THE murder of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey is a case which has fascinated the world but has never been solved.
But no one has ever been charged with her murder. Here’s what we know.
Who is JonBenet’s brother Burke Ramsey?
Burke Ramsey was born in 1987 to parents John Bennett and Patsy Ramsey.
His father John was a successful businessman and by all accounts the family lived a comfortable life in Boulder, Colorado.
But the killing of Burke’s sister JonBenet on December 26, 1996, changed all of their lives forever.
A media circus enveloped the family and suspicion fell on everybody close to the little girl.
As well as John and Patsy, some began to suggest Burke had a hand in his sister’s death.
All three were cleared in 2008 after three pieces of male DNA were found on JonBenét’s clothing.
However, the evidence has faced challenges from experts who suggest it could have originated from other sources. This comes in the wake of revelations about significant mistakes made by the FBI during their analysis of the crime scene.
After having the case hanging over him for many years, a CBS mini-series suggested Burke was to blame for JonBenet’s death after all.
Investigators quoted on the programme claimed he was jealous of his beauty queen sister and had smeared poo on her Christmas presents.
Burke Ramsey sued CBS for defamation and the case was settled out of court.
He also sued Dr Werner Spitz who accused Burke of killing his six-year-old sister in the CBS documentary The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey.
Who confessed to JonBenet Ramsey’s murder?
One of the individuals linked to the crime is Gary Oliva, who purportedly confessed to the murder of JonBenet. The young girl’s body was found by her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, in the basement of their family home in Boulder, Colorado, on Boxing Day in 1996.
The little girl had been reported missing eight hours earlier.
A ransom note for £90,000 was found later.
Describing the gruesome scene, it was revealed that JonBenet had been sexually assaulted, strangled using a cord, suffered a skull fracture, and was left in the basement with her wrists bound, her mouth covered with duct tape, and her body concealed under a blanket.
Nobody has ever been convicted of JonBenet’s murder and the case went cold until Oliva made his apparent confession.
Oliva was released on parole on Thursday, February 1, 2024. He served an eight-year prison term for child pornography offenses.
John Mark Karr admitted to the killing in 2008, but it soon became apparent that he had made a false confession.
What has Burke Ramsey said about JonBenet’s murder?
Speaking on US talk show Dr Phil, Burke protested his innocence, along with that of his mum and dad.
He even said he would be prepared to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence.
Burke also said “it doesn’t make sense” the notion that his mother Patsy murdered his pageant-winning sister
He said: “Not to say she never got upset, but nothing near laying a finger on us, let alone killing her child.”
He insisted that his mother – who died of cancer in 2006 – never spanked her kids. “Nothing of the sort,” he added. “Not even close.”
“For the last 20 years I wanted to grow up like a normal kid,” Burke said.
In the interview, Dr. Phil asked Burke: “Has it ever occurred to you that your parents actually thought you did this and didn’t ask you because they didn’t want to know?”
Burke replies: “I know people think I did it; that my parents did it. I know that we were suspects.”
“I remember my mom searching my room that night saying, ‘Where’s my baby? Where’s my baby?’”
Some criticised his demeanour on the show, claiming his body language was “creepy” as he appeared to smile while recounting the night his sister’s body was found.
But Dr Phil subsequently claimed Burke – who now works as a software engineer – was just socially awkward.
He said: “This is anxiety. He’s socially uncomfortable – I’ve seen it a lot.”
