The ransom note

[rashomon]

Thank you Camper. I think that the writer of the note would have to read something with the ransom note and maybe also see the movie. I am trying to remember all the books and movies that the ransom note reflects. I know that several other movies have been brought up. I wonder if there is a list somewhere of all the similiarities that have been noted.

Another thing the perp obviously copied from a movie was the part "if we catch you talking to a stray dog, she dies."
PMPT, pb, p. 293:

On November 29, a month before JonBenet's death, the movie "Dirty Harry" had aired on TBS in Boulder. In the movie, the kidnapper tells Clint Eastwood, "If you talk to anyone, I don't care if it's a Pekingese pissing against a lamppost, the girl dies."
And then there's "It sounds like you had a good rest. You'll need it." from the same movie. Compare that to the ransom note's "The delivery will be exhausting so I advise you to be rested."
But when putting it like that, the perp did not take into account the advice to be rested would have come too late, for John would hold the ransom note in his hands a few hours later (when the night was over), and would have had no time anymore to 'get a good rest'.

"Don't try to grow a brain" obviously was copied from the movie "Speed". where the terrorist played by Denis Hopper says "Do not attempt to grow a brain."

Among many other things, the elements copied from movies reveal that ransom note as being a bogus note. The perp had no idea how real ransom notes look like a, which is why she resorted to what she remembered from movie ransom notes or dialogues, not knowing that they have very little resemblance to reality.

 

[Britt]

The perp had no idea how real ransom notes look like a, which is why she resorted to what she remembered from movie ransom notes or dialogues, not knowing that they have very little resemblance to reality.

Exactly. She was improvising a Ransom Note, using whatever pop-culture ransom-ish phrases her brain had stored... with no conscious thought as to their origin.

 

[IrishMist]

Exactly. She was improvising a Ransom Note, using whatever pop-culture ransom-ish phrases her brain had stored... with no conscious thought as to their origin.

I agree with this.

It's funny, cause I've often said about the IrishMister: 'He's the best man I've ever known.'

Then, a few weeks back, I pulled out my all time favorite movie. I've seen it probably a dozen times, and read the book 5 or 6 times.

Lo and behold, that very line is in both!!

I internalized it without even realizing it...

 

[Cypros]

It is pretty obvious that the wording of the ransom note is taken from movies, but I do not think this factor necessarily points a finger at Patsy Ramsey. An intruder could jut as easily have those movies and their dialogue internalized for recollection when writing the letter. Frankly, the the movies from which they originate seem to be those that are more popular with males than females, and it seems that the habit of memorizing movie dialogue is especially popular with males. While Pastsy Ramsey may have seen the various movies under discussion at some time or another, I have a hard time imagining her absorbing the details of that dialogue (or even that such dialoque existed in those films) enough to be able to come up with it unexpectedly that night. I have seen al of those movies and would have never remembered ANY of the details like that.

However, the hand writing analysis points to Patsy and so IF she is the one who wrote the note, I think it is most likely that is was dictated to her by a male movie buff. Is there a list of movies in their personal video library Or a record of the videos rented in recent months/years that would hint at the movie tastes of John and other family members?

 

[narlacat]

A foreign faction that is right up on American movies.

I'm a girl Cypros and I am always quoting lines from my fave movies and tv shows.

JR was a Star Trek fan.
Paintings in the basement included a Star Trek one and a Agatha Christie one...
There were a couple of others that I forgot right now.

 

[Cypros]

A foreign faction that is right up on American movies.

I'm a girl Cypros and I am always quoting lines from my fave movies and tv shows.

JR was a Star Trek fan.
Paintings in the basement included a Star Trek one and a Agatha Christie one...
There were a couple of others that I forgot right now.

I know that women do it, too, but guys seem to really get into much more than women (as a general rule). Also, as I said, the types of movie from which the dialogue originates, are the types of movies that are especially popular with males, and, most importantly, they really do not seem to be the types of movies that would engage Patsy Ramsey. Now, if a family member or friend said that she was a fan of Clint Eastwood, or just loved that movie "Ruthless People" I would humbly reconsider, but I just can't imagine it. Her mind was preoccupied with beauty pageants, social events and school activities. Of course, she did have a prolonged illness and perhaps she watched a lot of movies during her recovery....

 

[narlacat]

Cypros, yes I've heard she did watch alot of movies when she was sick, as well as read.
I don't know what movies she watched though, maybe someone else knows who has read DOI.

 

[Camper]

Eureka, partial quote from rashomon, brilliant I might add, MOO. Brilliant part in red!

"On November 29, a month before JonBenet's death, the movie "Dirty Harry" had aired on TBS in Boulder. In the movie, the kidnapper tells Clint Eastwood, "If you talk to anyone, I don't care if it's a Pekingese pissing against a lamppost, the girl dies."

And then there's "It sounds like you had a good rest. You'll need it." from the same movie. Compare that to the ransom note's "The delivery will be exhausting so I advise you to be rested."

