Could Burke Have Written the Ransom Note?

[angelwngs]

"Burke is a busy fourth grader where he really shines in math and spelling.
He played flag football this fall and is currently on a basketball binge! His
little league team was #1. He's lost just about all of his baby teeth, so I'm sure
we'll be seeing the orthodontist in 1997!"

Quote from PR's 1996 Christmas Newsletter found at acandyrose site under handwriting samples.

I taught elementary school. Several of those years were teaching 4th grade. It is as plausible that Burke Ramsey wrote the ransom note, as it is that I'll ever contact JMK and offer him a job directing a daycare center that my future grandchildren would attend.

After reviewing the linguistics of Patsy's writings, it seems very improbable to me THAT SHE COULD HAVE constructed the ransom note.

 

[calicocat]

Where did Patsy say that JB was better off dead?

 

[angelwngs]

Where did Patsy say that JB was better off dead?

What I read was that she said words to the effect of: JBR will never have to go through finding out she has cancer and endure its treatments and she will never have to bury her own child....

I'll see if I can find a link...

 

[icedtea4me]

Patsy alluded to this during the Jan 1, 1997 CNN interview.


-Tea

 

[Cypros]

I taught college freshmen (competitive program, all A students, high SAT scores, etc.) for most of the past decade. Few of any of those kids could have written the ransom note; the vocabulary includes too many words that even teens don't use. (I think Cypros will back me up here.)

Yep, yep, yep!! I usually do!

 

[angelwngs]

John Ramsey had remarked during an interview that he thought the ransom note sounded childish, ~snip~QUOTE]

If John had written or dictated the note himself, I wonder if he would have ever said that he thought it sounded childish? I doubt that he would have.

If we imagine that he was NOT involved in JBR's murder nor that he was involved in the note, but that Patsy was possibly involved in both, would John have made that comment? I think it is very possible that he could still have said that.

IMO, most males would not intentionally use the word "childish" in association with anything that they themselves had constructed, even if they were trying to throw off accusations. (But it is reasonable that Patsy could have indeed composed and written what is normally considered to be a 'masculine' tone ransom note and that because she was a feminine female through and through, the result seemed 'childish' to John.) In that context, the word "childish" would mean WITHOUT the usual "Masculine" coherent tone of most ransom notes.

Maybe Patsy orchestrated the entire cover-up after the rage/accidental blow to the head and John knew nothing of it until he found JonBenet the next morning.

Maybe that was the source of the 'rage' Linda Ardnt saw in John Ramsey's face and feared so much when she counted her ammunition in fear of John Ramsey on the 26th. Maybe at that moment he had no idea who killed JonBenet. Maybe he still doesn't know for sure.

 

[rashomon]

John Ramsey had remarked during an interview that he thought the ransom note sounded childish, ~snip~QUOTE]

If John had written or dictated the note himself, I wonder if he would have ever said that he thought it sounded childish? I doubt that he would have.

If we imagine that he was NOT involved in JBR's murder nor that he was involved in the note, but that Patsy was possibly involved in both, would John have made that comment? I think it is very possible that he could still have said that.

IMO, most males would not intentionally use the word "childish" in association with anything that they themselves had constructed, even if they were trying to throw off accusations. (But it is reasonable that Patsy could have indeed composed and written what is normally considered to be a 'masculine' tone ransom note and that because she was a feminine female through and through, the result seemed 'childish' to John.) In that context, the word "childish" would mean WITHOUT the usual "Masculine" coherent tone of most ransom notes.

Maybe Patsy orchestrated the entire cover-up after the rage/accidental blow to the head and John knew nothing of it until he found JonBenet the next morning.

Maybe that was the source of the 'rage' Linda Ardnt saw in John Ramsey's face and feared so much when she counted her ammunition in fear of John Ramsey on the 26th. Maybe at that moment he had no idea who killed JonBenet. Maybe he still doesn't know for sure.

Jmpo, but I can't imagine Patsy having had the nerve to pull all this staging through for hours without John's help.

Maybe the look Linda Arndt saw in John's face was not 'rage', but his own emotional turmoil shining through - he knew he had aided Patsy in the staging and feared that Det. Arndt might put two and two together immediately.

I think Patsy wrote the note, but that John knew about it. Maybe he left it to her because he thought that she with her jounalistic skills might do it convincingly.
Good thought angelwngs, in terms of the childish aspect of the note being the result of a 'feminine female through and through' trying to sound like some hard-boiled kidnapper.

 

[Solace]

Jmpo, but I can't imagine Patsy having had the nerve to pull all this staging through for hours without John's help.

Maybe the look Linda Arndt saw in John's face was not 'rage', but his own emotional turmoil shining through - he knew he had aided Patsy in the staging and feared that Det. Arndt might put two and two together immediately.

