Summary: The Murder Of Jonbenet Ramsey

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, except for the Ramsey family. On December 26th, 1996, JonBenet Ramsey was reported missing. Hours later, her body was found in the basement. Extensive investigation followed, but many errors were made and the crime scene was polluted by friends and family. JonBenet Ramsey’s death has erroneously gone 20 years without being solved and no indictments have been issued; because of the strange ransom note, the state of her body, and the unsubstantiated counterclaims, the Ramsey family should have been charged. At the Ramsey house, a suspicious two and a half page ransom note was left on the scene; the circumstances surrounding the note indicate Patty Ramsey wrote it. On the morning of December

A white cord was tied around both her neck and right wrist. The cord around her neck also had part of her mother’s paintbrush tied on the cord. Blonde hair from JonBenet was found caught in the knot. Vaginal trauma was also indicated, and her official cause of death was “asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma” (Meyer). Her clothes had also been removed so she could be sexually assaulted with the paint brush handle tied to her garrote. They were then carefully put back on, and her body was covered with a sheet. (Beckner). There could have easily been an accident where JonBenet was hit on the head. Her family then could have decided to cover up her death by making it look like a murder rather than child abuse. The Ramsey’s were a prolific family, so this is plausible. Also, it is unlikely a stranger would take the time to redress and arrange JonBenet’s body. Since her death could have been an accident, there are many theories as to what happened. One of the most popular is that her older brother Burke killed her. Most theorize that Burke hit JonBenet in the head with a flashlight after she took some of his pineapple. Criminologist Werner Spitz created a team that did experiments using fake skulls and hitting them with flashlights. He found that even a ten year old could exert enough force to break the skull, meaning Burke

The intruder theory is one of the most popular theories surrounding her death, but it is also easy to disprove. As mentioned earlier, the ransom note is most likely faked by Patty Ramsey and detracts from the legitimateness of the theory. Another aspect of the case oft cited in support of the intruder theory is the basement window. Weeks before, it had been broken by John Ramsey when he locked himself out of the house. (Newsweek). Underneath it, a suitcase was found open. A CNN article found, ”Investigators say they did not find any sign of forced entry into the family home in 1996. No footprints in the snow outside the home, either” (Martinez & Karimi). Some theorized these pieces of evidence of forced entry, but the suitcase could have easily been staged by the Ramsey’s. Also, it would be virtually impossible to break into the Ramsey house without leaving a trace. Coupled with the forged ransom note, an intruder theory is not viable. Another theory in the case is a junkyard worked named Micheal Helgoth killed JonBenet. A close friend of Helgoth’s said, 'In late November, Helgoth had told me that he and a partner were going to make a great deal and they each will bring in around $50,000 or $60,000 […] he [Helgoth] said, "I wonder what it would be like to crack a human skull.’” (Dailymail.com). Helgoth’s suicide is also often cited as