Burke Ramsey, has no interest in once again answering questions

[Peepers]

I agree DeeDee. B was 9, not 3 or 4. Seems like such a life changing event would kind of stick out in your memory. We were in a flood 14 years ago, my youngest son was only 4 and he remembers the details of escaping the water and such.
Even he if he had no memory of it, as an adult any normal person would want to find their sisters killer if they thought it was an intruder.

 

[Snarky247]

Burke's speech patterns, childhood behaviors etc suggest Asperger's Syndrome to me. As the mom & wife of an Aspie, I am NOT qualified to diagnose anyone - and even with my MA in Ed, I still am not qualified *there's my disclaimer* - but IF Burke were diagnosed by a qualified professional, that would explain much of the behavior we have seen or read via the media. The detachment regarding his sister's murder does not mean he did not love his sister or that he did not suffer the loss - it would simply be a common hallmark of the Aspie emotional process. When I Googled Burke & Asperger's, I have to admit I had a self-congratulatory moment when I saw how many other people have shared the same theory.

 

[wallflower67]

What would be the point of interviewing him now? He was 9 at the time and it was 15 years ago. With all that has happened, any facts or things that he might remember will be all jumbled up in his mind to the point of have little resemblance to reality by now. He would have no clear recollection of events leading up to her death because they would have been routine and unremarkable. No one has an accurate recollection under those circumstances, even at the time (and we are now 15 years on). The mind is not a tape recorder, memory does not work that way, it is a living thing that changes with time and the environment.

I've often wondered that maybe Burke isn't guilty of the murder but IS guilty of "playing doctor." If he talks now and admits to that, he may be afraid of being blamed for the murder too.

 

[JenniferTx]

I totally agree with everything you said JenniferTX! That is exactly what I think. WHY ISNT BURKE CONCERNED NOW AS AN ADULT IN FINDING HIS SISTERS KILLER?
I dont believe its because it was his parents. I think his parents fell on the sword for him.

Heck if JB would have been my sister and I were her brother (Burke) and someone killed my sister I would have wanted that person caught so they wouldn't have come back and killed me. I don't think he is concerned on finding the real killer because he knows he possible was the one responsible. I don't think he did it on purpose but something must had gone really wrong with them playing doctor that night. I know that 9 is very young but it has happened in the past.

 

[Mama-cita]

Our babysitter's grandson had a seizure at our house in 1983. I was 7. I can tell you how he looked while he was seizing (blue with his eyes rolling back and shaking all over), how many ambulances, fire trucks and police cars came (1 cop car, 3 ambulances and 2 firetrucks! Must have been a slow day!), and I can still hear my babysitter's voice as she called 911 to get the help there. Traumatic events stick in our heads. Look at the 2nd graders that were with President Bush on 9/11, ten years ago. They still remember the look on his face and they were 7. Maybe a 2 year old wouldn't remember. But by the time we are early elementary, a traumatic event will ingrain itself in our minds FOREVER. I was in 3rd grade when the Challenger crashed. I was 9. I still remember the look on Mrs. King's face when we came back from recess. She was sobbing. Her husband was a military pilot. She told us that the astronaut's families probably had the same worries she always did, and now their worst nightmare had come true. I can tell you this like it happened yesterday because it was a huge event. Ask anyone alive in the early 60s where they were when JFK was assassinated. They can probably even tell you what they were wearing. I have no doubt that Burke Ramsey knows a heck of a lot more than he is saying. I don't know if he is responsible. I do know, though, that there is a reason why he isn't talking. Likely because he will implicate his parents or himself.

 

[DeeDee249]

Burke's speech patterns, childhood behaviors etc suggest Asperger's Syndrome to me. As the mom & wife of an Aspie, I am NOT qualified to diagnose anyone - and even with my MA in Ed, I still am not qualified *there's my disclaimer* - but IF Burke were diagnosed by a qualified professional, that would explain much of the behavior we have seen or read via the media. The detachment regarding his sister's murder does not mean he did not love his sister or that he did not suffer the loss - it would simply be a common hallmark of the Aspie emotional process. When I Googled Burke & Asperger's, I have to admit I had a self-congratulatory moment when I saw how many other people have shared the same theory.

I totally agree. I have no experience with AS as far as my own family, but the son of a good friend has it. He is presently working on his PHD in Neuroscience. Never had a true friend. Brilliant, though.
BR's facial expressions, demeanor and behavior all seem AS to me. Like many with AS, as he grew older, he "blended in" more, the detachment was less obvious and his peers can "catch up" to him. He seems to have a normal life now. It will be interesting to see how his life plays out, especially after his father dies.

