I am not so sure people who are BDI see the parents as being "off the hook". They were involved in the coverup at the very least and quite possibly in the strangulation. While Kolar, the GJ and others would have placed the blame for the head blow that would have caused her death with or without the strangulation, and likely the molestation as well, I don't see that the strangulation was specifically attributed to BR. It may be because it is just assumed BR was responsible for ALL of it, or it may be because it is impossible to determine whether both Patsy and JR were responsible for making that garrote or just one of them was. That may account for comments about there being no way to determine who did what. So to me, a BDI theory (or a BDI FACT) does not let the parents off the hook by any means. Somebody in that house strangled JB and I am not so sure it was BR.
BBM. Totally agree, DD249. Kolar's book is my own personal favorite. He convinced me that there was something in Burke's state of being at the time of JB's death that should make me wonder how BOTH of those kids ended up as victims.
I had to look at the parents, especially with the bed-wetting and encopresis history of both kids and the fact that it was so lightly regarded as problematic by either of the parents. And, that at six years old JB had already become adept at demonstrating the ability to perform in a sexually suggestive manner at beauty pageants. That was learned behavior.
There is no doubt in my mind that the R's, particularly one of them had a hand in the final strangulation of JonBenet, JMO, of course. But, with the information Kolar gave leading us to discover so much about Burke's behaviors, it helped to diminish the fact that he could NOT have been involved.
While the R's did spend a good amount of time and money early on trying to keep Burke's reputation unscathed, I think they came to see that as long as people could suspect their son might have had responsibility for any of the damage that night, it would help to keep a greater amount of suspicion away from them. Once Patsy died, JR himself said very little about BR anywhere. The healthier BR would have appeared to the public, the more it would have directed us back to look at JR. If the public is allowed to wonder about the emotional and mental health of Burke, there will continue to be speculation that he was key in the crime, which reduces the focus on a parent as a primary suspect in her death.
JR breathes a lot easier, IMO, knowing he is outside the statute of limitations on some charges related to the crime that could have been applicable. With BDI being such a strong theory for so many, it must just add more to JR's breathing space.