Just wanted to throw this out there, but does Burke have a black eye in that picture? Or is it just something on the picture?
What if they were not covering for each other, but for their other child? Would that make it more palatable? It did for me, in the fact that it was something I could understand. That along with other clues has convinced me that Burke and not his parents is somehow responsible.
Maybe ......a bit,still I find it a very bizarre choice.(garrote)
BUT BDI would explain their behaviour.Perfectly.It's the only thing that explains their behaviour&actions actually.IMO
IMO the most powerful things pointing to BDI are the parents behaviour&actions
AND
the overkill
add
AND BDI explains IMO also FW's behaviour.
He was mad with the R's not telling the truth but decided to shut up cause it was about a kid and not a cold blooded criminal parent?Maybe they promised to get help for BR (they DID send him to a shrink,we have no idea why EXACTLY,we'll never know,he didn't seem to be too upset about JB's murder,see his comments re moving on)
I have always thought BDI; it's the only thing that would've kept JR's trap shut all these years. If you read the Ramsey's own book you'll note that they are extraordinarily image-conscious people -- even a childhood mishap or fit of pique, for which he could have been acquitted, would've scarred Burke's public image for life. He'd always be the "kid who fed his sister pineapple and then bashed her on the head." They were willing to go to quite some length to preserve his Ivy League potential.
All of the subsequent behavior vis a vis Burke screams out. Also things that have always struck me -- when JR brought JonBenet up from the basement holding her at arm's length like a plank -- that wasn't the posture of a shocked father, that was the posture of someone who had quite a few hours to think about the fact that he was going to have to tote an aging cadaver around and was grossed out by it, daughter or not. And Patsy's melodramatic "Jesus, you raised Lazarus from the dead, raise my baby" was not a sentiment that rolls from the tongue in the first few minutes of shock; she clearly rehearsed that.
JMHO of course. Great posts, everyone!
Great post yourself! ITA. More and more, I see BR fitting into this crime. It fills in a lot of gaps.
I have to agree with you guys. For years I have believed that Patsy lost it and bashed JB's head, but that's not sounding so logical anymore. Especially now that LE wants to talk to Burke and he doesn't want to talk to them. If he were totally innocent and told everything he knew all those years ago, he would have no reason to keep silent now. Makes you wonder if all the therapy he got really worked. I guess he could have "blocked" out what he did to his sister and therapy would have brought that out, that could be the reason for his silence now.
I'm beginning to think that Burke may have killed JBR and Patsy and John covered it up to protect his reputation and even their own. If he threw a flashlight at JBR, it would have to be with a lot of force to create the head injury she had. What could have happened to make him so angry? I feel like if this scenario is true, then JBR must have said something to him to make him go off. What could she have said, besides the normal sibling banter, to cause him to throw some object at her head? She was only 6 so I highly doubt she was cursing him out or something. I believe the pineapple may also tie into this as maybe JBR and Burke were eating pineapple together and then they got into an argument?
I believe the entire case is predicated on four motives: sex, shame, embarrassment and tremendous overwhelming fear. First, on the part of BR in the murder or accidental death of JBR, and second, on the part of the parents in staging a cover-up.
And if you consider the scenario I just laid out, doesn’t everything else in the behavior of all the people associated with this make sense? Does it not explain why Burke’s voice can be heard on the 911 call? Does it make sense now why Burke would stay in his room all morning long not coming down to ask what all the commotion was when they were supposed to be leaving for Michigan that morning? And when he was led through the house to leave for someone else’s home, why didn’t he even ask, “What are the police and all these people doing here? Did something happen?” Does it not explain some of the bizarre things that John and Patsy did and said after their child was killed, and why they would hire attorneys almost immediately to help them avoid being questioned by police? And how about John Andrew’s answer to what should be done to the person who killed his sister? -- “He should be forgiven.”
If you at least consider this, is there anything that doesn’t make sense?
I'm pretty sure it's not a mark on the picture. It looks like either a black eye or those black lines football players put under their eyes.
I was reading Steve Thomas book and was surprised to run into this:
Frank Coffman, a local writer, had told me that Pam Griffin, a friend of Patsy Ramsey's from kiddie pageant circles, claimed Patsy had told her about writing the so-called practice note for some innocent reason. I jumped at the possibility that a suspect had admitted to a third party that she had written it. It was a huge development, and I brought it up promptly.
DA investigator Lou Smit coughed, then acknowledged that he had received the same information some time earlier. "I was going to write a report on that." he said. I was appalled that he had not placed it before us immediately. It seemed to me that if something pointed against the Ramsey's, it might never reach the detectives...
