That's the part that bothers me, too, Zak. He only shows up when he can make money off of JB's death. And after all these years, most people don't have the kind of knowledge about this case that we do.
One other thing: I agree with whomever said that John's disgust with child pageants is too little, too late. If he had DONE something about it (besides just complaining about how much of his money Patsy was spending on it), JB might be alive today. Either Patsy might not have flipped her lid, or, if you believe IDI, JB never would have attracted the attention of perverts in the first place.
If I were a less-trusting individual, I'd say that John seems to be making a conscious effort to "wash his hands" of Patsy. It's like, now that she's gone, he's trying to--for lack of a better term--rid himself of her, somehow.