Burke Ramsey was nine years old when his younger sister, JonBenét, was discovered murdered in their Boulder, Colorado, home. The death of the six-year-old beauty pageant star sent shockwaves across the nation, yet the perpetrator has never been identified, as no one has ever been charged. Several suspects have been considered over the years, including Burke himself.
Although Burke was merely a child at the time of JonBenét's murder in 1996, some speculate that he might have accidentally killed her and their parents might have helped cover it up. Supporters of this theory cite enigmatic elements such as undigested pineapple in JonBenét's stomach, which they argue could point to a quarrel over the fruit, believed to have been intended for Burke.
Nevertheless, Burke and his parents have consistently denied his involvement in the crime.
Here's a look at why some view Burke Ramsey as the prime suspect, and why others believe an outsider is responsible for JonBenét's murder.
Burke Ramsey's Allegedly Troubled Relationship With His Sister
Burke Ramsey was born on January 27, 1987, to Patsy and John Bennett Ramsey. With his father John being a successful businessman who had sold a company for millions, Burke, along with his younger sister JonBenét—born in 1990—enjoyed a comfortable upbringing in a well-appointed home in Boulder, Colorado.
Why Some Think JonBenét Ramsey's Brother Could Be Her Killer In the 1996 Christmas card, Patsy portrayed her family in a favorable light, sharing updates about her husband's business ventures, Burke's academic accomplishments, and JonBenét's achievements in child beauty pageants. However, there were whispers that the family's life was not as idyllic as it seemed.
The 2016 docuseries "The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey" brought together a team of investigators who delved into the details of JonBenét's murder. According to a Rolling Stone report, they found evidence of Burke's troubling behavior, such as "scatological" incidents where he smeared feces in the family's bathroom and in JonBenét's bedroom. Linda Hoffman-Pugh, the family's housekeeper and another suspect in the murder, recounted finding feces in JonBenét's bed.
In the CBS docuseries, a family friend named Judith Miller recalled Patsy Ramsey sharing an incident where Burke had hit JonBenét with a golf club about a year and a half before she was murdered.
These unsettling incidents were eclipsed by the tragedy that occurred on December 26, 1996, when JonBenét was discovered dead.
The Brutal Murder Of JonBenét Ramsey
Initially, the investigation did not focus on murder; the authorities thought they were dealing with a kidnapping.
On December 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey reportedly found a lengthy ransom note on the staircase around 5:30 a.m., suggesting JonBenét had been kidnapped. The note demanded $118,000 for her safe return, coincidentally the same amount John had received as a bonus that year.
Why Some Think JonBenét Ramsey's Brother Could Be Her Killer Patsy Ramsey later recounted that after discovering the ransom note, she woke her husband, called 911, and began searching their home for her daughter.
"The first thing I remember is my mom bursting into my room… really frantic saying, 'Oh my gosh, oh my gosh'… running around my room looking for JonBenét," Burke told Dr. Phil in 2016, the first time that he'd ever publicly spoken about his sister's murder, according to CBS News. "Next thing I remember was a police officer coming into my room."
During this time, Burke Ramsey remained in his bedroom, not participating in the search for his sister.
"I just laid there, didn't really know what else to do," he told Dr. Phil. He said he felt "scared" and added, "I didn't know if there was some bad guy downstairs and my dad was chasing off with a gun. I had no idea."
By 10 a.m. that morning, John Ramsey made a horrifying discovery in the basement of their home where he found the body of six-year-old JonBenét. She had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, was strangled with a garrote, and showed signs of possible sexual assault.
Shortly after finding JonBenét, John Ramsey informed his son that she was "in heaven."
"I started crying," Burke told Dr. Phil. "I didn't believe it at first."
The murder of JonBenét Ramsey was a shocking and puzzling tragedy. How could anyone kill a six-year-old and leave her body in her own home? Over the years, various suspects have come to light, including her brother, Burke Ramsey.
Did Burke Ramsey Kill JonBenét?
While no charges have ever been brought in JonBenét's murder, suspicions have frequently circled back to the Ramsey family. Clues seemed rooted in the home itself: the garrote used on JonBenét was crafted from one of Patsy's paintbrushes, the paper for the ransom note came from a notepad within the house, and the pen used was also found on the premises.
