Just a theory about JBR case

[Swirlz]

I watched The Case of JonBenet and the team suggests it was Burke.

They're reading from off of a script.

 

[Ponytale]

I watched The Case of JonBenet and the team suggests it was Burke.

Yes they do, as does Kolar and many sleuths out there. I believe it was Buke who hit her on the head, but did not do or know about the rest of it (staging). IMO

 

[Curious dog]

Yes they do, as does Kolar and many sleuths out there. I believe it was Buke who hit her on the head, but did not do or know about the rest of it (staging). IMO

I think there is so much speculation about relatively minor aspects of this case that the important things are somewhat overlooked. Was she murdered? Yes, indisputably. Was it an intruder or a family member? Everything I have read points most strongly towards someone living in the house, very possibly with an accomplice. Why the elaborate fiction of the ransom note and the Ramsey’s atypical behaviour in the immediate aftermath? Can only be to try and hide the truth from investigators.
The combination of a blow causing a 6 inch fracture and near simultaneous strangulation sets all my alarms off. (head injuries on that scale don’t occur when a 3 year old falls on a hard floor). It’s overkill for any perpetrator, never mind a 9 year old. Having rendered her unconscious why fashion a garrotte to finish the job? Was it already made, and even being used prior to the blow? Things make more sense to me if 2 people were involved. Burke’s new computer game was a big novelty, the Stines lived a few minutes cycle ride away. Potentially this scenario could explain a lot, youthful bravado, egging on etc, as well as the peculiar interactions with the Stines afterwards, not calling them then almost immediately going to live with them??
Were they ever interrogated by the police, especially Burke’s friend? I’d like to read the transcripts if so, and ask a few supplementary questions.

 

[Ponytale]

and the Ramsey’s atypical behaviour in the immediate aftermath?

Yes, if it was an intruder and I was only an innocent parent in shock and desperate to find my daughter alive - there is just so much that does not add up or make any logical sense. IMO, their behavior tells it all.

The combination of a blow causing a 6 inch fracture and near simultaneous strangulation sets all my alarms off. (head injuries on that scale don’t occur when a 3 year old falls on a hard floor). It’s overkill for any perpetrator, never mind a 9 year old.

The head injury must have been a deliberate act. Nothing else explains it. There is no indication of her falling or receiving this injury any other way - there would be other signs on her body if it was something else then a blow to the head. We just do not know if it was an accident or deliberate act. I believe it was an accident...
We do not have any clear poof that it was indeed simultaneous or if there was a time gap up to two hours, there are different statements on that topic, unfortunately.

Having rendered her unconscious why fashion a garrotte to finish the job? Was it already made, and even being used prior to the blow? Things make more sense to me if 2 people were involved.

There are many possibilities here. We do not know the truth and can only think of different theories that could all be a possibility...

Burke’s new computer game was a big novelty, the Stines lived a few minutes cycle ride away. Potentially this scenario could explain a lot, youthful bravado, egging on etc, as well as the peculiar interactions with the Stines afterwards, not calling them then almost immediately going to live with them??

Again something to ponder, but we will probably never get to the truth or even know if any of this played a role or not.

Were they ever interrogated by the police, especially Burke’s friend? I’d like to read the transcripts if so, and ask a few supplementary questions.

We know that DS was called to Grand Jury. We do not know what was asked or said. Unfortunately we really do not know much more...

 

[CloudedTruth]

The head injury must have been a deliberate act. Nothing else explains it. There is no indication of her falling or receiving this injury any other way - there would be other signs on her body if it was something else then a blow to the head. We just do not know if it was an accident or deliberate act. I believe it was an accident...
We do not have any clear poof that it was indeed simultaneous or if there was a time gap up to two hours, there are different statements on that topic, unfortunately.

Those who believe it was almost simultaneous and that the strangulation occurred first are in the minority. A very big minority. 17 out of the 20 experts who consulted on the case determined that the head blow came first. Only 3 had the opposite perspective, and let's be honest.....Dr. Doberson, one of the three was being paid by team Ramsey. The other two, Drs. Spitz and Wecht gave their opinions independently. Neither were part of the official investigation and came to their conclusions by viewing what was publicly available at the time. Neither had access to the autopsy reports and materials that the others did.

