It was never my intention to become an expert on the Jonbenet Ramsey case, but given my complete and total absorption in the two books most recently read (following the colon), I must say I'm pretty much up to snuff on all the players, suspects and victim: Jonbenet by Detective Steve Thomas; Perfect Murder, Perfect Town by Lawrence Schiller.
Let there be no mistake that Steve Thomas has a grudge he's working on. He believes with the passion of a police officer that Patsy Ramsey killed Jonbenet, and he also believes the Boulder's DA office totally screwed up. Anyone watching even a news snippet during the Jonbenet brouhaha probably knew this. It wasn't any big secret that the Boulder DA in the form of Alex Hunter was working closely with the Ramsey lawyers, one time even arranging an interview in an assistant DA's home. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? Police don't normally cotton to this kind of stuff and this average citizen can understand why.
The Thomas book was very subjective, to state the obvious. He liked Detective Commander Eller and disliked his replacement, Beckner. He thought Detective Arndt, the first detective to arrive at the crime scene that December 26, 1996 totally mishandled everything, the consequences of which botched the case forever. Surprisingly, Thomas was especially kind to Lou Smit, an investigator hired by the DA's office and proponent of the theory that an intruder to the Ramsey house murdered Jonbenet.
There were a few heretofore unknown scoops (at least unknown by me) in the Jonbenet murder investigation revealed in Thomas book. I had no idea the Boulder police went out and hired their own lawyers to advise them on the investigation. Then again, the DA's office hired their own investigators and neither scenario makes much sense to me. I also had no idea that Alex Hunter had been so cozy with Globe tabloid reporter Jeff Shapiro.
Schiller mentioned this Shapiro fellow in his book quite a bit and as an aside, what a character this guy has to be. Sort of a tabloid Colombo as I like to think of him, he managed to get himself all cozy with both the DA and the police in this case, so much so that Hunter regularly phoned the fellow direct to his cell phone and the Boulder cops even taped a confession by Shapiro that he was in cahoots with the DA's office. Shapiro managed to weasel in all cozy like with some other of the Ramsey witnesses, bumbling along, even joining the Ramsey church at one point, professing to a desire to convert to Christianity. What a hoot! I wonder how all these folks feel now that their rather weird association with a Globe tabloid reporter is known to the world.
Article comments
1 - DrPat
Patfish, please give us at least a hint of who you think killed JonBenet! No fair diverting readers to your own blog to learn the punchline...
2 - Dawn
I went to your site and lo and behold I could't find your take on it.
What's the deal?
3 - Pat Fish
I will certainly give you a hint of who I think did it.
I think Jonbenet's mother, Patsy Ramsey, killed her daughter in a fit of rage.
However, there's a lot more to it than that. And yes it is fair that I refer you to mine own Blog because my scenario is a whole other post beyond these book reviews. Not to mention totally irrelevant to the book reviews.
I will, to make matters simpler for those who care, give you a direct link to the post in question so you don't have to plow through my Blog looking for it.
A Sane Scenario on How Jonbenet Ramsey Was Murdered
4 - Monica
This is horrible, I can't even comment appropriately, without getting upset.
So much publicity, and who gains from it? While this little girl, still being drug netwide.
How can one possibly display these articles? I just don't understand.
Either get this case solved, or let this little girl rest in peace.
My heart goes out to her, God Bless You Jon Benet.
5 - nicole
Anyone who believes that the Ramsey's were in any way involved in the murder of their precious daughter needs to do some serious research. It's easier for people to believe that JonBenet was the victim of abuse at the hands of her own parents then to believe that someone actually entered their home - a persons safe haven - and murdered their child as they slept... and got away with it. No one wants to believe that the monster who did this is still out there and can/will kill again. Everyone wants to believe it was an accident due to "rage".
This was no accident. She was brutally, intentionally murdered. Her killer will strike again. RIP JonBenet and Patsy Ramsey
6 - Dee
Her parents did not kill her I believe Burke her brother accidently did it and the parents tried to cover it up. The parents messed up the scene of the crime by removing jonbenet from the spot she was in. How did Jon know exactly where to look? why did he go to the basement first? why is is that when Burke woke up in the morning and saw policie officers in his house he did not say a word to them? instead he went under teh christmas tree took one of his gifts and went to play. Does that make sense at all? Burke did it and his parents are trying to save him because they feel it was their fault by giving jonbenet so much attention and leaving him out.