JonBenét Ramsey Case: My Theory & Key Questions

[Ponytale]

There is no doubt that the head blow came first. Completely agree. What's not well known is that people can die very quickly after such an injury. You don't have to cone to die. You can get neuropathic signals that causes your heart to stop. This is well described.

The strangulation is way more contentious.
IMHO There is evidence that that suggests the garrotte was applied after she was already dead for at least 4 hours. The evidence for this is the lack of soft tissue Haemorrhage in the deep tissues of the neck on autopsy. The correct specimen to affirm this was never taken. A biopsy through the ligature site was the correct next step, but for some unknown reason JBR was whisked away to Georgia to be buried. To this day, I am unsure why her body was released so quickly.

My scenario using my knowledge of the Autopsy. IMHO
1. JBR hit on head by blunt object. About Midnight.
2. Dies laying face down. (evidence of anterior urine stains on undies and anterior purpura in cardiac sack)
3. Body moved about 4 am and turned over onto back. Livedo on back.
4. Ligature applied to neck. careful examination of ligatures more consistent with post mortem abrasion than post strangulation petechiae/purpura. (If Images internet are real). Lack of changes posterior neck indicates livedo had already settled anteriorly when ligature was applied (about 4 hours.)
5. Ligatures on wrist applied after death. (Images internet if real.) The ligature marks should be blanched if applied while alive.

I really like your analysis, thank you.
The suggested time frame really tells a story, doesn't it? It aligns pretty well with my theory of what happened...

- She was SAd that night. Possibly in her bedroom, soon after they got home from the Whites. If the assaulter was John, maybe he did it while she read to her - he first said that he read to her after she was in bed. Later he needed to change his story so that no-one could think that he assaulted her. Just a possibility... She then was wiped down. She bled and changed her underwear and nightgown by herself in her room, choosing to put on the new size 12 underwear and the long johns. She came down and grabbed a pineapple snack with her fingers.
- Soon after that, an accidental head blow occurred somewhere in the house (possibly in the kitchen area because of the location of the flash light and the pineapple). In my theory, I believe that it was Burke who hit her in a fit of rage, not meaning to kill her. Patsy and John are called to the scene by Burke, who is possibly crying and panicking after witnessing JB falling down on the floor and not waking up or responding.
- She is then moved to the basement by Patsy and John after they send Burke away to bed, since they don't have the time at that point to deal with panicking Burke hovering and crying around. That way he would not be in the way asking questions. After desperately trying to wake her up without any visible signs of life from her, they decide to move her away to the basement so that Burke (or anyone else, like the neighbors) do not hear or see anything. There they have time to feel all the emotions that they must have had and think it all through by themselves.
- They must have been trying to figure it all out and after multiple attempts to make her regain her consciousness, they possibly come to the conclusion that she is already dead (or brain dead). If they first placed her face down on the carpet and she did die soon after, they must have seen the urine and knew that she was indeed dead. They turn her on her back and check her for any signs of life. Now all the planning begins. Panic, maybe calls to somewhere. What to do? As they may have up to 4 hours, they have time to write the note and think it all through after the initial panic and shock has settled down a bit.
- They come to a mutual decision (possibly also by someone else guiding them via phone) that they need to cover it all up. I see different reasons here why they would have chosen to go that way. Since she was already dead at that point (urine, and they also saw her skin turning pale and lips blue after some time had passed), they move her over to the wine cellar, apply the ligature on her neck and arms (or they apply the ligatures while still lying on the carpet and move her soon after).
- They bring her blood stained nightgown down from her room with her blanket on purpose - they wanted to make it look like a crazy, sexually motivated monster, did it to her. The bloody nightgown had a role to play if she indeed did bleed on it after the SA. But still, their hearts could not allow to leave their beloved daughter lying on that cold, damp floor. So they wrap her in the blanket and leave her lying there on her back, just like she would be in her soft bed, leaving her waiting to be found.
- If we go with the suggested time frame, by that time it would have been almost 5 am in the morning. They do some last minute arrangements up stairs - wipe down the flash light, rehearse their story for the 911 call, hide JBs bloody underwear that she took off in her room, make their bed look like it was slept in, possibly check on Burke to see if he was in his bed sleeping, etc...
And as it was the time for the call, some things just went un-noticed, like the pineapple left on the table and practice ransom notes in the pad...

Just one possibility and all only my opinion.

 

[Swirlz]

I'm totally unclear as to how people are drawing the conclusion Burke delivered the head blow.

Patsy is linked by her physical evidence to strangulation. John is linked by his physical evidence to SA.

JBR's party pants, vest and boots are in a heap right inside her door. Her toilet contains unflushed waste. A pair of her soiled pants are inside out on her bathroom floor. The top Patsy said she put JBR to bed in is on top of JBR's bathroom sink. Patsy bursts into tears when shown a pic of it. (This is one of only two times PR breaks down during police interviews, the other time being during questioning about abuse of herself or her sisters in her family of origin.) This is the top Patsy admitted to arguing with JBR about earlier in the day. JBR's bedroom is neat but a pageant trophy from a shelf too high up for JBR to be able to reach has been knocked down. A diaper package is pulled partway off of JBR's shelf, like someone started to take it out but got distracted. Post-homicide Burke is asked a series of detailed questions about JBR's toileting problems and how his parents respond to this; during this portion of questioning, Burke curls all the way up into a fetal position in his chair.

