What’s the real story behind JonBenét Ramsey?

Ruby Gallipo, Journalist • March 4, 2025

Check out this article to read more about JonBenét Ramsey.

Conventional Theory

JonBenét Ramsey was a 6 year old beauty pageant queen who was brutally murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado the day after Christmas in 1996. Her parents names are John and Patsy Ramsey. Her body was found in the basement of the house about 7 hours after she was reported missing. She had a fractured skill and a homemade garrote was tied around her neck. Her death was ruled a homicide. This case spread world wide because she was famous for her beauty and winning so many pageants at such a young age.

There was a long ransom note that was left on the kitchen counter from the intruder. In the basement, there was a broken window in the room that her body was found in. John found her in the basement room and immediately picked her up, which then tampered with the crime scene and destroyed crucial evidence.

DNA from an unknown male was found on JonBenét’s clothes, each family member’s DNA was not a match; so they were all cleared. In her autopsy report there was no clear evidence of conventional rape but there was signs of a vaginal injury. The pathologist said that her vaginal area appeared to be wiped with a cloth. Also in her autopsy, it revealed that she had some sort of fruit in her stomach that might have been pineapple. In the home, there was a bowl of pineapple on the kitchen table. John and Patsy said they don’t recall giving JonBenét any pineapple.

John Mark Karr, a 41 year old school teacher confessed to breaking in and killing JonBenét. He was arrested in Thailand, and claimed that he drugged, sexually assaulted, and accidentally killed her. Karr’s DNA was not a match to the unknown male on her clothing. In his confession, he only knew the basic facts that the public already knew and failed to provide any further information that would confirm him as the killer. So this was a fake confession.

Conspiracy Theory

JonBenét had an older brother Burke, he was 9 years old at the time. Burke had severe anger issues and some mental health problems. Burke would smear his poop around JonBenét’s room and would beat her with baseball bats. He would physically abuse her to the point that the neighbors noticed something was off with their relationship. I have many reasons to believe that Burke Ramsey killed his little sister JonBenét.

Starting off with the tool used to kill JonBenét, there was a homemade garrote tied around her neck when she was found. It was made out of nylon rope and a broken paint brush from Patsy’s art supplies. The rope was tied to the paint brush with a very intricate knot. It was a kind of sailing knot. John would take Burke out and teach him how to use sail boats often. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but I think that’s very suspicious.

Next is the ransom note. I believe the ransom note was staged because professionals say that there was over 200 matches between Patsy Ramsey’s handwriting and the actual note. The note was also 3 pages long. What intruder would take the time to write a 3 page letter when they just killed someone. It also doesn’t make sense why the intruder would write a ransom note saying they have JonBenét when she was actually dead in the basement. In the ransom note the intruder wanted $118,000, which is weird because that is the same amount of money as John’s Christmas bonus that year.

Another reason to believe Burke killed his sister is that the suspected window the intruder came in and out of was covered with spider webs. If an intruder came in and out of that window the spider webs wouldn’t be there. There was also a suitcase pushed up to the window. I believe the Ramseys pushed it up to the window in a hurry to stage a break in to cover up for Burke.

In an interview in 1997, Burke Ramsey, who was 10 at the time, was being questioned about the killing. He knew exactly how and where she died. He said “I think someone took her down into the basement, and took a knife out, (then he showed how someone would have stabbed her), or maybe a hammer hit her in the head.” He later said how he wasn’t scared at home and felt safe. Normally a 10 year old would be scared at home since that’s where his little sister got murdered but apparently he’s not scared. Seems kind of weird.

The bowl of pineapple that was on the kitchen counter had Patsy Ramsey’s finger prints on it. Even though she said she didn’t remember giving JonBenét any pineapple because she was sleeping. The finger prints proves that Patsy was up, and she lied in the interview.

Also, in the 911 call Patsy thought she had hung up the phone, but it actually didn’t disconnect. After the audio was enhanced the Boulder Police Department found that there was 3 voices at the end of the call. A female’s voice saying “Help me, Jesus. Help me Jesus.” And a male’s voice saying “We’re not speaking to you.” And a child’s voice saying “What did you find?” Patsy said that John and Burke had been sleeping, and she was the only one up when she realized JonBenét was missing. Hearing the other voices at the end of the call proves that Patsy lied in the interview and everyone was awake.

After all of this information, I think that Burke Ramsey killed his little sister JonBenét because he had anger issues and didn’t get enough attention from his parents. She was a beautiful little girl and was known around the world. Her parents were always bringing her to pageants and spending all of their time with JonBenét. I think Burke was jealous and wanted attention.

About the Contributor

Ruby Gallipo, Senior Journalist

Favorite Color: Pink Favorite Show: Greys Anatomy Dream Car: Ford Bronco Summer Activities: Hanging out with friends, Shopping, and going on drives Favorite Place to Eat: Chick-fil-a

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What’s the real story behind JonBenét Ramsey?