 

[FairM]

Burke's speech patterns, childhood behaviors etc suggest Asperger's Syndrome to me. As the mom & wife of an Aspie, I am NOT qualified to diagnose anyone - and even with my MA in Ed, I still am not qualified *there's my disclaimer* - but IF Burke were diagnosed by a qualified professional, that would explain much of the behavior we have seen or read via the media. The detachment regarding his sister's murder does not mean he did not love his sister or that he did not suffer the loss - it would simply be a common hallmark of the Aspie emotional process. When I Googled Burke & Asperger's, I have to admit I had a self-congratulatory moment when I saw how many other people have shared the same theory.

Poor Burke, imagine how YOU would feel if people were discussing you in this way? I can't believe people think it is ok to speculate about this sort of thing, whether he has or has not got Asperger's Syndrome has nothing to do with this case , and there is NO evidence he has it.
Detachment is also a halmark of children coping with a traumatic event and doesn't mean it is a sysmptom of a mental disorder.
Burke is a real person with thoughts and feelings , friends and family who would no doubt be upset about what is being "said" about him on message boards by people who don't know the first thing about him!!
Leave the poor kid alone!:banghead:

 

[Tugela]

Maybe, maybe not. His silence prevents anyone from finding whether he DOES, in fact, remember anything from that night.
It is his refusal to speak to LE about it, and his lawyer's refusal to allow it, that is suspicious.
This is an unsolved murder and it was his SISTER. Sometimes cases are solved because of a small fact remembered or something that did not seem important yet was pivotal in solving the case.
What is suspicious here is that he doesn't want to TRY to help.
Believe me, there are many people who would have perfect recall of a night a loved one was murdered at home, child or not.
I remember everything about the day a young cousin died as an infant, though I was only about 5 at the time. I even remember what we all were wearing. I remember the song playing on the radio and what her mother was cooking that day. And I remember every neighbor that came to the house that afternoon to see my aunt.

If they had allready spoken to him then speaking to him again will not add anything new other than what he has allready told them but distorted with time. If he has allready told everything he knows then he likely doesn't see the point. And there isn't one.

While people may have a recollection of a traumatic event, and while it may be vivid, it is not necessarily accurate, because that is not how memory works. It can change and still be vivid in your mind, just different. And you wouldnt know the difference because there would only be one thing you remember at a particular point in time, but it would just be wrong.

For example, when I was young I experienced a traumatic event and thought I remembered it clearly. But it was only much later in life when I gave it more thought and noticed that a whole lot of it didn't make sense and things couldn't have happened that way. Then I realized that I didn't remember it at all, instead what I remembered were the dramatized versions of the stories my family told. While it was traumatic for them, at the time I had no idea of the danger I was in, and just accepted everything as normal. So, my "memories" were basically their story and my mind filled in the rest. I suspect that something very similar happened to you, if you were 5 at the time and remember it clearly.

In any case, even in a situation where you experience trauma, you would not remember details before the trauma happened, because they were routine and unremarkable. So, for this kid, what happened before she was found would not be remembered. He would have vague memories at best, a whole lot of mental "backfilling" and all of that would be contaminated by other peoples versions of things, distorted by time and the different perspective you get as you get older and see the world with more experienced eyes.

 

[DeeDee249]

Poor Burke, imagine how YOU would feel if people were discussing you in this way? I can't believe people think it is ok to speculate about this sort of thing, whether he has or has not got Asperger's Syndrome has nothing to do with this case , and there is NO evidence he has it.
Detachment is also a halmark of children coping with a traumatic event and doesn't mean it is a sysmptom of a mental disorder.
Burke is a real person with thoughts and feelings , friends and family who would no doubt be upset about what is being "said" about him on message boards by people who don't know the first thing about him!!
Leave the poor kid alone!:banghead:

This case is public information. This is an unsolved child murder, and like it or not, ALL those present in the house at the time it happened are suspects, stated or not, Colorado law or not. IF and when the case is solved, and a NAMED person is found to be guilty, then all other suspects are cleared.
Until then, BR is part of this case, regardless of how he or anyone else feels about it.
The FACT is that his behavior WAS odd. This was his SISTER and he seemed not to really be affected by it. This CAN BE indicative of AS. His behavior can be seen as an important part of the case whether he was personally involved or not. His refusal to speak to police and his lawyer's refusal to allow it IS suspicious, like it or not. If he has nothing to add, an interview with LE will quickly determine that.
Bottom line- this is a DISCUSSION forum for this case. This is a perfectly appropriate matter for discussion. That's what the forum is for. No one is forced to read here or participate.
I think his "family and friends" should be more concerned with finding JB's killer.

 

[FairM]

Burke was ruled out as a suspect a long time ago. No it is not a "fact"that his behaviour was odd ,that is a matter of opinion. It is not unusual for children dealing with shock or trauma to react this way it does not mean they have a disorder. There is no evidence he had this disorder and in my opinion it is not fair to speculate about something that is not known to be true.