Both Mitch Morrissey and Michael Beckner, who are familiar with expert witness testimony given at the Grand Jury have given us insight into how Dr. Lucy Rorke testified. Head blow came first, followed by the strangulation anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours later. Dr. Rorke was a pediatric neuropathologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She was considered a pioneer in her field of specialty. Here's a snippet about her as published in an article from Rowan Today, from Rowan University:

A trailblazing pediatric neuropathologist who is an international expert on pediatric brain tumors and shaken baby syndrome, Rorke-Adams spent five decades at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she served as acting chair of pathology.

Recognized internationally for her research on the study of diseases of the brain, spinal cord and nerves in children, Rorke-Adams was a clinical professor of pathology, pediatrics and neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2010, CHOP established a faculty chair in pediatric neuropathology in her honor.

The first and only female president of Philadelphia General Hospital in the hospital’s 188-year history, Rorke-Adams also was president of the medical staff at CHOP in 1986 while the hospital searched for a new president.

In 2021, Rorke-Adams donated samples of Albert Einstein’s brain to The Mutter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. She was one of a select few to become a trusted keeper of the brain tissue, which was acquired by the medical examiner conducting Einstein’s autopsy.

It should be noted that out of the 20 experts weighing in on the subject, the coroner Dr. John Meyer agreed with the assessment of Dr. Rorke. Not only that the head would occurred first, but also with her timeline of 45 minutes to 2 hours between the blow and strangulation. Dr. Meyer specifically sought out Dr. Rorke to consult on the head / brain injuries because of her reputation and knowledge in this area.

The comments floating around that Dr. Meyer concluded that the blow to the head and the strangulation occurred almost simultaneously are false. This rumor was started by Paula Woodward who claimed that Dr. Meyer told her that. He has never confirmed that conversation with Woodward, who is notorious in this case for misrepresenting the facts. Notice she still appears alongside JR to promote his nonsense. Dr. Meyer's degree in medicine is as a general practitioner who then went on to train as a pathologist, that is his specialty not neuropathology, which is exactly why he requested expert consultation from Dr. Rorke whose specialty is neuropathology. Dr. Meyer has rarely spoken at all about this case to anyone outside of LE, let alone the press. He has said that he very purposely did not include his opinions in the official autopsy report, those are contained in his notes which to this day remain confidential. He wanted to preserve them for legal proceedings such as GJ and / or trial. I feel confident in the opinion that based upon what we know of Dr. Meyer, he would not break his own protocol of confidentiality by divulging anything of such importance to a reporter.

 

[Ponytale]

Those who believe it was almost simultaneous and that the strangulation occurred first are in the minority. A very big minority. 17 out of the 20 experts who consulted on the case determined that the head blow came first. Only 3 had the opposite perspective, and let's be honest.....Dr. Doberson, one of the three was being paid by team Ramsey. The other two, Drs. Spitz and Wecht gave their opinions independently. Neither were part of the official investigation and came to their conclusions by viewing what was publicly available at the time. Neither had access to the autopsy reports and materials that the others did.

Both Mitch Morrissey and Michael Becker, who are familiar with expert witness testimony given at the Grand Jury have given us insight into how Dr. Lucy Rorke testified. Head blow came first, followed by the strangulation anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours later. Dr. Rorke was a pediatric neuropathologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She was considered a pioneer in her field of specialty. Here's a snippet about her as published in an article from Rowan Today, from Rowan University:

A trailblazing pediatric neuropathologist who is an international expert on pediatric brain tumors and shaken baby syndrome, Rorke-Adams spent five decades at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she served as acting chair of pathology.

Recognized internationally for her research on the study of diseases of the brain, spinal cord and nerves in children, Rorke-Adams was a clinical professor of pathology, pediatrics and neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2010, CHOP established a faculty chair in pediatric neuropathology in her honor.