I think Patsy wrote the note, but that John knew about it. Maybe he left it to her because he thought that she with her jounalistic skills might do it convincingly.
Good thought angelwngs, in terms of the childish aspect of the note being the result of a 'feminine female through and through' trying to sound like some hard-boiled kidnapper.

Rash,

I forgot about the journalistic part of it all. I bet you are right about that.

 

[Nova]

Good point, Angelwings. I never thought of it before, but I doubt JR would describe his own writing as "childish," unless he had written the RN in what he thought was a juvenile "voice." But why would he do that? Whoever wrote the RN was trying to sound like a small foreign faction of ruthless kidnappers.

 

[Nova]

Nova, you are so right! I teach English 9-12 and I'm telling you, my brightest students wouldn't write that note even if they could. Syntax is all wrong. No way. It's true, they avoid any lengthy writing. This dislike of writing is epidemic. Much to my chagrin.


Eve

Tragic, ain't it? One year I discovered that the undergrads in our program could graduate without ever writing a paper of more than 5 pages in length. So since I was teaching a required, critical studies course, I assigned a 15-20 page research paper as a large part of their grade. (And I set up steps to help them through it, such as turning in a bibliography, outline, etc..)

You'd have thought I'd forced them to clean latrines the way they carried on!

 

[Veronica10]

Burke did not write the ransom note, Patsy did. I also do not believe that Burke had anything to do with JBR's death. It was Patsy that killed JBR, she would never risk taking the fall for anyone else but herself. I believe Patsy smashed her skull in a rage incident, JBR was obviously so hurt (comatose, brain-dead), Patsy knew this could not be explained away as an accident...you know the events that follow.

I think Burke acted so strangely that morning because John scared the crap out of him warning him to keep his mouth shut.

 

[BBB167893]

That woman couldn't do anything half-a$$ed! (Thank you, Toltec!)

 

[azwriter]

The ransom letter (as I call it) is full of interesting clues.
For instance - it's been suggested the writer had a lot of time to compose the letter but I doubt it. The lack of specifics on crutial instructions shows the letter is a fake and possibly written in a hurry.
If I were a kidnapper my goal would be the money.
So, I would strive to make the instructions on exchanging the child for the money very clear.
Instead we have a letter where the division of the money in the type of bills and even what the money should be put in is written out very plainly. But, the exact date and time of the exchange or further directions on the next contact is glossed over or confusing. This omission sticks out like a sore thumb.
The writer says the Ramseys will be contacted tomorrow. The reader of the letter is left with a gapping hole in the time line. There is no indication when this letter and instructions were written. The reader has to wonder - tomorrow? Was the letter written last night and today is that tomorrow - or was the letter written this morning and tomorrow means the day after today?
I assume if the goal is money, the instructions for the Ramseys to deliver the money would be crystal clear. It's not.
The writer introduces him or herself as a small foreign faction. However, this small group of kidnappers completely missed out on specific ways to collect its ransom money.
Whoever wrote the letter was not concerned with instructions on being assured of getting the money because they knew there would never be an exchange of Jonbenet for ransom.
But this letter also contains plenty of threats about death. The parents are warned over and over in several dramatic ways their daughter would die if certain actions were carried out; even down to talking to a stray dog.
Besides its unusual length, the letter, although handwritten, follows the lay out a journalist would use for typing an article for publication. Wide indents, proofreader marks, style of writing time, dates and the lack of over punctuation. Journalists are taught to never use more than one exclamation point at the end of a sentence. Never more than one! But we see it all the time, when a point is being stressed. The nonprofessional writer uses two or more exclamations points. You can see that in many of the posts in this site.(Not that I'm correcting anyone's writing).
Since I spent 20 plus years earning my living as a reporter/writer the style of the letter jumps out as very familiar to me. I'm very comfortable writing in that format. In fact a casual letter to my sister would end up looking like the format for a press release when I write it. It's tough to drop the habit.
Patty, as you know graduated with a journalism degree.
I will always believe Patty wrote the letter while John dictated the contents. She embelished on some of the letter to make it more frightening.
The ransom letter was written for one reason! To cover up the real reason behind Jonbenet's death.
JMO of course.

 

[BBB167893]

"The ransom letter was written for one reason! To cover up the real reason behind Jonbenet's death."

I believe the words the FBI used were "staging within staging."

 

[Eagle1]

......................
And what's more, most modern kids will do anything to avoid writing at length. They've grown up on TV commercials, music videos and the internet. They simply don't write at length, particularly not by hand.

Yes, just what I was thinking, they have to be assigned compositions or they will not write much at all. Plus, I don't think they typically know anything about the foreign faction and beheading type of thing. That sounds radical political.