A new crime show has revealed a shocking twist in the case of JonBenet Ramsey’s murder.
“The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey” aired on CBS, revealing a surprising suspect in the murder — her brother, Burke Ramsey.
In 1996, JonBenet, a child beauty queen, was found beaten and strangled to death in her family’s cellar, just hours after her mother, Patsy, called 911 to report that she had been kidnapped.
To this day, no charges have been filed in the case and there has been much speculation about who may be responsible.
In the new two-part CBS documentary, a team of experts reviews the evidence in the case and, in the final minutes of the special, reveal that they have reason to believe Burke, who was 9 at the time, may be the suspect.
The experts believe, however, that JonBenet’s death could have been accidental.
It was revealed in the documentary that Burke struck his younger sister with a golf club a year before her death after “losing his temper,” according to the Daily Mail.
James Kolar, former chief of investigation for the District Attorney in Boulder, presented the theory that Burke may be responsible for JonBenet’s death. He noted that Patsy had left a bowl of pineapple and some tea for Burke and that when Burke caught JonBenet trying to sneak some of the fruit later on, he lashed out and struck her with a flashlight, killing her.
“My hypothesis was that I think the Ramseys came home around 9:30, 10 o’clock,” Kolar said. “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. 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.”
Kolar added, “JonBenet was up, she may or may not have brushed her teeth, that stuff was out on the counter, then I think she was up and awake enough that she was maybe still hungry and she went downstairs.”
“In the meantime, Patsy continued packing for the Michigan trip,” he continued. “I think if Burke was upset about circumstances or Christmas presents, he probably would have been upset about her trying to snag a piece of pineapple — out of anger he may have struck her with that flashlight.”
Investigators believe that there was likely no intent to kill on Burke’s part, but that the Ramsey family had intended to mislead the investigation.
“The Ramsey family did not want law enforcement to resolve this case and that’s why it remains unresolved,” former FBI profiler Jim Clemente said.
Investigators added that they do not believe Burke was involved in the cover-up, but that both parents likely were, based on the conflicting motives in the ransom letter.
It was also concluded that DNA on JonBenet’s underwear did not match any family member and did not prove that any sexual assault had taken place, notes Us Weekly.
