Jon Benet's Family Exhonerated

[jimornot?]

He could totally have been able to do that if his dad has provided him with an influential lawyer.

Hi maria

that would be appear to be consistent with all I understand of the R's behaviours to date

atb

viv

[mariab]

To Jimornot:
Oh yes, totally consistent. Burke would require to be questioned only with his lawyer present, and that lawyer would be allowed to say “I advise my client not to answer this question“ for every question he wishes, and that would be all.

[sdreid]

If they granted him immunity then he would have to answer the questions truthfully or he could be held in contempt and/or charged with perjury and go to jail. At that stage, I don't see why they couldn't force a poly on him either. Legal self-incrimination is not possible if you are immune to prosecution.

[mariab]

Is there any documentation that they're planning to grant him immunity? He's not a suspect officially in any way whatsoever. Also, he can always take the 5th (and be held in contempt of court), but this case is not going to court again, as it's already been there.
As for “answering the questions truthfully“, I'm afraid that this concept is very problematic with a lawyer present during questioning.
They couldn't force a polygraph on the parents when this case was fresh. The only reason the parents accepted to take one (actually several, with their own HIRED people, and they kept taking the polygraph tests until they both passed them), was the public pressure after they appeared on Larry King with Steven Thomas and before they published their (most evidently self-serving) book.

[praline]

The latest info has the investigators wanting to interview her brother. I saw several years ago this possible theory and it made more sense to me then any other theory out there.

The basics of the theory change depending on the expert but the one that seems the most probably to me is that her brother (Burke) and her got into a fight in the bathroom... I don't think very many people think he was trying to murder her or anything like that... just 2 kids fighting. The theory explains that she hit her head on the bathtub or some other hard object and died.

In the 911 call you can clearly hear the brother's voice
but he was supposed to have not been there.

These parents were forced into a corner. They didn't want to lose both of their kids over this one fight. Losing Burke would never bring Jon Benet back. They then staged the rest of the stuff in order to protect their son.

There are a ton of websites explaining this theory better then I am. As a mom of 3 I tend to see this being a very plausible theory. They have never allowed their son to be interviewed by police even though they highly suspect he knows or was involved.

Out of all the far fetched theories that have surfaced ~ to me this one seems the most simple and direct one that explains the involvement of the family. If burke did push her intentionally he would be guilty of murder. Would the state take it to court? Who knows but the theory says the Ramsey's didn't want to take the chance with their only surviving child.

[praline]

Douglas is a self-serving blowhard. Anything goes when promoting his books, himself, or his agenda. I read this book and nearly vomited.

Of course, it's only my opinion.

Mike

<breathes a sigh of relief>
I was worried that those on here considered him a Saint from some of the things I read about his involvement in JTR.
I do not think he is any kind of expert as he is put forth to be. He is a "rent a profiler"
He might have been a decent enough FBI agent but once he started accepting payment to prove or disprove his clients I lost respect in him.

One of the more glaring examples of his rent a profiler behavior can be seen in the West Memphis 3 case. The defense hired him to prove Damien Echolls was innocent of the murders. Sure enough he went on tv and said just that, there was no way Damien killed as he didn't have the profile for it.
I am not sure if Damien is guilty or innocent and I have looked long and hard into the case BUT one very VERY huge problem with Douglas in his statement is this:
Damien has a 500 page novel of mental illness records before the murders happened. He had shown extremely violent behavior and had been institutionalized several times before the murders he is convicted of. Of course this doesn't mean Damien is guilty as IMO they don't have enough hard evidence to put Damien at the scene. However any professional FBI profiler who will get on TV and sell his soul for a few bucks and say a kid who had an extremely violent past (including torturing and killing animals) and was considered homicidal ... well nooooo he could never have murdered anyone

Rent a profiler

[cappuccina]

JonBenet's murderer and abuser is dead. Sadly, the person who was and is still an accessory after the fact remains unprosecuted.

[ChainzCooper]

Just saw Aphrodite Jones' program on this case. The whole thing is so bizarre and the crime scene compromised from the very start that it looks like the killer(s) will never be brought to justice. There are so many missteps from virtually everyone involved in this case to me its like a perfect storm where ultimately the killer(s) get away. And thats so horrible
Jordan

[mariab]

It appears to me that the killer is diceased (the mother). Unless it was the son.

