Ransom note analysis

[Tadpole12]

A question regarding the various images of the rn,
wrt Jameson's image of the rn,
http://www.jameson245.com/bestnote.htm
were the lines on the third page drawn in by Jameson245?

 

[AndHence]

Can anyone tell me more about the roll of film from John's camera that contained inadvertent photos of the pad the ransom note was written on? The police asked Patsy about that photo. I'd like to know what they were thinking.

 

[FrankieB]

Can anyone tell me more about the roll of film from John's camera that contained inadvertent photos of the pad the ransom note was written on? The police asked Patsy about that photo. I'd like to know what they were thinking.

Hi AndHence

Sadly that conversation appears redacted on the transcripts so it is a little confusing in some parts. The way I understand it the roll has pictures of the children opening presents (which we have seen) a possibly inappropriate picture and allegedly throw away pictures taken by John to finish off the film. I think those depict a scarf, some plastic bags and the pad used for the ransom note. You can read all about this roll of film in the christmas morning pictures thread, Singularity made some really excellent posts about it and clarified it for me as well.

 

[chlban]

Thanks for posting that. We've all read the ransom note obviously but you posting it caused me to read it again. Wow.....what a doozy. It goes off the rails on a crazy train from the get go.

"We are a group of individuals...."

I've said this before but i always felt way too much emphasis was placed on this note, especially in the early years of this case. Having said that, it cant just be ignored because its not genuine. It offers the world a peak into the mind of its writer and a minor glimpse of the family's dysfunction. Its change in tone midway and how it is cold towards Jonbenet and takes a mocking tone towards John that borders on twisted comedy if it wasn't for the dead child down in the basement.

I always had major doubts John wrote that note. If anything, he may have sat there with her while she did it and/or gave some editorial advice but no way in hell did he write that himself like some theories claim.

That note has always been the primary reason I believe that Patsy alone engineered the cover up. Which, IMO, has to mean that she was the killer. Whether or not she inflicted the initial head blow is still in doubt in my mind.

With or without the similar handwriting, that note screams drama queen Patsy to me and always has. I really cannot see John even sanctioning that note, it is so off the wall crazy.

It has been suggested to me that John was "busy" with other staging and wasn't aware of what she was writing. I admit that is plausible but I don't see it as likely.

I do completely agree there is no way he wrote it.

 

[BoldBear]

A question regarding the various images of the rn,
wrt Jameson's image of the rn,
http://www.jameson245.com/bestnote.htm
were the lines on the third page drawn in by Jameson245?

I don't know anything about this, but didn't want to leave it hanging there. Also, could you be a little more specific on what lines you're talking about. The ransom note was written on notepad that had lines.

If there's someone who studied this, maybe you can comment.

 

[BBB167893]

I'd like to add my 2 cents in here, folks. It's been suggested in the past that someone else could have tried to copy Patsy's handwriting. But that person would have to mimic her style of writing as well. So, just consider all of the little "tells" they'd have to get right:

-her use of punctuation, namely periods between letters of acrostics, multiple exclamation points, etc;

-her family sayings;

-the use of French-sounding terms;

it just doesn't hold water. I mean, I could believe one, MAYBE two of those tells, either intentionally or just by chance. But not ALL of them.

 

[BoldBear]

Dave,

You didn't mention the Christian sounding phrases like "Looking over", "Proper [Christian] burial"

You're absolutely right that it points to Patsy. If it wasn't written by her, then it was to point at her.

 

[BBB167893]

Dave,

You didn't mention the Christian sounding phrases like "Looking over", "Proper [Christian] burial"

There's that, too.

You're absolutely right that it points to Patsy. If it wasn't written by her, then it was to point at her.

But that's my point, BoldBear: who would do it? And why? As I said, it doesn't matter much, because there's no way they could have nailed her style so precisely.

 

[UKGuy]

If the case is a sole PDI why was JR offering explanations for artifacts moved down from upstairs and windows broken in a distant past, etc, how would he know what required explaining away without jeopardizing the integrity of the PDI?

.

 

[BoldBear]

Dave,

You're asking for motive? What arguments could I present you that you haven't already heard?

Yeah, and I'm working on a theory....blah...blah...blah. But seriously I've been working on this for a long time. There are just a lot of details and it's taking forever.

 

[BBB167893]

If the case is a sole PDI why was JR offering explanations for artifacts moved down from upstairs and windows broken in a distant past, etc, how would he know what required explaining away without jeopardizing the integrity of the PDI?

.

I don't think it was a sole PDI. J was in on it, far as I go.

 

[BBB167893]

Dave,

You're asking for motive? What arguments could I present you that you haven't already heard?

Sorry, BoldBear. It was a rhetorical question. At one time, it wasn't, but at this point, I'd say I've heard it all.

Yeah, and I'm working on a theory....blah...blah...blah. But seriously I've been working on this for a long time. There are just a lot of details and it's taking forever.