The first and only female president of Philadelphia General Hospital in the hospital’s 188-year history, Rorke-Adams also was president of the medical staff at CHOP in 1986 while the hospital searched for a new president.

In 2021, Rorke-Adams donated samples of Albert Einstein’s brain to The Mutter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. She was one of a select few to become a trusted keeper of the brain tissue, which was acquired by the medical examiner conducting Einstein’s autopsy.

It should be noted that out of the 20 experts weighing in on the subject, the coroner Dr. John Meyer agreed with the assessment of Dr. Rorke. Not only that the head would occurred first, but also with her timeline of 45 minutes to 2 hours between the blow and strangulation. Dr. Meyer specifically sought out Dr. Rorke to consult on the head / brain injuries because of her reputation and knowledge in this area.

The comments floating around that Dr. Meyer concluded that the blow to the head and the strangulation occurred almost simultaneously are false. This rumor was started by Paula Woodward who claimed that Dr. Meyer told her that. He has never confirmed that conversation with Woodward, who is notorious in this case for misrepresenting the facts. Notice she still appears alongside JR to promote his nonsense. Dr. Meyer's degree in medicine is as a general practitioner who then went on to train as a pathologist, that is his specialty not neuropathology, which is exactly why he requested expert consultation from Dr. Rorke whose specialty is neuropathology. Dr. Meyer has rarely spoken at all about this case to anyone outside of LE, let alone the press. He has said that he very purposely did not include his opinions in the official autopsy report, those are contained in his notes which to this day remain confidential. He wanted to preserve them for legal proceedings such as GJ and / or trial. I feel confident in the opinion that based upon what we know of Dr. Meyer, he would not break his own protocol of confidentiality by divulging anything of such importance to a reporter.

Yes, I agree with all of above. I just have had my doubts regarding the specifics of how, when and how fast do different changes appear after a severe head trauma, and I did not want to be asked to source my statements about this topic, so I chose not to be specific with my wording. But I do not argue any of it. I went on to read more about brain cell necrosis to learn more about timing and I completely agree with the experts consulted in this case.

 

[Curious dog]

Yes, I agree with all of above. I just have had my doubts regarding the specifics of how, when and how fast do different changes appear after a severe head trauma, and I did not want to be asked to source my statements about this topic, so I chose not to be specific with my wording. But I do not argue any of it. I went on to read more about brain cell necrosis to learn more about timing and I completely agree with the experts consulted in this case.

I wouldn’t argue with the expert opinions and I haven’t read the detailed autopsy report, but I do have some experience of head injuries and pathology. My understanding is that there was very little bleeding or brain swelling suggesting that circulation ceased perimortem. The scalp typically bleeds profusely following significant trauma, if the skin is unbroken this manifests as significant rapid swelling.
Going back to my original point, the exact order of events is secondary to the question of whodunnit. We’ll probably never know for sure unless a future prosecutor reviews the case and treats all the protagonists as hostile witnesses and someone cracks. I won’t hold my breath waiting.

 

[CloudedTruth]

I wouldn’t argue with the expert opinions and I haven’t read the detailed autopsy report, but I do have some experience of head injuries and pathology. My understanding is that there was very little bleeding or brain swelling suggesting that circulation ceased perimortem. The scalp typically bleeds profusely following significant trauma, if the skin is unbroken this manifests as significant rapid swelling.
Going back to my original point, the exact order of events is secondary to the question of whodunnit. We’ll probably never know for sure unless a future prosecutor reviews the case and treats all the protagonists as hostile witnesses and someone cracks. I won’t hold my breath waiting.

The findings of the autopsy report have been misrepresented by some who simply don’t understand it, and by those who have purposely misrepresented the findings. There was swelling, there was bleeding.

The Ramseys promote the strangulation first because they think it proves the intruder theory. From that aspect, the order of events does have importance.

But I do agree, lacking a confession we probably will never know for sure exactly what happened and who the perpetrators were.

