In late 1996, six-year old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found dead in the basement of her parent’s Colorado home. For years, the circumstances surrounding this little girl’s death have remained a mystery. Some believe her parents were involved. Others believe it was the work of a professional killer. Ten years later, a new suspect has been charged but still no one is able to answer the question - Who killed JonBenet Ramsey?
On 26 December 1996, Patsy Ramsey, mother of the tiny beauty queen, was hit with a horrible reality. She had found a ransom note demanding US $118,000 in exchange for her daughter. She reported this to the police and under 8 hours later, her daughter was found dead.
The autopsy report showed that JonBenet had been strangled to death. There was also indication of a fractured skull and possible sexual assault.
The evidence pointed in lots of different directions. Firstly the ransom note was analysed by experts. There were no fingerprints but the writing resembled the handwriting of Patsy Ramsey. Secondly, the note demanded $118,000 which authorities believed was extremely low for a ransom note. Strangely, when police searched the crime scene they found that a bible owned by JonBenet’s father, John Ramsey, had been turned to Psalm 118. Thirdly, footprints were found in the wine cellar near the basement where JonBenet was found. These footprints did not match any of the suspects’ footprints. And finally, there was blood on JonBenet’s underwear that also did not match that of any of the known suspects.
Eventually, forensic investigators were able to establish a DNA profile from the blood samples they obtained. They said the DNA belonged to an unidentified male and when this info was entered into the FBI database, still there was no match.
Throughout the years, JonBenet’s family has maintained that this was the sick work of an outsider. Right up until the end, when Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer on 14 June 2006, she fought to find the person responsible. The Ramseys pleaded with the community on national television to help find their daughter’s killer and hired their own investigators to take on the case.
For some time following the murder, the media was in a frenzy over whether or not the Ramsey’s could do this to their own daughter. But the grand jury never convicted them of any crime and the family won a number of defamation law suits as a result.
Then on 16 August 2006, the media found themselves in a frenzy again. This time it was over a new suspect – John Mark Karr. He was arrested in Bangkok after a string of emails regarding JonBenet’s murder were traced back to him.
On arrest, he allegedly confessed to being with JonBenet when she died but said that it was an accident. However, since his arrest, doubt has been cast over his role in the murder. Karr’s ex-wife has said that she was with him in Alabama at the time, making it impossible for him to be the one responsible.
So who exactly is this man whose face is plastered all over our newspapers and TV screens? He’s a 41-year-old former school teacher who grew up in Alabama. At age 19, he married a 13 year old girl then divorced her 1 year later. At age 24 he married a 16 year old girl. They also divorced 12 years later, when Karr was charged with possession of child pornography.
After being deported from Thailand to US, Karr is now facing charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault of a child.
Did John Karr kill JonBenet Ramsey? We’ll soon find out.
Fan of the OC? The lavish lifestyles, excessive wealth and plastically enhanced Julie Cooper types? Well, here’s a story about the real OC very different from the one you see on TV...
A former school teacher, currently locked up in an Orange County mental ward, has applied to the Supreme Court for an early release. How did he get there in the first place? It’s a sick and twisted story, (even sicker than Julie Cooper getting it on with her daughter’s ex boyfriend) not for the faint hearted.
Albert Fentress murdered a teenage student over 27 years ago. He tied Paul Masters’ body to a post in his basement and sexually mutilated him. And as if that weren’t enough, he then shot the 18 year old twice in the head before cooking parts of his body and eating him. Yes. He ATE his victim. Fentress was found to be insane and was consequently sent to a psychiatric ward.
Now, almost three decades later, he believes he is ready to move up to a non-secure psychiatric unit. His case was supposed to be heard in early July. However, resident psychiatrists protested that Fentress is still suffering from a number of mental conditions and should not be released as of yet.
Meanwhile, all I can do is breathe a huge sigh of relief, turn on the tele and think that Julie Cooper doesn’t seem as screwed up as I thought.
Craig Hill
KC Hill
Paladin
Oracle of Delphi
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