John Ramsey and ransom note...

[AuDHD]

Though Steve Thomas doesn't speculate in his book that Patsy wrote the note to fool John, Thomas does say that John must have recognized his wife's writing mannerisms all over it. There are elements of the note that relate to John and which he acknowledged: a reference to his Atlanta Fat Cats club, his net 1996 bonus. There are things he was probably not aware of for some time, to wit, the S.B.T.C. sign-off from the open Bible on the desk in his third-floor study.

There are words taken from the Tom Clancy books John liked to read. In '98 the police asked Patsy if she read Tom Clancy. (The transcript spells it "Clancey.")

So my conclusion is that Patsy didn't write the note to fool John--or even the police in the long term. She wrote the note to implicate John.

i think it was intentionally lengthy and pointing at multiple family members in order to confuse investigators and make it hard to pin on any one Ramsey.

 

[proust20]

While Patsy likely penned the RN, John could have been assisting her. "Listen carefully!" could have been his instruction. He'd be used to dictating at the office.

The 118k may be a way of pointing to someone with whom JR worked? Professional jealousy and animosity was high on the Rs list of motives.

The FF is aware of the American South as a distinct region, and thus that John has relocated to CO.

 

[InstantProof]

If PR wrote the RN, how or why did JR consent or allow it to ever be seen?
He seems too intelligent to allow such an obviously fake note to be the foundation of the kidnap staging.

I think arrogance played part in the cover-up and they weren't too worried beyond setting up that someone else did it. I also suspect Patsy continued with the note after John thought it was done (maybe while he was in the shower).

 

[ispywithmylittleeye]

i think it was intentionally lengthy and pointing at multiple family members in order to confuse investigators and make it hard to pin on any one Ramsey.

This!⬆I think this is were legal advice began. Who could better help build a beyond a reasonable doubt scenario?

 

[proust20]

The RN was necessary to have something to say during the 911. Both are parts of the same scenario.

The Rs could not show up at the airport for the scheduled out of state flight without JonBenet. This flight imposed a deadline for the last reasonable time at which JB could be reported 'missing'. ("We have a kidnapping.")

 

[Cranberry]

The RN was necessary to have something to say during the 911. Both are parts of the same scenario.

The Rs could not show up at the airport for the scheduled out of state flight without JonBenet. This flight imposed a deadline for the last reasonable time at which JB could be reported 'missing'. ("We have a kidnapping.")

Exactly also IMO JR's family enroute to 15th St imposed a deadline for JBR to be 'found'.

 

[Meara]

This is really interesting. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. When do coincidences become not so coincidental?

Drawing in what you said, do you think there could be a scenario of premeditation to Jonbenet's murder? Or would you suggest that these memories came back to aid the set up when parents were in chaos after an accident?

Thanks for your comment and my apologies for this very late reply. I was away from the board till now. To your question, I don't think we can know for sure whether the murder was/wasn't premeditated. It's a very perceptive question. You're asking whether the observable parallels to the L&L case also point to premeditation in JBR's murder. The fact that it happened Christmas night despite severe weather that might well have discouraged/pointed away from an intruder could support a theory of premeditation; i.e., for some reason in PR's mind, it had to happen that night no matter what. Just for myself, though, I think it's more likely that memories both conscious and unconscious informed Patsy's internal process and actions. "When do coincidences become not so coincidental?" Indeed. I am biased, of course. If physical and circumstantial evidence could solve this case, it would be solved by now. For a long time I was in the BDI camp but now believe understanding PR's psyche is the key. And she does unconsciously leak a lot of information.

 

[tricia]

Tonight at 10:30 PM EASTERN We will go over our JonBenet Ramsey Dec 26th case evidence.
CLICK HERE AT 10:30 PM EASTERN TONIGHT ON WEBSLEUTHS YOUTUBE LIVE

 

[ispywithmylittleeye]

While the note was a big risk, time pressure left few options. But you've got me questioning.....

I think Patsy wrote the note and have accepted the view that it was her exaggerated idea of what a ransom note should be. Instead of three sentences it was three pages. It was needlessly dramatic and descriptive, verging on personal bullying towards the end. JonBenet was dead, and they were going to have to call the police. And then what? Maybe the long descriptions of what John was supposed to do and not do was a way of filling in the blank on the other side of that phone call, of gaining some sense of control.

But was it really just typical OTT Patsy? I’m now rethinking that view. Patsy and John liked movies, had a collection of DVDs and posters, and a retractable movie screen installed in their bedroom The RN incorporated lines from various films. Patsy was a writer. She had worked in public relations and was alert to language and presentation. She knew perfectly well what a real ransom note was like! So why have we accepted this idea that Patsy didn't realize she'd penned a highly questionable fake? And once we remove the idea we have to ask why, in the midst of her awful situation, did she spend considerable time and effort to write the “War and Peace” version when a terse one would have been more realistic and far less taxing?