 

[gumshoe1]

Hi! I already posted my theory as a comment on another post and I don't know if it is allowed to post it twice (if not, please remove), but I decided to post it as a new topic as I wrote quite a long post and would love to keep track on the comments.

Here are my thoughts about what happened that night and why. Thank you for taking the time to read it. =)
I apologize beforehand if my English is not perfect, as it is not my native language. But here it goes.

I start by saying I am a 100% RDI believer and have always been through all the years I have read about this case and followed here on Websleuths. It is just because I have not seen any actual clear evidence of an intruder.

Please remember that this theory below is just my opinion.

I’d like to put my theory in a form of a story to help express my ideas better.

I happen to believe that the case itself is actually quite simple. It is us that tend to overthink and complicate things more than needed. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as we do have to look at all the details and consider all the facts to get to the right conclusion. But, nevertheless, we should think about what are the things that are worth the time and effort and what are the things that really won’t make any difference in solving this case.




My theory is that the Ramsey's went out to dinner that night and arrived home about the same time they said they did. The family probably was excited after the party, and I believe the kids in the car were bubbly and excited about their presents and the upcoming trip. Patsy and John maybe were even a little stressed as they had to get up early in the morning and had things on their minds about all that still had to be done to be prepared. Why do I think that? Because to me it is just simple and logical. As a mother myself, I can easily put myself in that situation, driving home from a Christmas party and having the kids on the backseat of the car all excited and chatty and myself with my husband talking about the details and stuff that has to do with the early morning trip.

So I believe they just drove home like a regular family, and all were up and had things on their minds. It doesn’t really matter if JonBenet had fallen asleep in the car and John walked her upstairs or not. It doesn’t change anything because we already know that JB was up at some point in that night. And we also know that John and Patsy lied about many things, so it wouldn’t matter if they also lied about this or not.

If she was asleep in the car, she might have woken up the moment when John took her in his arms from the car. She might have woken up as they walked to the house. She might have woken up when she was put to bed. She might have woken up when Burke woke her up for whatever reason. She might have slept and woken up on her own at some point later. We do not know that, and as I said, I think this is one thing that we tend to overthink, as in the overall crime itself this does not change anything.

So after arriving at home, Burke wanted to assemble the toy he had gotten for Christmas, as any child would. He probably had that on his mind and was set to do it. Patsy maybe continued to pack up some things to take along for the trip in the morning and was fussing around in the house. I really don’t see John packing or organiseing for the upcoming trip, so he probably had nothing better to do and went to help Burke with his toy. Why do I think that? Again, because it is simple and logical scenario. If I put myself in that situation where I have a 9-year-old son who really wants to spend some time with his Christmas present, I would let him. And also I wouldn’t have time to argue with him about it being busy myself, so I would just let him do it and maybe even ask my husband to go help him so that he could go to bed soon.

As a quite pedantic mom myself, even I still would have last-minute things to think of and pack up, and I wouldn’t leave them to be done in the early morning hours when everyone is sleepy and we’d have to fuss to get everything in the car and the kids ready to leave. So I have a hard time believing that Patsy had everything planned, packed, and ready to go before they went out for the party that night. Just by knowing how chaotic their house was.

Now JB. Already up or woken up, she also would be excited about the Christmas presents and was probably playing with something she had gotten for Christmas. I really have a hard time believing that the only gifts JonBenet got that morning were the bike and My Twin Doll (I know about the jewelry, but I don’t think JB would play with or really care about them that night). Looking at the photos, there are multiple wrapped gifts under the tree in the living room, and I believe there were some more toys for JB and Burke. So I see JonBenet playing with something she had gotten there or from the Whites party, and Burke was playing with his gift he was eager to assemble.

I think that at some point while playing with their toys, one of them yelled for Mom to come and fix them a snack as they were hungry. Maybe Burke asked Patsy, and JonBenet heard it and replied, “Yeah, me too!” or vice versa. Why? Because I again see that situation as plausible and normal. Maybe Patsy was even in the kitchen at that point packing something up in there, so she grabbed out a bowl of pineapple from the fridge that she had put in there before they left for the Whites. Maybe she even didn’t think about it or register it as she did it; she might just continued with her thoughts on getting things together and placed the bowl on the counter instinctivly and continued on whatever she was doing.