 

[UKGuy]

Burke was ruled out as a suspect a long time ago. No it is not a "fact"that his behaviour was odd ,that is a matter of opinion. It is not unusual for children dealing with shock or trauma to react this way it does not mean they have a disorder. There is no evidence he had this disorder and in my opinion it is not fair to speculate about something that is not known to be true.

FairM,
Ruled out does not equal innocent. He can also be ruled back in at any point in the future.

.

 

[FairM]

FairM,
Ruled out does not equal innocent. He can also be ruled back in at any point in the future.

.

I know that , that's not the point I am making. The fact is he was ruled out as a suspect a long time ago.

 

[geojeffrey]

Burke has NOT been ruled out. Investigations don't even work like that.

 

[DeeDee249]

I know that , that's not the point I am making. The fact is he was ruled out as a suspect a long time ago.

He wasn't ruled out. He was eliminated as a suspect because his age at the time of the crime prevented him from being considered a suspect. Big difference.
As I mentioned, on a discussion forum such as this, we may speculate on whatever we feel we need to. BR's behavior (and the possible reasons for it) is one of these things.
That does not mean all should agree or share the beliefs. But speculation on an UNSOLVED murder is pretty much going to be a certainty.

 

[FairM]

Burke has NOT been ruled out. Investigations don't even work like that.

He was officially declared a witness and NOT a suspect after the Grand Jury hearing.

 

[DeeDee249]

He was officially declared a witness and NOT a suspect after the Grand Jury hearing.

Once again....he was not ABLE to be declared a suspect because of his age. ANYONE present in the home at the time of the crime is considered both a witness and a suspect. BR was not legally able to be considered a suspect, and it wasn't because he was not a suspect. It was because his age prevented it.
Like it or not. Declaring him a witness was pretty much all they could do.

 

[BBB167893]

I've read both books, and I tend to believe the version written by the detective who has sacrificed his weekends and his nights and his holidays and his health and his career in the pursuit of JonBenét's killer.
I put less value on the version written by the child's parents, who now live their life of leisure in Atlanta, where they occasionally issue press statements calling the hard-working and fact-finding detective a "moron.''

Yeah, that's pretty much the way I see it too. Or has anyone ELSE noticed that the only time John Ramsey lifts a FINGER is when there's money to be made?

 

[BBB167893]

The motive the Rs were suggesting for LHP was money. Patsy stresses LHP's financial stress and the fact that she had asked to borrow money.
What Patsy wasn't able to do was explain how the sexual aspect of the crime would have involved LHP. As far as I am concerned, what rues out a sexual predator intruder is that the sexual aspects of the crime were hidden. A sexual predator/killer DISPLAYS his victims and advertises the sexual activity that has taken place or mutilates his victims in a sexual way. But JB's sexual assault wasn't discovered until the autopsy, and the Rs reacted defensively to being informed of it, rather than horrified and wanting to find the person who abused their daughter at all costs.
LHP and her family were all tested for a match to the DNA, and writing as well. NO match.
I believe the Rs had a list of people they planned to suggest to LE as possible perps. Among them were their friends the White's, one of JR's former employees and LHP. The White's and presumably the former employee (Merrick) had the education and means to defend themselves vigorously, and of course, the Rs knew there was nothing to really link them to the crime.
But LHP was much more vulnerable. There was still nothing to link her to the crime, but she was in a much less favorable position to defend herself against them.
JR set the wheels in motion within minutes of bring his daughter's body up from the basement- he looked Det. Arndt in the eye and said "This is an inside job". This DESPITE the RN and suggestion of a "small foreign faction". The Rs couldn't settle on which way they wanted to aim the blame, so they threw out as much as they could to see where it would stick.
It didn't really stick anywhere, did it? NO one they "suggested" was found to have any link at all to the crime, the body, the house, the RN.

Maybe not from an evidentiary standpoint, DD. But from a jury standpoint, that's something else.

 

[FairM]

He wasn't ruled out. He was eliminated as a suspect because his age at the time of the crime prevented him from being considered a suspect. Big difference.
As I mentioned, on a discussion forum such as this, we may speculate on whatever we feel we need to. BR's behavior (and the possible reasons for it) is one of these things.
That does not mean all should agree or share the beliefs. But speculation on an UNSOLVED murder is pretty much going to be a certainty.

His "age" prevented him being a suspect??? is that the law in Boulder? Because in the UK a child can be a suspect and charged with a crime at age 9 I don't understand why that doesn;t apply in the US?

He was ruled out as a suspect after the Grand Jury hearing. They obviously felt there wasn't sufficient evidence pointing towards him as the killer.

 

[FairM]

Burke has NOT been ruled out. Investigations don't even work like that.

Oh so someone with an alibi isn't ruled out of an investigation? that doesn't make any sense. people are ruled out for various reasons. Burke was ruled out.