If Patsy had written a typical ransom note, what would have been different? No memorable story of the three pages spread across the stair step. Minimal deflection of suspicion and no suggestions of possible suspects. When the call didn’t happen, all suspicion would have fallen directly on John and Patsy. More police officers would have been sent in, the house would have been thoroughly searched and JBR’s body found. The discovery scene would have been preserved. Concealed evidence might have been found. John and Patsy would have been questioned right away, separately, or taken into custody if they refused to talk before hiring a lawyer. In short, the whole course of things would have been different. I believe Patsy wrote the long RN not just to invent a kidnapper but, in a sense, to conjure him up; to give him a voice, a motive, feelings, actions, variations, a presence that made him seem real - real enough, at any rate, to skew the investigation.

I don’t think the shifts in the RN from "we" to "I", from "Mr. Ramsey" to "John", and from formality to mocking familiarity were either planned or done by mistake. Patsy was an actor and she was improvising a monologue on paper just as she had once done aloud; and I do think there was unconscious purpose at work in it, as there is in all creativity. Did it create scattershot clues meant to point in contradictory directions? That was certainly the effect. Police couldn't zero in on or rule out any one person or group. Was the kidnapper/then killer someone who matched the aloofness of the opening sentences or the taunting vibe of the closing ones? Someone who wanted to strike at John's company or at John personally? Someone educated enough to write "attache'" with the accent or someone who couldn't spell "business" and "possession"? Someone blunt enough to threaten beheading or sneaky enough to misspell words on purpose? Someone bold enough to fake a kidnapping and murder JBR while the family slept or someone too indifferent to demand more than $118,000 from a multimillionaire (money that would have to be divided among the perps, don’t forget. If there were three of them, they wouldn’t even get $40,000 apiece.)? In addition to conjuring a kidnapper with the ransom note, Patsy at some level also meant to hand police a puzzle that couldn’t be solved.

Thanks for getting me thinking about this. I’m also rethinking whether the RN was written to fool John, but that’s for a separate post. God knows this one's long enough.

My gut says they both participated in the note. There was too much that needed to be accomplished that night for one person. I also think they had help due to the missing phone records. If I had to guess, my guess would be attornies, Beuff, and Lockheed Martin were called. I put these calls in JRs arena.. Just some thoughts ....

 

[Cassie P]

They might have written it together - John knew and was there at the time Patsy wrote it. Maybe he was even telling Patsy what to write, at least in some parts. In my opinion, the length, style and the nonsense written in it is deliberate. It is to add confusion to it, and IMO, it serves it purpose well. And I sometimes think that this "absurd" ransom note is what has saved them the whole time.

I agree John and Patsy wrote the note together. At least he gave her the talking points so she could write it up. While he did the rest of the crime scene staging. John was well aware that a "foreign faction" involvement in the crime would kick in the Lockhead (federal contractor) protocol and give him another layer of protection from the police investigation.

 

[Cassie P]

If PR wrote the RN, how or why did JR consent or allow it to ever be seen?
He seems too intelligent to allow such an obviously fake note to be the foundation of the kidnap staging.

The Ramsey Ransom note was actually quite clever and well written, especially when both authors were under considerable stress, pressure, time line, and facing jail time.

It is was remarkable document given all the constraints. It is obvious it had to be written by both John and Patsy. Patsy was the dramatic one, with the ability to weave a fanciful tale. John, the ex military pilot, a leader in an emergency and the brains of the operation.

They set forth all their staging goals and cover up strategy in the RN. It was not a Ransom Note, it was a staging document.

A few examples: The RN stated the cover story of a kidnapping, and that the body would be found outside the home. It gave a reason for John to be seen leaving the house with a suitcase (for the pretend ransom money). Gives him a way to move the body out of the house.

Sets up a foreign faction story line to kick in the Lockhead security protocol. Sets up the housekeeper by writing the note as if a poorly educated person wrote it.

 

[gumshoe1]

The RN was necessary to have something to say during the 911. Both are parts of the same scenario.

No. The ransom note was not necessary to have something to say during the 911 call. The fact that John and Patsy woke up on December 26 with JonBenet missing would be reason enough to call 911 even without a ransom note.

The ransom note was necessary because with JonBenet's dead body in the house and without the ransom note, it would be extremely obvious that one of the Ramseys killed JonBenet. The Ramseys were the only people in the house. Patsy wrote the ransom note to provide "evidence" that an intruder was in the house. Patsy wrote the long ransom note to get everyone focused on the note instead of making the obvious conclusion that RDI.

The Rs could not show up at the airport for the scheduled out of state flight without JonBenet. This flight imposed a deadline for the last reasonable time at which JB could be reported 'missing'. ("We have a kidnapping.")

That is true.

 

[bdsjr]

It is possible for an unknown suspect to sneak into and out of a large house, undetected, at any time while someone is either away or asleep. That's been happening since the invention of houses.

 

[gumshoe1]

It is possible for an unknown suspect to sneak into and out of a large house, undetected, at any time while someone is either away or asleep. That's been happening since the invention of houses.