At some point Burke came to the kitchen and saw a bowl of pineapple placed on the counter and asked or shouted for her mom “Is this the snack I can eat?” and Patsy replied “Yes”. So he got himself a spoon from the kitchen drawer, grabbed the bowl and went to the dining room. I doubt he sat and ate there for a long period of time. I’d rather see him scoop up a few bites and run off to play again. As JB was hungry too she also ran by the dining room and had a bite or two herself using her fingers and also ran off again.

Patsy continued her packing upstairs and did not have her attention to the kids and what they were doing downstairs. Maybe she even asked John to help and carry some bags to the garage to put them ready in the car for the morning drive to the airport. Again, just a simple and logical scenario that I see happening.


With parents minding their own business, JB and Burke were left alone and at some point got to some sort of situation that ended with Burke hitting JB on the head with the maglite.
Here again is a place where we tend to overthink. Did it happen because JB stole pineapple? Did it happen because they had an argument or a fight? Did it happen because Burke was angry at her for something? Did it happen because Burke just desided to see what would happen if he swung the maglight to her head? We do not know, and again it really does not matter if we believe that Burke is the one who hit her in the head. Kids get in all sorts of misunderstandings. There was some reason that made Burke very angry, and in that moment, in that fit of rage, he grabbed the flashlight and just hit her without any thinking. They may even have played with the flashlight before that or maybe Burke was holding the flashlight and flickering with the light when they got to that situation. We do not know, and again it doesn’t change anything in the outcome.

And just like that, I think that it also does not matter where exactly in that house it happened. In my scenario it happened somewhere downstairs, as they were eating the snack there.

When Burke hit her, she fell down immediately and lost all consciousness. As Patsy and John were upstairs, they did not know anything about what had happened. Burke did not mean to kill her or even think that it would happen. I think that he watched her falling on the floor and was shocked. Maybe he tried to wake her up by shaking

her with his hands or leg, asking her to get up. As it didn’t happen, he got more and more scared and decided to poke her with something (train tracks, a stun gun, or something else that was available) to get her up and screaming.

I do not know what was used that made those marks on her body. I know about the stun gun and train track theories. I believe that if it was the stun gun, then she definitely was dead when it was used, because otherwise she would have screamed, jumped, and moved enough to not get those perfect marks. One idea that I have is that maybe the stun gun was kept somewhere in the kitchen, and Burke just took it and tried it on her to see if she would wake up. I see no reason why he would not know how to use one if one was available in the house. Or even if he didn’t, he just figured it out on the go.

As she was braindead, she did not react to the stun gun when he put it to her back, and so Burke may have held just one clamp of it against her skin for a longer period of time to leave the big burnt mark on her cheek. I really do not know if it was a stun gun or not, but somehow I also do not see the train tracks leaving the big burnt-looking mark on her cheek. It is still possible that the device used is something else. We do not know, and again, it is something that does not change the outcome; nevertheless, what was used that made those marks on her. In my theory the only reason for those marks to be there is cause someone wanted her reaction to wake her up and I don’t see Patsy or John doing something like that just to wake her up.

After a little time had already passed and Burke came to the understanding that this situation is over his head and probably panic had set in him, he yelled for Patsy or John to come.

I see him here as the little boy that he was, who did not mean for this to happen this way. I see him crying and nervous when Patsy or John or both of them arrive at the scene and screaming at him asking what happened. Just as a guilty boy who knows his parents would be angry and who is trying to explain away what exactly happened and that he was sorry and didn’t mean to, being very upset. If John got there first, he yelled for Patsy to come, and if Patsy was the first, she would yell for John.

Why do I think that? Because I would see that happening in that situation as a parent. There is no reason why one would hide it from another at this point because it is just an accident. I believe that Burke was honest and told them through his crying and shock what exactly happened and John and Patsy, at the same time they were listening, were on the ground with JB, trying to wake her up and starting to panic themselves.