But when putting it like that, the perp did not take into account the advice to be rested would have come too late, for John would hold the ransom note in his hands a few hours later (when the night was over), and would have had no time anymore to 'get a good rest'.


--->>>rashomon, this speaks, heck it hollers to me that the note was written BEFORE the murder day.

One of my current thoughts is that PR merely REWROTE/COPIED the note to disguise the handwriting. HOW would adding Victory to this perceived mess fall into any kind of mental conclusion by the writer of the NOTE?

.

 

[BBB167893]

"However, the hand writing analysis points to Patsy and so IF she is the one who wrote the note, I think it is most likely that is was dictated to her by a male movie buff."

You're not the first person to think that, Cypros. Is it possible, in your opinion, that PART of it was dictated and the rest was her?

"One of my current thoughts is that PR merely REWROTE/COPIED the note to disguise the handwriting. HOW would adding Victory to this perceived mess fall into any kind of mental conclusion by the writer of the NOTE?"

Camper, let me throw this out: do you think it could have been copied off of a computer? I'm just spitballing here.

 

[Holdontoyourhat]

There's no handwriting analysis that 'points to Patsy'.

 

[BBB167893]

Oh, yeah?

"handwriting showed indications the writer was Patsy Ramsey."-Chet Ubowski. He said that the only thing that kept him from saying with 100% certainty was the blots of ink on the paper, and that the exemplars don't suggest the full range of her handwriting.

"I found 51 points of comparison and similarity...in my professional opinion, Patsy Ramsey is the ransom note writer."-David Liebman, pres. of National Association of Document Examiners.

"Among the most telling areas of comparison are the shape, size, slant, continuity, arrangement and baseline of the ransom note and Patsy Ramsey's exemplars."-Tom Miller (who was prosecuted for saying so)

"No significant differences...100% certain."-Gideon Epstein, former head of document analysis at INS.

Larry Ziegler, former instructor to the FBI on document analysis, says she wrote it.

Need I go on?

 

[Britt]

Now, if a family member or friend said that she was a fan of Clint Eastwood, or just loved that movie "Ruthless People" I would humbly reconsider, but I just can't imagine it.

All it takes for the brain to store the phrases is exposure to them. It's not a gender-specific or movie-buff-specific thing.

Patsy was the creative one. She was the trained writer, the trained performer, the trained "stager."

 

[Holdontoyourhat]

Oh, yeah?

"handwriting showed indications the writer was Patsy Ramsey."-Chet Ubowski. He said that the only thing that kept him from saying with 100% certainty was the blots of ink on the paper, and that the exemplars don't suggest the full range of her handwriting.

"I found 51 points of comparison and similarity...in my professional opinion, Patsy Ramsey is the ransom note writer."-David Liebman, pres. of National Association of Document Examiners.

"Among the most telling areas of comparison are the shape, size, slant, continuity, arrangement and baseline of the ransom note and Patsy Ramsey's exemplars."-Tom Miller (who was prosecuted for saying so)

"No significant differences...100% certain."-Gideon Epstein, former head of document analysis at INS.

Larry Ziegler, former instructor to the FBI on document analysis, says she wrote it.

Need I go on?

A short handwritten signature is used to establish one's identity. If PR had written this long 2 1/2 page ransom note, she would have been identified as its author by multiple analysts almost instantly.

 

[sissi]

Yuck - what a vision....

John Ramsey reminds me of Bill O'Rieley.

Me too, a silver spoon republican kinda guy. Their facial features are similar,as well.

 

[BBB167893]

A short handwritten signature is used to establish one's identity. If PR had written this long 2 1/2 page ransom note, she would have been identified as its author by multiple analysts almost instantly.

You forget: a signature is much different than block printing and disguised writing.

 

[Holdontoyourhat]

You forget: a signature is much different than block printing and disguised writing.

Disguised writing is a claim. There's no proof the writing was disguised. In fact, the last few sentences of the RN have a smoother writing style.

Besides, do you really think JR's wife is going to spell business bussiness? While correcting other misspellings?!?

 

[Karole28]

Disguised writing is a claim. There's no proof the writing was disguised. In fact, the last few sentences of the RN have a smoother writing style.

Besides, do you really think JR's wife is going to spell business bussiness? While correcting other misspellings?!?

The note writer started the note attempting to deflect attention (bussiness) to the fact that they're well educated (attache`, scrutiny). At some point while writing, they became more focused on content and forgot to prompt themselves to misspell.

 

[Britt]

The note was art, not correspondence.

 

[Holdontoyourhat]

The note writer started the note attempting to deflect attention (bussiness) to the fact that they're well educated (attache`, scrutiny). At some point while writing, they became more focused on content and forgot to prompt themselves to misspell.

Using the the word 'attache' while deflecting attention from an education seems contradictory. Again, the idea that the note writer was attempting to deflect attention from their own education, is another claim.

 

[Karole28]

Using the the word 'attache' while deflecting attention from an education seems contradictory. Again, the idea that the note writer was attempting to deflect attention from their own education, is another claim.

It seems contradictory because it is contradictory. And hence they forgot to maintain the charade after becoming focused on the content in the note.