Yes but there would be no evidence of an intruder without the ransom note. With no signs of a break-in, anyone with a brain would immediately conclude that RDI without the ransom note. Patsy got everyone focusing on the ransom note instead of making the obvious conclusion that RDI.

Without the ransom note, there would be no IDI theorists.

 

[Lebowski]

It is possible for an unknown suspect to sneak into and out of a large house, undetected, at any time while someone is either away or asleep. That's been happening since the invention of houses.

yes, but it's hard to see how in this case. no footprints observed in the snow by any of several officers who looked for them. doors and windows all locked, as reported both by JR and the first officer (french) on the scene. no signs of forced entry except the ones caused by JR months earlier when he locked himself out of the house. undisturbed cobwebs connecting the grate over the broken window to the vegetation below it. very few people given keys, and all of them named and investigated thoroughly. no keys lost or stolen. no dirt or debris tracked inside, despite the ground being wet.

the only possibilities i can still see are the intruder 1) surreptitiously copying a key or 2) picking a lock. but both of those still have the lack of footprints outside problem, and the lack of debris tracked inside. and an intruder who spent an unusually long time hanging out in the house after murdering JBR, was comfortable visiting all four floors, and was able to find a number of specific items. and did it all without waking anyone up.

plus IIUC lock picking in home invasions is pretty rare, and a bit rarer without leaving evidence. and it's high-risk behavior, because it takes time and looks suspicious. it helps avoid detection in some ways but increases the risk in others. it would also show planning which would be odd given the lack of planning evident with the ransom note.

 

[Lebowski]

Yes but there would be no evidence of an intruder without the ransom note. With no signs of a break-in, anyone with a brain would immediately conclude that RDI without the ransom note. Patsy got everyone focusing on the ransom note instead of making the obvious conclusion that RDI.

Without the ransom note, there would be no IDI theorists.

slight overstatement. the DNA evidence is also evidence for an intruder.

it's very weak evidence, because it's of a type that is prone to transfer and contamination. one of the detectives did that experiment where he bought packages of new underwear and half of them had touch DNA from random people upsteam in the manufacturing and packaging processing.

but yeah AFAIK those two are the total evidence for IDI. a fake ransom note and very weak DNA evidence.

 

[CloudedTruth]

The Ramsey Ransom note was actually quite clever and well written, especially when both authors were under considerable stress, pressure, time line, and facing jail time.

It is was remarkable document given all the constraints. It is obvious it had to be written by both John and Patsy. Patsy was the dramatic one, with the ability to weave a fanciful tale. John, the ex military pilot, a leader in an emergency and the brains of the operation.

They set forth all their staging goals and cover up strategy in the RN. It was not a Ransom Note, it was a staging document.

A few examples: The RN stated the cover story of a kidnapping, and that the body would be found outside the home. It gave a reason for John to be seen leaving the house with a suitcase (for the pretend ransom money). Gives him a way to move the body out of the house.

Sets up a foreign faction story line to kick in the Lockhead security protocol. Sets up the housekeeper by writing the note as if a poorly educated person wrote it.

But perhaps that's where JR made an error......he did not follow that Lockheed Martin security protocol. And as an officer of the company, he would've had to agree to do exactly that in a kidnapping circumstance. Yet he didn't. And seemingly has never been called out on that. Why?

And that brings up some interesting questions that remain unanswered for me.

Lockheed Martin as a well known international defense contractor had an expert security team with well detailed laid out protocol specific to a kidnapping situation. JR would've been well aware of this. The Ransom Note was very specific and graphic about what would happen if the Ramseys did not follow the instructions to a T, which included how their daughter would die if they contacted police. It also included that they were being watched. So what do they do? Not only to they call police (911), they do not relay any of the instructions of the ransom note that speaks to being watched and the danger of the life of JB should police be called. No request for the need to be discreet. Then, to add insult to injury as it were, they call the friends over so that there is a spectacle at the house of police presence and friends that was as obvious as the nose on your face.

Notifying LM first would have been the most appropriate and best response to an actual kidnapping, as they would've gone straight into protocol mode in a discreet manner in which to fool the kidnappers and hopefully preserve the life of the child. They probably also would've called the FBI for tactical assistance. They would've helped in the coordination of obtaining the ransom money and the drop off. This is what their expertise was. JR at one point makes a comment about calling up the National Guard to show how committed he was to getting back his daughter, and yet all the while having foremost experts in handling this exact kind of incident, he never uses the greatest asset at his disposal. Ensuring the death of their daughter by their actions as specified by the ransom note. The Lockheed Martin security protocol never kicked in. They had to be informed in order for that to happen. IMO this was a huge flaw in the plan. Implicating a business associate is one thing, but by adding the element of a "foreign faction" is another. And LM's response in the aftermath is of interest too......were they upset at JR not following their protocol? It would seem they were not. Kind of a red flag that points to knowledge that there was no real kidnapping threat.

As Donald Freed reported, someone made them aware of the situation and they were advised it wasn't an issue that they needed to be concerned about. The order was, "let the police handle it".