© CBS'The Case of: JonBenet Ramsey
After going through the evidence and conducting interviews with some of the those involved in the case, a panel of law enforcement specialists all agreed on the theory that Burke Ramsey killed his sister, JonBenet, during Christmas 1996.
Retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente and former Scotland Yard criminal behavior expert Laura Richards worked with specialists for the CBS two-part special, The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey. The series premiered Sunday night.
The panel of investigators included forensic linguistics expert James Fitzgerald, famed criminologist Werner Spitz, former Boulder Country District Attorney's Office investigator James Kolar, statement analyst Stan Burke and forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee.
Everyone on the panel settled on the theory that the then 9-year-old Burke — who, along with his parents, has always maintained his innocence — killed then 6-year-old JonBenet by accident in a fit of rage, perhaps over a toy or her eating his food.
The seasoned investigators also asserted that John and Patsy Ramsey concocted the entire kidnapping scenario to confuse authorities and spare Burke.
"I don't think Burke was involved in the cover-up," Fitzgerald said.
Clemente added, "In my opinion, the Ramsey family did not want law enforcement to solve this case, and that's why it remains unsolved."
During the two-night series, investigators looked at numerous pieces of evidence, and to better understand the surroundings had rooms from the Ramsey home re-constructed to be identical to the day JonBenet was reported missing and ultimately found dead.
Evidence discussed and asserted by the investigators to reach an agreement on the final theory in the second episode included the transfer of DNA onto JonBenet's underwear — it could have come from someone at the manufacturer — which led them to rule out a sexual assault; the red marks on JonBenet's back being made by a toy train track piece, not a stun gun; and that nothing — spider webs or other debris — around the window seal the perpetrator allegedly entered was disturbed.
During the Sunday premiere, Clemente and Richards worked with an audio expert to decipher what was said on the emergency phone call after Patsy Ramsey believed the line was disconnected following her report that JonBenet had been kidnapped for ransom.
Investigators heard what sounded like three different voices talking in the background on the other end.
Clemente, Richards and the audio engineer said they heard what sounded like JonBenet's father, John, saying, "We're not speaking to you." Then, likely Patsy, asking, "What did you do?", followed by "Help me, Jesus." It may also have been "Help me, Jesus" twice in a row. Finally, what sounded like the voice of a child — which the investigators claimed must have been Burke — asking, "What did you find?"
During the first episode, investigators also discussed how the ransom note did not make sense for multiple reasons and examined the exact cause of JonBenet's death, with Spitz concluding it was a blow to the head by a blunt force object, likely a Maglite flashlight.
A note at the end of the series on Monday stated that the investigators hoped their findings would inspire the Boulder Country District Attorney's Office to reexamine the case.
David McGowan has said completely different in his book 'Programmed to Kill The Politics of Serial Murder'.
He wrote the following:
"The autopsy report, which was released in a severely redacted form on February 14 and in full on August 13, made mention of chronic genital inflammation, foreign matter in the vagina, and "epithelial erosion." A detective working on the case swore in an affidavit that the coroner, John Meyer, told her that someone had definitely has sexual contact with the child. Meyer drew no such conclusions in his report".
Her vaginal opening was "twice what is normal for a girl her age". [...]
"There was one doctor who had numerous opportunities to observe that evidence. As was widely reported, JonBenét had been taken to her pediatrician no fewer than twenty-seven times in the previous three to four years." ...
"The truth likely is that both of the Ramseys were involved in pimping their daughter out to other pedophiles. The massive cover-up that has shrouded the investigation from day one is indicative of the type of systemic corruption that leads to these types of cases being routinely covered up. ... Rumors of child pornography have surrounded the case from the earliest days of the investigation."
This case very much reminds me of the Madeleine McCann case where the parents also surrounded themselves with expensive and high-profile attorneys and PR firms. This series seems to me just another attempt of damage control.