Nothing came from several attempts to get Pam Griffin to repeat her statement to police, and the DA's office wasn't impressed enough to force her immediate testimony.
ITRMI paperback, page 225
Was it the money or BR that kept Smit quiet?
Was it the money or BR that kept Smit quiet?
(edited so as not to repeat)
I can't believe sometimes that God used that idiot to help me out and make me learn one of the most important lessons a Christian learns- your relationship to God is as unique as you are, it isn't like your friends,family or anyone you have ever heard of. It is a very personal thing........ this journey. He works mysteriously and uses people you never guess he is using till you have passed the milestone he had in mind for you. The only time we can really clearly see God carrying us is when we look back and see the footprints he left behind in our hearts. Just like that famous poem says.
Your story reminded me of my own journey and the unexpected turns life has thrown at me and how I have been so blessed to be surrounded by much wiser and spiritually stronger people when I really needed it. God has blessed me in so many ways I can't even begin to say how many times he has been there. Thanks for being here too. We may not agree on everything but God has a plan for all of us and he loves us all. I try and remember that when posting in a public forum like this one. I'm glad Trish doesn't allow a lot of stuff to go on 'cause it builds respect for your fellow posters even if you don't always agree with them and it goes along with Christian values about passing judgment on folks. I don't think any of us are passing judgment on the R's or an IDI we are looking for clues to solve a murder and any and all people connected to the R's are suspect.
From Angelfire: http://www.angelfire.com/planet/check/burke.html
If Lee is thinking that JonBenet's death was an accident. He is not alone. Others have had similar thoughts. When Lou Smit was overheard talking to John Ramsey, he said, "John, look, it was an accident. This could be a lot easier for everybody". 17 What kind of accident is it when a person dies of strangulation? Is it an accident when a child kills another child? Many say yes, it is, when the killer is too young to understand the meaning of life and death, right or wrong or the consequences of their actions. Burke was 9 years eleven months old.
No link given
Same quote here without a link: http://www.justiceforchandra.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=24978&sid=179b8fa10cce18e215ad0c245eca4e8c
All I could find right now, no original source.
That would be the only reason that I too can think of..... Unless he knew he was sick and dying, and the money would help his family, some people can be bought if the price is right.
IMO neither.He listened to his heart this time and didn't follow the evidence.He was a very religious person and this was exploited by the R's.
:twocents:
I really feel he didn't lie about his views,he really believed in IDI.
He didn't pass away until 12 years after leaving the case. I truly do not believe this was in any way related to money.
I believe he knew the truth, the entire truth. I honestly can not believe that anyone other than BR is guilty. Potentially of murder, almost certainly of sexual experimentation and accidental harm.
I believe Smit KNEW this, hence the 'accident' comment. This man, I don't believe would cover for the Ramseys, if he believed they were guilty, but I have no question that he would cover for them if their other child perpetrated this horrible act!
Otg, I really wanted to find 17 and couldn't find it anywhere. Amazing how this story has been so well squelched, isn't it?
Hi everyone, I have only just joined but have been reading for a few weeks.
I hope this is not too repetitive a post. Please if it is, let me know or delete it.
I'm really hung up on the presence of the ransom note. I have been trying to understand what purpose it served, in relation to the murderer. These are the options as far as I can think:
1. Intruder - the ransom note is legitimate. Killing JB in the house was not part of the plan, but it happened. Problem - Why did they not take JB's body with them & still collect on the ransom. Why leave behind physical evidence in the form of the ransom note. Once JB was dead, the RN served no purpose other than to potentially incriminate the true murderer.
2. Intruder - the ransom note was a ruse to divert suspicion to another fictituous intruder. Problem: Why leave a ransom note pointing to an intruder, when you are one. You are placing yourself (as an outsider) into the pool of possible suspects. Why not allow LE to focus almost solely on the Ramsey's, as is highly likely if no ransom note had been left. Again, why leave behind physical evidence, when there is nothing to be gained from it.
3. Insider - the ransom note was a ruse to divert suspicion to an intruder & remove suspicion from the real murderer. Problem - Leaving of physical evidence. However did this outweigh the fact that without a RN suspicion would be immediately on members of the household.
I'm interested in anyone else's view as to the purpose of the ransom note. Particularly if anybody has any ideas on how it could benefit an intruder.
Regarding the RN and the intruder I have a hard time seeing how and when the intruder wrote the note. Both the pen and the pad could be sourced to the home.
I also found it strange for the Rs to spread the RN on the floor while reading it, that is just silly. To me that sound like they were concerned getting their fingerprints on the paper, something no parent in that situation would ever think about.
A question. Did LE ever try to lift prints of the pen?