They would probably send Burke away to his room as he would cry and need attention that Patsy and John would not be able to give him at this point. They understand that the situation is severe and send him away to go calm down. And I believe that is what he did.

I see him walking upstairs, crying and distraught, and going to his bed sobbing and afraid to move, thinking about what he had done and if JB will wake up or not. Hearing his mom crying and praying downstairs and John calling for JonBenet's name to wake her up. And in my theory, I believe that he stayed in his bed for the whole night. Whether sleeping or not, I don’t know. But I do not think that he actually believed or was told by the parents that JB was dead. Unless he asked his parents himself in disbelief when they arrived at the scene – “Is she dead???” He was 9. He thought that she had passed out from the blow or was just in a coma for some time and hoped that she would wake up soon and mom and dad would fix it. Just like the last time with the golf club accident.

At some point at night in his bed, he may have fallen asleep and was woken by the “act” of her mother screaming, “Oh my god,” to rehearse for the 911 call that she was just about to make (or was already making). Something must have woke him up to come out of his bed and head downstairs to see what was happening. In his last memory from the kitchen, Mom and Dad were “helping” JB to wake up, and he hoped it was already all fixed and life would go on as normal. He came down to Patsy panicking on the phone, and after hearing Patsy say, “Just found the note…“ he genuinely asked his dad, “What did you find?” As he did not know anything about any note and what it was. John replied to him, “We are not speaking to you,” as they weren’t speaking to him and sent him back to his bed and asked him to stay there so that he would not ask any more questions. He obeyed because he understood that JB was missing, his parents seemed distraught, and something totally different had occurred that night that he had no idea about.

I also believe that this is why they sent him away to the Whites a couple of hours later straight from his room. He really did not know about the staging part or kidnapping part or anything that Patsy and John had done at night. All he remembered was that he hit his sister, and she fell, and Mom and Dad tried to wake her up, and he hoped that everything would be ok.

So when he heard about the kidnapping, he, still as a 9-year-old boy, believed it. His parents told him that JB had been taken. He did not know what happened after he went to bed. Patsy and John might have told him that JB woke up later that night after the accident and she was ok and went to bed, then they also went to bed, and an intruder broke into their home and kidnapped her. Why wouldn’t he believe his parents?

As parents who did all this to cover up for their child, I believe that they did not tell him that JB did die after he hit her on the head. Why would they tell him that? I could rather see them both answering NO to his question, “Did I kill my sister?” And I think he has asked that later in life. And there is a possibility that to this day he still does not know for sure how big of a part he played in all of this. Patsy and John probably made each other promise that they will never discuss or answer for anything that really happened that night. All they told him was that he can never talk about the “accident” that had happened before with the flashlight and if someone should imply to him that he killed her with the blow to the head, that simply just is not true. If his parents both repeatedly told him from the young age that JB woke up after the accident and everything was ok, he just might have believed that and that is why he has always answered that he did not kill his sister. Maybe he still likes to belive that it’s the truth even to this day, although I would guess he would have his doubts by now. If he does, he just goes along and plays the role of an innocent child that he has adapted to, because I believe John and all the lawyers have told him multiple times that this is in his best interest to no raise any questions.

Now what did Patsy and John do after they sent Burke to bed? I have not seen anyone entertaining the idea that maybe one of the reasons why they both decided to cover up the crime is that they really did not want their son to grow up knowing that he killed his sister when he was 9. That he is a murderer and responsible for a crime. To have this stigma to send his whole life. To always have to explain that he did not mean to do it, and be part of the never-ending scrutiny. As they were a respected and well known family in Boulder, they also had the same thoughts about themselves and their loved ones. If you think about it, even if you can explain it all away with an accident and you know that Burke is only nine and could not be prosecuted, you’d still have the permanent stain on your family's name. People asking, watching, blaming. Why did you let this happen? Where were you when this happened? Letting it all be public and not sealing the medical records would raise even more questions about Burke's past behavior. You’d have to live with the never-ending shadow of guilt and shame. Are they the family who would want that negative attention? I really do not see that.