Take it from someone who knows: in a situation like this, you don't want to rush into anything. Never give a theory unless you're sure.

 

[BoldBear]

I didn't take any offence. I can't wait to share what I've got, but I promised myself that I'd either go all the way or not at all. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how much time I'd have to invest. I've got the pieces on the board and am laying it out in (gasp) fiction. One of fiction's strengths is that it focuses on the motivations of the characters. You get into the character's mind. If the character isn't crazy, there has to be some reasoned motives for their actions. I can't say that anyone will ever read the fiction side, but it's helping me work-out the fine details minute by minute.

The non-fiction side is a nightmare. I'm sure others here have shared that same problem. How do you organize and present a theory that has a thousand moving parts? It's both amazingly simple and horribly complicated. I've written many pages and still don't know what the finished product will look like. It will, however, contain a large number of details.

As for the ransom note, someone recently brought-up the phrase "group of individuals". They noted that it was a rather crazy phrase. On the surface it doesn't make sense. A group is comprised of individuals. I mentioned that there were religious references in the ransom note. This is a tell. While clubs for hobbies will often use the phrase "group of like minded individuals," bible study groups often use "group of individuals." The phrase allows people who have differing opinions to come together and discuss passages. The writer of the ransom note either dropped it in to deflect suspicion or it was a part of their conversational speech. This phrase isn't crazy, but it has no bussiness in a ransom note.

 

[Cranberry]

I didn't take any offence. I can't wait to share what I've got, but I promised myself that I'd either go all the way or not at all. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how much time I'd have to invest. I've got the pieces on the board and am laying it out in (gasp) fiction. One of fiction's strengths is that it focuses on the motivations of the characters. You get into the character's mind. If the character isn't crazy, there has to be some reasoned motives for their actions. I can't say that anyone will ever read the fiction side, but it's helping me work-out the fine details minute by minute.

The non-fiction side is a nightmare. I'm sure others here have shared that same problem. How do you organize and present a theory that has a thousand moving parts? It's both amazingly simple and horribly complicated. I've written many pages and still don't know what the finished product will look like. It will, however, contain a large number of details.

As for the ransom note, someone recently brought-up the phrase "group of individuals". They noted that it was a rather crazy phrase. On the surface it doesn't make sense. A group is comprised of individuals. I mentioned that there were religious references in the ransom note. This is a tell. While clubs for hobbies will often use the phrase "group of like minded individuals," bible study groups often use "group of individuals." The phrase allows people who have differing opinions to come together and discuss passages. The writer of the ransom note either dropped it in to deflect suspicion or it was a part of their conversational speech. This phrase isn't crazy, but it has no bussiness in a ransom note.

Hi BoldBear, It's interesting what I found when I looked up faction in the dictionary: A political faction is a group of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a common political purpose.

To avoid harm to the organisation, factional operations are usually conducted under strong secrecy and with minimal public scrutiny. This, however, can lead to the proliferation of unethical behaviour. Warfare between the factions may lead to tactics such as ballot box-stuffing, stack-outs, membership fraud, and other generally fraudulent conduct. Individuals who abandon a faction may be subject to intense personal vendettas where their former comrades go about sabotaging their careers. A climate of intense factional conflict can also motivate individuals to focus on attacking their factional enemies rather than furthering the broader organisation.

 

[Tadpole12]

Thanks BB

Kinda' figured it out

2 versions of rn

The one that visually bears more errors in cut and paste

ie The Denver Channel image
http://images.ibsys.com/2006/0818/9699449.jpg

and the other, which perhaps originally appeared in NewsWeek

[http://web.dailycamera.com/extra/ramsey/headlines/index97.html
Daily Camera Archives
****************************************
The Denver Channel
Highlights From The Ramsey Ransom Note
Posted: 7:40 AM, Aug 24, 2006
article: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/highlights-from-the-ramsey-ransom-note
image: http://images.ibsys.com/2006/0818/9699449.jpg

