Edison
Here is a theory that I find makes sense that could explain that it was John and Patsy didnt know.
It is from a poster called docg.
>>What follows is a hypothetical scenario based on my analysis of the Ramsey case posted some time ago at the Webbsleuths Case Files site. It demonstrates how John Ramsey could have murdered his daughter and covered up his actions, essentially on his own, with just a small amount of help from a basically innocent Patsy. The key to the scenario is the ransom note itself, for which it supplies a very thorough (if speculative) explanation. If you can read the note, then, in my opinion, this scenario simply pops right out at you. Because the note looks to me like the outline of a plan:
1. John kills his daughter JonBenet, probably in connection with some sort of sexual molestation. Its possible he does this accidently during gentle manual strangulation, concocting the garotte to point investigators away from possible fingerprints on her neck. (See the Althusser case, in France, where strangulation was so gentle as to leave no signs at all on the outer part of the neck.) Or its possible the garotte was itself a part of the sexual act. Its difficult to account for the reason behind the head blow, but it would seem to have followed strangulation and been part of a coverup effort.
2. John then devises a plan, a phoney kidnapping, followed by a fatal sexual attack on the part of the kidnapper. To make this work he needs two things: a ransom note; a staged break-in.
3. He stores the body temporarily in the windowless room, in a remote corner, covered by blankets, planning later to get it into the trunk of the car and dump it.
4. He writes the ransom note at his computer, then either traces it or copies it, imitating the look of the font hes chosen. (He dare not print it for fear of waking Patsy or Burke.) It is carefully constructed to accomplish several tasks: discourage Patsy from searching the house for JonBenet; frighten her into not calling the police; setting up a phoney kidnapping scenario; calling for a reasonably small ransom amount, something that wont make the people at the bank suspicious he makes it $118,000 rather than, say, $100,000 so that this particular amount will be seen as having primarily symbolic rather than monetary significance the kidnapper he is creating will be someone out to get John; setting up a situation where it is up to him to deal with raising the ransom and getting it to the kidnapper; giving him a full day to do what he will have to do (the note says the call will come tomorrow.)
5. He then stages a break-in at the basement window, breaking a hole in the window, dumping debris from the window well onto the floor, making a scuff mark on the wall, placing the suitcase under the window and leaving it ajar. He realizes, however, that this is not sufficient, that at some point he must actually crawl through that window and displace the grate. Too risky to do that now. He plans to take care of that the following night when, as he hopes, he will be alone in the house.
6. Johns plan (plan A) involves calling in friends to witness the staged break-in and the notes contents and then take Patsy and Burke with them, for their safety, leaving John alone to deal with raising the ransom and delivering it.
7. Once everyone is gone, John will be able to safely get the body into the car trunk, along with all the evidence, including the note itself. Hell dump the body in a remote place and burn the note. Later he will claim the kidnappers contacted him again and gave him instructions as to where to take the ransom. Hell also claim they demanded the return of the note. And hell claim they then told him to pick JonBenet up somewhere, but when he arrived no one was there.
8. The above plan could not be implemented, however, because John was never able to convince Patsy not to call the police. For whatever reason, most likely in all innocence, she makes that 911 call, spoiling his carefully worked out plan. He must now move to plan B. IMO it could well be the shift from plan A to plan B that has made this case so difficult to piece together.
9. As the police are arriving, John is already at work attempting to undo plan A and move to plan B. Since the window break-in had never been completed, this is now his main concern. Because the way things now stand, it will be all too clear to the police that this is a staged break-in. He attempts to undo his earlier staging by secretly closing the window and then claiming it had been broken long ago, by him, when hed locked himself out of the house. Unknown to him, however, the police had already spotted the window when it was open. This IMO is his most serious mistake, not getting that window closed soon enough. Later, when questioned about this, why he closed the window and why he informed no one, he is unable to explain.
10. When Arndt asks John to search the house, he goes directly to the basement because it is necessary for him to discover the body so he can claim it was right out in the open rather than carefully hidden in a corner under blankets (which is why Fleet White didnt see it earlier). This, rather than any attempt at contaminating the crime scene, is his real reason for discovering the body.
11. After the body is found, John cannot permit the police to interrogate Patsy. Because she might reveal the fact that John was totally against calling the police, and this might well give away his plan. This is the real reason why the Ramseys stonewalled the police for so long. Patsy needs to be convinced to tell some white lies about what happened. John lets his lawyers do this, the argument being that to tell the whole truth will tend to make John look bad. Patsy is convinced John is innocent, so she tries to do all she can to help in his defense. Patsy is convinced IMO to this day, which is why they have presented a united front. John depends on Patsy because hes afraid shell tell the whole truth about whose idea the 911 call was. Patsy depends on John because he, with his legal team, has become her principal defender.<<