What I believe is that as they sent Burke away to bed, their panic had set in as they saw that JB was not responding or waking up. As her breathing was probably shallow and her body was slowly shutting down from the excessive brain injury, they were trying to think what to do. I really see one of them thinking about calling 911, but as they start to understand that there is nothing that medics could do for her at this point, as Burke told them that he hit her on the head with the flashlight, they must have asked him how and where. Any parent would. And I could imagine that as they were trying to figure out the severity of her situation, they must have touched her scalp with their fingers and felt that there is a fracture and a hole underneath the skin. Why do I think that? As a parent, when my child has an accident and bumps their head, the first thing I do when they come to me is ask them where it hurts, and I touch the head to see if there is a bump to put ice on it.

So as Patsy and John knew that Burke had hit her on the head, I see that they or one of them also searched with their fingers if there is a bump from that blow, but they did not feel a bump but a fracture. So no 911. And I think that they really believed that she had already passed away from the blow because there were no visible signs of life for a period of time.

Now, it is a long story in writing, but if you think about this scenario in real life, all this to happen might take only 30-60 minutes from the time they came home to the accident to happen. Kids ate their snack and played with toys, Patsy packing around the house. So if they got home around 22, the accident might have happened an hour later. Maybe less, maybe more; it does not matter, as it does not change anything. Burke was sent to bed and had time to fall asleep, and Patsy and John had at least 6 hours to go from shock and panic to collect themselves, talk it all through, and come up with a solution that they saw as best for their family—hiding it all away. Why?

• So that Burke would never know for sure and never have to grow up knowing that he is responsible for murdering his sister.
• So that they all could be and stay the victims, not criminals.
• So that they would never have to feel the shame and guilt of being the parents of a child who killed his sister at 9 years old and have their reputation and life destroyed.
• So that the previous sexual abuse could be explained away.

Regarding the sexual abuse, I believe something of this kind was happening to her. But… who did it, when they did it, how long they had done it… again does not really matter. We know that there was something done to her, as there was blood that was wiped away from her thighs. Do we really know that this bleeding had happened while covering up the crime for sure, i.e staging a sexual assault? Why couldn’t it have happened at the Whites party? Why couldn't it have happened the previous night or before they left for the Whites? Someone could have wiped out her thighs from the blood at the party or at any time between her last bath and that night that she died. We know she did not take a bath at home later that night and that there was no visible blood seen on her thighs (except the little spot on her underpants). So why exactly should we connect the sexual assault with the staging or what evidence we have for that?


What I think is that the staging in the basement happened a few hours after the accident. After they both had gone through the initial shock and realised that this is the reality of the situation. I believe they talked about what to do next and did it all together. Took her little body carfully into the basement and placed her on the carpet. Looking around and thinking on the go, what and how could they use to make it look as a terrible crime. As they came up with the plan to make it look like a crazed monster had entered their house, they knew they had to make it look like a real monster did it, not a 9-year-old child or her loving parents.

I even tend to think that the garroting device was maybe something that was already premade and was just lying around somewhere in the basement. Why? We know Burke was in the Boy Scouts and John had been in the Navy. Burke had to learn about all the different knots and might have had interest in them. I see them both taking time together to practice making knots. I think Burke, as a 9-year-old boy, really liked to learn about the knots. I know my son did at that age and also practiced knots. So maybe they, or Burke himself, made that “garrot” type thing for whatever reason sometime much earlier and just left it there and forgot about it. We know that this knot/device is typically used for moving weights, so it had to have a long cord from one end. Why is it not possible that John saw it in the basement and thought that they could make it as a device to look like she was strangled? They believed that she was already gone and that garrot was exactly that “monster killing device” that they needed to make it look cruel. Exactly thinking because what parent would do that to their child? I see John tying that around her neck as she was lying on her stomach, and he tied it tight to be embedded in her neck and strangled her. Of course it was it was very difficult to do for them because she was their beloved daughter, but they had decided that they had no choice. What might have made it more bearable for them is that they really believed she was dead already. But at that point her heart and breathing really stopped, and this is where the urine stain comes from that is on her long johns and on the carpet at the cellar. A new shock, as they probably did not expect it to happen, believing that she had died before the strangulation. But now it was done…