Initially, John and Patsy Ramsey were the main suspects. However, a different theory gained traction over time, suggesting that Burke might have accidentally killed his sister and that their parents had orchestrated a cover-up to protect him.
This theory suggests that on the night JonBenét died, Burke Ramsey woke up to prepare a late-night snack. He later admitted in an interview with Dr. Phil that he had gone downstairs to play after the rest of the family had gone to bed.
"Yeah, I had some toy that I wanted to put together," Burke recalled to Dr. Phil. "I remember being downstairs after everyone was in bed."
It appears Burke might have eaten some pineapple during this time. Although Patsy Ramsey denied serving the fruit to her children that night, a bowl of pineapple with both Burke's and Patsy's fingerprints was found in the kitchen the next morning. Crucially, undigested pineapple was discovered in JonBenét's stomach. The theory posits that JonBenét may have taken some of Burke's pineapple, prompting him to strike her with an object, possibly a flashlight, leading to her death.
Why Some Think JonBenét Ramsey's Brother Could Be Her Killer Additionally, some have theorized that the marks found on JonBenét's back, initially thought to be from a stun gun, could actually have been made by a toy train track.
Proponents of the "Burke did it" theory argue that after the incident, Burke's parents realized what had happened and concocted a kidnapping scenario to protect their son from consequences.
However, Burke has consistently denied these allegations. He filed a $750 million lawsuit against CBS following the broadcast of the docuseries, which was settled for an undisclosed amount. While he acknowledged on Dr. Phil that he had accidentally hit JonBenét with a golf club prior to her murder, he firmly denied harming her with a flashlight or any other object on the night she died, insisting he "absolutely" did not hit her.
However, Burke's demeanor during his interview with Dr. Phil raised eyebrows; some described his smiling while discussing his sister's death as "creepy." Dr. Phil defended his behavior, suggesting it shouldn't be interpreted negatively. "This is anxiety. He's socially uncomfortable, I've seen it a lot. He's not autistic. He's not weird. He's not creepy."
John Ramsey has also come to his son's defense, strongly supporting Burke in a 2016 interview with A&E: "The accusation that Burke is some violent 90-pound, nine-year-old child… is laughable."
Yet, if Burke wasn't responsible for JonBenét's death, the question remains: who was?
Other Suspects In The JonBenét Murder
No one has been formally charged with the murder of JonBenét to this day.
Over the years, suspicion has occasionally fallen on other members of the Ramsey family. Patsy Ramsey, who passed away from cancer in 2006, has also been a figure of speculation. Some theorists suggest she might have killed JonBenét in a moment of anger over bedwetting, but Burke has countered these claims on Dr. Phil, stating that his mother never hit them.
"Not to say she never got upset, but nothing near laying a finger on us, let alone killing her child," Burke Ramsey insisted.
Meanwhile, suspicion has also been directed at John Ramsey, particularly regarding his purported discovery of JonBenét's body in the basement.
Why Some Think JonBenét Ramsey's Brother Could Be Her Killer In 1999, a grand jury moved to indict the Ramseys on charges of child abuse, concluding they had allowed their child to be placed in a situation that threatened her life or health. Despite this, no indictment was issued as the Boulder prosecutor decided against pursuing the case. The grand jury found that the Ramseys had "unlawfully, knowingly, recklessly and feloniously permitted a child to be unreasonably placed in a situation which posed a threat of injury to the child's life or health."
Alternative suspects include the Ramsey's housekeeper, Linda Hoffman-Pugh, who had previously requested a significant loan from the family and was familiar with their financial situation. Suspicion has also fallen on known sex offenders such as Gary Oliva, who once confessed to a friend that he had "hurt a little girl" on the day JonBenét was found, and John Mark Karr, who bizarrely claimed he had killed JonBenét during a "love game" that ended tragically. Both were eventually excluded as suspects through DNA evidence.
Why Some Think JonBenét Ramsey's Brother Could Be Her Killer Burke Ramsey suspects that "some pedophile in the pageant audience" is likely responsible for his sister's murder. He expresses hope that one day, JonBenét's killer will be identified and brought to justice.
"I don't want anyone to stop working on the case," Burke told Dr. Phil. "I want them to focus on finding the real killer."