Image size:
700 × 2432
No other sizes of this image found.
***************************************************
adriaen22 word press
https://adriaen22.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/jon-benet-ransom-note-full.gif
Image size:
460 × 1642
*****************************************************
p1
https://www.google.ca/search?q=jonb...note+the+denver+channel&imgrc=xHOpV-QtwbpJsM:
436 x 600
p2
https://www.google.ca/search?q=jonb...note+the+denver+channel&imgrc=snDnwpr7sRZ_XM:
471 x 600
p3 dated 12-27-96
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2008/0709/20080709__JONBENET-RAMSEYB~p1.jpg
464 x 600
*****************************************
DC Archive
*********************************************************
http://web.dailycamera.com/extra/ramsey/1997/01/04-1.html
Ransom notepad found
Tablet found in home offers clue in Ramsey murder probe
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
January 4, 1997
Investigators found the notepad used to write a ransom note in 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey's murder inside the Boulder family home, sources close to the investigation confirmed Friday.
"It was made of the same kind of paper used in the ransom note, and it may have imprints from the pen used to write the note," said a Boulder friend of the Ramseys.
*************************************************
http://web.dailycamera.com/extra/ramsey/1997/01/08-1.html
'Practice' note found
'Practice' note found
Ransom letter apparently had initial draft
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 8, 1997
Investigators found a second, "practice" ransom note involved in the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey inside the family's home, sources said Tuesday.
"The letter was kind of in shaky handwriting, and it looks like it was a felt-tip kind of pen," a source said. "The real note used a felt-tip pen, too."
"It looks like the person just tried to write a note and just stopped for some reason," another source said. "But both letters had black writing and they're from the same notepad." Police earlier had discovered the tablet used to write the ransom note found early on the day after Christmas.
***************************************************
http://web.dailycamera.com/extra/ramsey/1997/09/09-1.html
DA releases full Ramsey ransom note
Officials discuss case with FBI
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 9, 1997
As Boulder police and district attorney representatives met with the FBI in Virginia on Monday to review the JonBenet Ramsey investigation, Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter released the controversial ransom note tied to the girl's murder.
Hunter said he released the note in hopes it will lead to JonBenet's killer. The move came in the wake of the note's publication this week in a national magazine.
Newsweek magazine printed a photocopy of the note in the publication's Sept. 15 issue, which hit the newsstands Monday. The Daily Camera also published the first page of the note Monday.
*******************************************
A Case Forever Unraveling
By Newsweek Staff On 9/14/97 at 8:00 PM
http://www.newsweek.com/case-forever-unraveling-172498
THE LETTER, THREE hand-scrawled pages on lined white paper, didn't mince words:
A photocopy of the note, obtained exclusively by NEWSWEEK, shows that its author made what one handwriting analyst calls a ""clumsy'' attempt to disguise his or her writing. ]

 

[FrankieB]

3 very interesting things that stuck out for me after reading the candy rose ransom note analysis somebody shared in another thread:

1. The Ransom note writer advises John to "be rested" because delivery will be exhausting. First of all no ransom note writer would give a toss about the reader being rested or not, and unless he/she/they planned to have John Ramsey climb a mountain to deliver the money in the paper bag, what possible scenario could depict an "exhausting money delivery" ? What the phrase reveals is the Ransom note writer knew the following day would be exhausting. Why? think about a house full of people, cops, discovery of the body, acting, interrogation, removal of items, etc...sounds exhausting doesn't it?

2. If the Ransom note writer had the confidence to prance around the Ramsey home, do staging within staging and write a 2 and a half Ransom note, why would this person disguise their hand writing with an amateurish, shaky hand writing? the Ransom note writer should be aware the note can't be traced back to him/her so therefore this person doesn't care if their writing is torn apart. (This reminded me of the Black Dahlia case, the killer sent hand-written notes to the police, with no attempt to disguise them, and you know he was never caught)

who would need to disguise hand writing? a person who knows their hand writing will be held to close scrutiny and testing, because this person is not fading anywhere, he or she will be present for said testing and knew this before writing the note.

3. you can dumb down, but you can't dumb up. Are we expected to believe kidnapper low-lives who can't spell business correctly are somehow able to spell Attaché correctly? you can't be ignorant and pretend to be smart on a note. What you can do is be smart and pretend to be ignorant on a note.

Fascinating stuff.

 

[BBB167893]

Hey, guys. As some of you may know, I've devoted considerable time to pointing out places where Darnay Hoffman (RIP) could have really nailed the Rs in those depositions and didn't. But this one didn't even occur to me until just now. Remember when Hoffman showed the Rs samples of Patsy's writing? His mistake was in telling them that they were Patsy's writing. He should have said it belonged to some random person and let them hang themselves by saying things like, "wow, that's a really close match" and such like, then spring the trap on them.

Probably wishful thinking on my part. Even if the rules of the deposition had allowed for that, which I doubt, by that point all the Rs had was "I-don't-knows," "Can't-recalls," and "I'm-not-an-experts." (SIGH)

 

[BoldBear]

Just an odd thought, but you think the killer can claim copyright violation on the RN after all these years?

 

[singularity]

Just an odd thought, but you think the killer can claim copyright violation on the RN after all these years?

Considering the fact that its official evidence and no copyright claim was ever made on the note, I have serious doubts.

You do bring up an interesting point though. Imagine some pop singer or rapper using the note(or parts of it) in a song. Who do they have to give credit for it on ASCAP? I assume it is just in the public domain but this reminds me of the bit of controversy when Guns N' Roses used clips of Martin LUther King's speech in the song 'Madagacar'. The lines were blurred a bit there although this isn't the exact same thing.

 

[UKGuy]

Just an odd thought, but you think the killer can claim copyright violation on the RN after all these years?

BoldBear,
Probably not since the author was anonymous and the note was in the public domain, its not a work of art, its a crime artifact, so I reckon any copyright claim would be dismissed before it ever reached the court?

.