According to a former maid, Patsy would take JBR into the bathroom with her after she'd wet the bed and the maid would hear screams coming from the bathroom. There's a photo of JBR pre-homicide where her arm is exposed and an obvious thumbprint bruise is visible.

All 3 members of the family are asked about JBR's toileting problems. John claims he didn't know about it although a maid said John knew JBR wet the bed. Burke will only say JBR wet her bed but he wraps his arms around his knees and pulls his head down while answering the questions. Patsy will only admit to JBR wiping poorly. But there are multiple other sources for JBR having had repeated soiling accidents; her school, Nedra, the Whites.

This is all pointing very much toward an adult having lost their temper.

 

[Ponytale]

All true, but nothing about that can actually exclude Burke from being the one who delivered the head blow. And that is why some can not exclude Burke from their theories. All three were in the house at the time of the murder. You do not need anything specific to link Burke. You can run by a person, whacking him on the head with an object as you run by, without leaving any physical evidence behind. All theories are valid. IMO

 

[Swirlz]

All theories are valid. IMO

We'll have to agree to disagree about that.

 

[CloudedTruth]

I'm totally unclear as to how people are drawing the conclusion Burke delivered the head blow.

Patsy is linked by her physical evidence to strangulation. John is linked by his physical evidence to SA.

JBR's party pants, vest and boots are in a heap right inside her door. Her toilet contains unflushed waste. A pair of her soiled pants are inside out on her bathroom floor. The top Patsy said she put JBR to bed in is on top of JBR's bathroom sink. Patsy bursts into tears when shown a pic of it. (This is one of only two times PR breaks down during police interviews, the other time being during questioning about abuse of herself or her sisters in her family of origin.) This is the top Patsy admitted to arguing with JBR about earlier in the day. JBR's bedroom is neat but a pageant trophy from a shelf too high up for JBR to be able to reach has been knocked down. A diaper package is pulled partway off of JBR's shelf, like someone started to take it out but got distracted. Post-homicide Burke is asked a series of detailed questions about JBR's toileting problems and how his parents respond to this; during this portion of questioning, Burke curls all the way up into a fetal position in his chair.

According to a former maid, Patsy would take JBR into the bathroom with her after she'd wet the bed and the maid would hear screams coming from the bathroom. There's a photo of JBR pre-homicide where her arm is exposed and an obvious thumbprint bruise is visible.

All 3 members of the family are asked about JBR's toileting problems. John claims he didn't know about it although a maid said John knew JBR wet the bed. Burke will only say JBR wet her bed but he wraps his arms around his knees and pulls his head down while answering the questions. Patsy will only admit to JBR wiping poorly. But there are multiple other sources for JBR having had repeated soiling accidents; her school, Nedra, the Whites.

This is all pointing very much toward an adult having lost their temper.

Totally agree.

We have seen pictures of PR and JB together where PR has that tight grip on poor JB’s arm. It has always sent shivers down my spine. PR’s personality was OTT dramatic. And this was at a time (the holidays) when she was under even more stress than usual. She was in charge of the kids, the holiday decorations and parties, all the shopping and wrapping, the cards and holiday letter, etc. She was about to turn 40 which can be somewhat traumatic for some women, especially a former beauty queen who exhibited concerns about her looks and appearance (plastic surgeries) and who was in early menopause from her cancer surgery and treatment.

There is scant evidence, mostly just rumor of BR being violent or jealous. The blow to the head was a very deliberate motion likely done in a moment of blind rage IMO.

PR and JB had a history of fighting when JB did not want to bend to PR’s will. And PR liked to control. She has a history of impulsive acts born out of anger and frustration……like chopping JB’s hair off because she rebelled against PR brushing when it was too aggressive.

 

[proust20]

The person who delivered the head blow meant to, at least, hurt JonBenet. It's devastating effect may have been accidental, but the act itself was deliberate, if not well calculated. The lack of visible bleeding should have surprised or confused the attacker. Did she seem to them alive, dead, in a coma?

To step back, of course there was a trigger for the brutality. IMHO pineapple-snatching is not convincing. If the pineapple had set events in motion, the parents wouldn't have left it on the counter. They'd have been prepared for the autopsy findings. Patsy would have removed the spoon! This is not to rule out BDI. Burke told Dr. Bernhard that someone had a knife, and led JB down to the basement. That storyline is not one of impulsive fury.

If the blow were first, JB was rendered unconscious. Had she screamed? (2am?) Then there was a minimum of half an hour before the asphyxiation, which was cause of death. For some grotesque reason, a ligature was fashioned. As we all know, this was made with PR's paintbrush. One complication of the R case is whether the person who struck JonBenet was also the same one who used the ligature. Likewise, was the abuser also the killer?

The medical opinion is mostly blow first. However, the ligature as cover for the head blow seems IMO less likely than the other way around. The SA is the most salient motive. I do not see the head blow by an abuser while abusing. The ligature could by used by that someone, and sometimes is in such situations. Then again, the killer may have only been aware of the chronic condition, and staged a final assault to frame another family member, who had been responsible for what was going on.

Of course, the choice of the PR's paintbrush is peculiar. Her entangled fibers are good evidence against her. Using her brush would be a self incriminating selection. If she had struck JB in a rage, by the time the ligature was applied, she'd have had time to calm down, and plot the next move. So then ,she decides on using her own brush which she recalls is now in the basement? So, down she picks up JB and carries her the flights of stairs, and doing all this without awakening John? As the WC staging indicates knowledge of the SA, If Patsy were not the abuser herself, certainly then she was aware of JB's victimization.