Crime show claims JonBenét was killed by brother, Burke, over 'midnight pineapple snack'
Burke Ramsey killed his sister, JonBenét, after a fight over a midnight snack of pineapples and the tragedy was then covered up by her parents, a panel of law enforcement specialists claim.
Just hours after JonBenét's family called 911 to say their six-year-old was missing, the child beauty queen was found beaten and strangled in her family’s Boulder, Colorado home the day after Christmas in 1996.
Burke and his parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, have always denied any involvement in JonBenét's death and no charges have ever been laid in the 20-year-old case.
In a two-part CBS documentary The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey, which concluded last night, a team of experts re-examined case evidence and settled on the chilling theory.
The panel of investigators included forensic linguistics expert James Fitzgerald, criminologist Werner Spitz, former Boulder Country District Attorney's Office investigator James Kolar, statement analyst Stan Burke and forensic scientist Dr Henry Lee.
They agreed that Burke, the then nine-year-old boy killed JonBenét and asserted that John and Patsy fabricated the kidnapping scenario to confuse authorities and save 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."
The investigators however do not believe that it was a case of murder but said it could have been accidental.
Burke, the now 29-year-old brother came under scrutiny earlier this month when he couldn't stop smiling when he spoke with Dr Phil and addressed those who doubted his innocence.
Kolar presented the theory that Patsy had left Burke with a bowl of pineapple and some tea and that when JonBenét had attempted to sneak some of the fruit later, it prompted the young boy to lash out and strike her with a flashlight, killing her.
"I think JonBenet was asleep. I think John did carry her upstairs, Patsy remained downstairs with Burke and served him the tea and the pineapple," Kolar said.
"I think that accounts for the physical evidence as well as the latent print. Then she got JonBenet up to make sure she used the toilet, so she didn't wet the bed that night."
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 JonBenét was reported missing and ultimately found dead.
Evidence asserted by the investigators included the transfer of DNA onto JonBenét's underwear - it could have come from someone at the manufacturer - which led them to rule out a sexual assault.
Also, the red marks on JonBenét'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 911 call after Patsy Ramsey believed the line was disconnected following her report that JonBenét had been kidnapped for ransom.
Investigators heard the six seconds of previously-unheard audio, which sounded like three different voices talking in the background on the other end.
“We’re not speaking to you,” a male voice, believed to be John Ramsey, said
“What did you do? Help me Jesus,” a female voice, thought to be Patsy Ramsey, replied.
“What did you find?” a male child, believed to be Burke - who the family claim was asleep when they discovered the body, said.
Investigators also discussed how the ransom note did not make sense for multiple reasons and examined the exact cause of JonBenét's death.
Chilling ransom note analysis
Retired FBI agent Fitzgerald told Yahoo US that the three-page ransom note left in the Ramsey family’s home revealed the most about JonBenét’s killer or killers.
Fitzgerald, who played a key role in identifying Ted Kaczynski as the Unabomber, said he wasn’t convinced the letter demanding $118,000 was written by an "authentic kidnapper," but instead said it was part of a staged crime scene.
"Within the first three sentences, quite frankly, I was convinced that this was not an authentic kidnapper, crime syndicate or terrorist group," he said.
The first thing Fitzgerald said he and investigators noticed were the first two words, which said: 'Listen carefully!'
"This is a written communication meant to be visually comprehended, but here someone is using an audible reference," he said regarding the first line.
“The person who was writing this was truly out of his or her element, in terms of trying to be a real criminal or a real kidnapper."
A note at the end of the series stated that the investigators hoped their findings would inspire the Boulder Country District Attorney's Office to reexamine the case.