Patsy brought her favourite blanket and wrapped her in it like a baby because she cared for her and loved her daughter. She was sorry; they both were. I see them both crying, holding her, and apologising to her through the night. They could not place her lying on that cold cement floor. They decided to add the loose binding to her hands and gently placed duct tape on her lips and left her there. Possibly returning some more times to see her and to be with her during that remaining night. After that they still had a few hours to make the ransom note that was needed to make it look like a crazy kidnapping monster had taken and later killed their daughter.

With the ransom note I have two theories. One is that Patsy and John made the text up together and Patsy wrote it down. The other one is that maybe Patsy had some sort of screenplay or a story/text of that kind written somewhere, and she took it as an example, rewrote it, and made adjustments as needed. She did have a mayor in journalism. Why I think that is because of the length of it. To me, it just seems like it is something that was put together from multiple pieces of text that were just rewritten and rephrased, not necessarily made up on the go. Why not just write a short ransom note? It would serve the same purpose. I see only reason to add confusion with the length and all the unnecessary details. Or that Patsy was left to do it alone and got carried away… but again, it does not matter and won’t change anything.


When the morning came they desided to call for friends to come to their house because they did not want o be and feel alone at this terrible time. Then needed someone to colsole and be there to vitness the dreadfullness of the situation with them. So that none of their friends could never ever think that Patsy and John could be inolved in any way, because they were so distraught, shocked and praying for JB. They also called the priest because they knew that they would need him to be there soon, as the body was going to be found. There is no other logical reason to call a priest to a kidnapping where a child is just missing.


I believe that they did not worry about Burke going to the Whites is because if he did not know what had happened he could not talk about anything. They also knew that there is no kindnapper so Burke was safe. Again a point of thinking logically. As a parent, when one of my child has gone missing I would never let my other kids out of my sight because I would just be paranoid that anyone, anywhere could be the kidnapper. They would be sitting in the same room with me so that I could see them all the time. They would not be going to any fiends house or to school a few days later. Patsy's and Johns behavior clearly shows that had nothing to worry about regarding Burkes safety or what he might ask or say other than JB is missing, cause that is all he knows.

Maybe Patsy and John knew that he would not tell about hitting JB with the flashlight because he was shamed and afraid of telling. Kids don’t usually go bragging about something like that, they’d be ashamed and afraid what others might think of that. At 9 (almost 10) years old I see that. And even if he did talk to his friends about that he had hit JB and she fell, they knew that they told Burke that she woke up and everything was ok, so he’d say the same thing to his friend. That would make the accident a totally separate story from the kidnapping. Of course they later learned that JB suffered a massive head blow before or at the time of her death and I believe that is why the Whites have later acted the way they did.


Well, that’s my two cents.
Thank you for taking the time to read it and I would love to read your thoughts about my theory.

If Burke inflicted the head blow on JBR, I think John and Patsy would have called 911 to summon an ambulance to save JBR's life. Your reasons why John and Patsy would do a cover up instead of calling 911 seem weak to me. Nevertheless, your theory might be correct. Your theory is more plausible than the intruder theory.

 

[gumshoe1]

The fiber evidence is circumstantial, especially in consideration of the fact that this was in the Ramsey home where one would expect to find Ramsey DNA and clothing fibers. Is it suspicious? Yes, possibly. But it isn't indisputable evidence that proves guilt. A good defense attorney would rip that to shreds in a trial.

If Burke whacked JonBenet in the head with the flashlight or some other sort of blunt object, causing JonBenet's skull fracture, do you really think John and Patsy would sacrifice JonBenet's life by doing a cover up instead of immediately calling 911 to summon an ambulance to possibly save JonBenet's life? Ponytale's reasons that John and Patsy would choose to do a cover up instead of calling 911 seem weak to me.