Such a strange case. The 'ransom' note is fascinating, I was just looking at Statement Analysis website;
As you can see there is a lot of deception in this ransom note. The writer's own words tell us this ransom note was not written with the intent to obtain money. Since the ransom note was written as a ruse, we can conclude this was not a kidnapping that turned into a murder, but a murder made to look like a kidnapping. This means we cannot exclude the Ramseys as possible suspects. Let's look at what evidence ties John and Patsy Ramsey to the ransom note.
1. The ransom note was written on a pad of paper that was in the Ramsey's residence. Likewise, the pen that was used to write the note also came from their residence.
2. The killer placed a nylon cord made into a garrote around JonBenet's neck and strangled her. A broken paintbrush belonging to Patsy Ramsey was used to make the garrote.
3. While handwriting analysis shows that John Ramsey did not write the ransom note, Patsy Ramsey could not be completely eliminated as the writer.
4. Certain words in the ransom note such as "instruction" "monitor" "execution" "scanned" "electronic" and "device" are computer terms. At the time of JonBenet's death, John Ramsey was president of Access Graphics a computer distribution company.
5. The kidnapper demanded $118,000 from the Ramseys. This is a very unusual amount. Most people would ask for a much larger amount. There is a reason why the writer chose $118,000. Even John Ramsey agrees that the number 118 is significant to the killer. It has been reported that in 1996 John Ramsey received a Christmas bonus of $118,000. Is this a coincidence? When the writer had to think of a number, $118,000 was on his mind.
13. delivery will be exhausting so I advise you to be rested. If we
14. monitor you getting the money early, we might call you early to
15. arrange an earlier delivery of the money
and hence a earlier
16.
delivery pickup of your daughter.
6. The word "hence" is not a very common word. When was the last time you used that word in a sentence? We should look to see if this word appears in any writings of John or Patsy Ramsey. Well, it does. On December 14, 1997, the First United Methodist Church in Boulder, Colorado held a memorial service for JonBenet. In the program, there was "A Christmas Message from the Ramsey Family." This message was also posted on the Ramsey family's web site. In the message, we find the statement, "Had there been no birth of Christ, there would be no hope of eternal life, and,
hence, no hope of ever being with our loved ones again."
7. The word "hence" is a transition word. You do not have to use the word "and" with it. For example, "Profits were down this year, hence you will not be receiving a bonus." Most people use the word "hence" and not the words "and hence." The writer of the ransom note used the phrase "and hence." In their Christmas Message, the Ramseys used this exact same phrase. "Had there been no birth of Christ, there would be no hope of eternal life,
and, hence, no hope of ever being with our loved ones again."
In their book,
The Death of Innocence, Patsy Ramsey addresses the use of the phrase "and hence."
"Actually, I have no idea why we used that phrase. Maybe we'd seen it so many times in reading the ransom note - and having to write it over and over again for the police - that it became a part of our subconscious vocabulary. Who Knows? Then again, maybe people everywhere use the phrase 'and hence' every day of the week, because it's a normal part of the English language."
Like I said, when was the last time you used that phrase? It is not part of the normal English vocabulary. Patsy Ramsey does not tell us why they used that phrase. She only says "maybe" it is because they saw it in the ransom note and had to write it several times for the police. She then asked a question, "Who knows?" She is trying to sweep this under the carpet as if it is no big deal. However, this is a very big deal. We have the same phrase that is in the ransom note, appearing in their writings.
We should also note that Patsy Ramsey used the word "actually." This word is used when a person is comparing two thoughts. She is comparing "I have no idea" with what? That she does have an idea?
Also, it is very rare when a person can honestly say "I have no idea." Most people have an idea on just about everything. It may not be correct but they have an idea. After saying she has "no idea" she then contradicts herself and offers an explanation (an idea) why they used that phrase.
On October 12, 2000, the Ramsey's did a webcast interview with Newseum (
www.newsuem.org). In the interview, John Ramsey makes the following statement:
"The justice system is a government organization,
and hence should be looked at with some degree of skepticism."
8. Many Ramsey supporters believe the Ramseys did subconsciously adopt the phrase "and hence" found in the ransom note. I will admit it is possible. But let's take a closer look at the phrase "and hence." When we look at the original ransom note we find the writer had crossed out a word.
13. delivery will be exhausting so I advise you to be rested. If we
14. monitor you getting the money early, we might call you early to
15. arrange an earlier delivery of the money and hence a earlier
16.
delivery pickup of your daughter.
As I previously mentioned, the writer probably realized that a kidnapper would not deliver the hostage. This caused him to cross out the word "delivery" and write "pick-up." Another reason why he may have crossed out the word "delivery" has to do with the author's writing style. An examination of the writing style shows us that whatever comes before the phrase "and hence" comes after the phrase "and hence."
14. monitor you getting the money early, we might call you early to
15. arrange an earlier
delivery of the money
and hence a earlier
16.
delivery pickup of your daughter.
We see the same writing style in the Ramsey's 1997 Christmas message.
"Had there been no birth of Christ, there would be
no hope of eternal life,
and, hence,
no hope of ever being with our loved ones again."
The Ramsey supporters would have us believe that the Ramseys not only adopted the word "hence," they also adopted the phrase "and hence" and they adopted the killer's writing style! Possible but not probable.
In their book, "The Death of Innocence," the Ramseys state they believe this was a kidnapping that turned into a murder. When Larry King interviewed John and Patsy in March 2000, he asked Patsy, "Why would a kidnapper write a ransom note when JonBenet was already dead?" If the Ramseys believe this was a kidnapping that went bad, the answer to Larry King's question should be something like, "We think he wrote the note first and then she was killed in the process of removing her from the house." So, how did Patsy Ramsey answer King's question? She said, "I think it was a ruse to throw us off." Realizing what his wife had said, John Ramsey then stepped in and said, "The note was written before the crime...We think it was a kidnapping." However, Patsy Ramsey confirmed what I and many other people believe. That this was not a legitimate ransom note written to obtain money but was written as a ruse to throw the police off.
The Ransom Note
- We know this was not a group effort because of the changing pronouns. The writer usually used plural pronouns but slipped and used
the singular pronoun "I" and "my."
- The writer misspelled two words in the first paragraph but correctly spelled all the other words. This indicates the author is probably
educated but was trying to sound uneducated.
- The writer requested a low and odd amount of money.
- The writer was about to say that they would deliver JonBenet but then crossed out the word "delivery."
- The writer used the phrase "she dies" as opposed to "she will die." This is an indication JonBenet was already dead when the ransom
note was written.
- At the end of the ransom note, the writer referred to John Ramsey as "John." This indicates the writer felt comfortable call him John.
The writer knows John Ramsey.
- The ransom note was 2.5 pages long. The FBI has stated they have never seen a ransom that long.
- The ransom note was written in the Ramsey house with their pen and their notebook.
It is very clear this ransom note was not written with the intent of extorting money from John Ramsey. It is not a legitimate ransom note. No one attempted to kidnap JonBenet. The ransom note was most likely written after she had died. All indications are it was written as a ruse to throw investigators off.
