JonBenet Ramsey was a six-year-old girl found strangled to death in her parents' Boulder, Colorado, cellar the day after Christmas in 1996. Police obtained a ransom note found at the scene purporting to be from a "small foreign faction" and demanding $118,000.Tru TV Crime Library: Murder of JonBenet Ramsey The girl's death sparked intense media scrutiny and a prolonged investigation implicating the parents, John and Patricia "Patsy" Ramsey and her older brother Burke.
On December 26, 2008, in-coming DA Stan Garnett promised that one of his first acts as DA in January 2009 will be to decide what to do about the case.Daily Camera: New DA may send JonBenet Ramsey case back to police (December 26, 2008)
Suspicion of Parents
Soon after Ramsey's death, her parents fell under what was dubbed by one investigator as "an umbrella of suspicion."MSNBC: Family cleared in JonBenet Ramsey's death (July 9, 2008) Factors perceived to have implicated them in the murder included the ransom note (which appeared fake) and their behavior immediately after the death, flying to their former hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, and limiting police interviews. Media scrutiny of the Ramseys was intensified by the striking photos of JonBenet in adult makeup and clothing and her background as a regular participant in child beauty contests.
John Mark Karr
On August 16, 2006, nearly 10 years after the murder, John Mark Karr was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, and deported to the U.S. as a suspect. Evidence against him was based on his email confession to a University of Colorado professor. Despite the suspect's reported fascination with child murders and alleged interest in child pornography, his confession was later determined to be false.SFGate: Investigators considered Karr 5 years ago (August 19, 2006) On August 28, the Boulder district attorney dropped the charges against Karr.
Exoneration of Parents
On July 9, 2008, the Boulder County District Attorney officially apologized to John Ramsey for the investigation of the Ramsey family in connection with their daughter's murder.MSNBC: Family cleared in JonBenet Ramsey's death (July 9, 2008) Newly discovered DNA evidence had reportedly established that the murderer was not a member of the immediate family. Residual DNA samples from the victim's leggings and underwear indicated an unknown male perpetrator.
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
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Full name
JonBenet Patsy Ramsey
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Born
August 6, 1990
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Died
December 25, 1996
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Birthplace
Atlanta, Georgia
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Fact:
First name derives from father's name, John Bennett Ramsey
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Fact:
An autopsy report indicated strangulation and head trauma as the cause of death
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Fact:
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June 24, 2006
Mother Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer
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July 9, 2008
Family formally exonerated of suspicion