[ChainzCooper]

Man the Boulder Police must be like the officers on Reno 911. I mean how on Earth do you let the family do a search at a crime scene?
Jordan

[mariab]

Yes, incredible! They let a sole detective alone at the Ramsey house, to be responsible for the entire house, the Ramseys, and the small group of their guests. (While, supposedly, the ransom note said NOT to tell anybody, but the Ramseys immediately invited 4 of their friends plus a church minister, AND sent away their son, who would supposedly have been in danger of getting kidnapped too.)

[ChainzCooper]

Did you see the Aphrodite Jones' program on the case? She is awesome but it painted a scenario in which the killers where unknown and entered the house through the back window. However, at the beginning of the show it was mentioned that Mr. Ramsay is the one who found the crime scene in the wine cellar. So to me all bets are off and the whole thing could be staged right? They showed a photograph of two separate footprints behind the house but I don't know, I just keep going back to him finding the scene and body. This to me says that this was all planned. Throw in the ransom note also and it just adds to my suspicions. That being said I don't mean to sound all negative about the show, Aphrodite Jones has to be one of the best looking women I have ever seen. Not to mention smart too.Anytime shes on I'm watching and I hope I look that good when I'm her age
Jordan

[mariab]

Did you see the Aphrodite Jones' program on the case? She is awesome

Can't say I know who Aphrodite Jones is. When I live in the US, I don't pay for TV! She sounds like a younger Oprah type to me? (And I have to confess I can't stand Oprah.)

it painted a scenario in which the killers where unknown and entered the house through the back window.

This is bullsh*t. That basement window still had cobwebs everywhere and the suitcase the supposed assailant used to climb out wouldn't have stand the weight of a person. Mr. Ramsey even confessed of having broken that window himself, supposedly previously to the murder.

at the beginning of the show it was mentioned that Mr. Ramsay is the one who found the crime scene in the wine cellar.

Mr. Ramsey and his friend Fleet White, who later accused the Ramseys of tampering with the investigation. What's outrageous is that the Colorado detective asked Ramsey and White to go search the basement themselves!!

They showed a photograph of two separate footprints behind the house

The house got completely contaminated with footprints by cops and friends of the family.

PS.: It's better to read the diffrent books on this case than watching TV shows. TV shows rarely get past the shallow part.

[ChainzCooper]

Maria,
I know these statements seem like BS I was just telling you what the program stated. Cool to hear your input, what one book would you recommend on this case?
Jordan

[Errata]

What's outrageous is that the Colorado detective asked Ramsey and White to go search the basement themselves!!

To be fair, the Colorado police, as they have admitted, did very well in dealing the crime they THOUGHT had been committed, and extremely poorly with the crime that HAD been committed.

It would be perfectly reasonable to arrive at the scene and say "Are you sure she's not in the house? Maybe hiding somewhere?" And it would make sense for the Ramseys to have not searched the house after finding the ransom note. So then they would search the house top to bottom making sure it isn't some sick joke. Usually the family is involved in this process, since they know their child's hiding places, and whatever nooks and crannies are in the house. Usually however they are accompanied by detectives.

Certainly the police imagined that she could already be dead. I don't think it occurred to anyone that she would be dead IN the house.

The ransom note was completely bizarre. It sounds exactly like a 13 year old boy wrote it. The tenor and rhythm of it even matches a monologue from some screwball mafia comedy (the name of which completely escapes me. but it's the "you call the cops, she dies. you make a wrong move, she dies. you put so much as one toe out of line, she dies" part). My problem with family oriented theories is that when adults try to frame someone in writing, they choose other adults. Making it sound as though the writer is black, or southern, whatever. While the note claims to be from foreigners, there is no word choice or style that would back that up. However, the note was too sophisticated for a child Burke's age.

It could have been written by a cognitively and developmentally delayed person. That would match sort of the IQ and EQ of the note. And unfortunately, it does occasionally happen that a developmentally delayed adult fixates on a child they perceive to be their equal. A man functioning at the level of a ten year old could see girls near that age as potential partners. It never goes well. But he would need knowledge of the house, and certainly no one fitting that description has ever come up. On the other hand, it could also have actually been written by a 13 year old boy. If it actually was written by a teenage boy, it makes more sense in terms of access to the house. To this day I have never seen any mention of a babysitter in regards to the case, but the kids certainly had one. And could easily be a teenage girl with a boyfriend or brother.

Anyway, that's my take on it. I have no real theories, except that it is unfair that Burke remains under suspicion despite the fact that he has never done anything to warrant it. His parent's actions may seem to implicate him, but Burke's actions never did.