her appearance very seriously. She herself was a former pageant queen. The family were scheduled to leave for a holiday that day. To me, it is absolutely ridiculous to believe John's account that Patsy changed back into the clothes she wore for Christmas Day (to which she insisted Jon Benet wear a matching outfit), but still did her hair and make up. It is also reported that she woke at 5.30 that morning, and found the ransom note at 5.45. I strongly believe that Patsy Ramsey, judging by the style of her hair and make up as is seen in many photos, and in her subsequent interviews, took longer than 15 minutes to do her hair and makeup. I also entirely doubt the claim that she redressed herself in her Christmas Day outfit. She was a woman of appearances on all accounts. She was entering her preschool-age daughter in beauty pageants. She was a former pageant contestant herself. She prided herself on perfect family photos and a picture-perfect family life. Everything about Patsy's life was about appearances.
I was also interested to find during a brief Google search that there were witness testimonies about the morning hours of December 26th. One neighbour claims hearing a scream at 2am that morning. Other witnesses claim that John Ramsey wasn't at home that night and was instead seen watching movies and moving around in other people's residences. One neighbour claimed seeing the kitchen lights on and dimmed in the Ramsey residence in the early hours of December 26th.