So who is Bill McReynolds? Or perhaps the Ramseys felt that, with poor JonBenet already dead, they did not want to see their friend, Bill, who was already in poor health, die in prison. Tracey reported Karr to the police who arrested him in Bangkok. Maybe that family member enlists a friend to do it instead so that police wouldn't quickly make the connection and unbeknonst to them, that friend is a creep, so things go horribly wrong and turn from kidnapping to murder. I think its that devotion, that respect, that love for Lou, [that] is what keeps our team moving forward.. Moreover, both he, as a retired journalism professor, and his wife, an award-winning playwright, clearly had the creativity, literary skills, knowledge, and background needed to construct the so-called ransom note (see Part 2), either together or individually, including the ability to make it sound as though it was written by someone else, in part through the deliberate and deceptive inclusion of misspellings and grammatical errors. So who is Bill McReynolds? The Killer entered the home through an unlocked door or window (there are several possibilities) while the Ramsey's were at the Christmas party. The real Killer doesn't know the Ramsey's personally so he is never questioned or identified. According to a 1999 New York Post article, McReynolds was a retired journalism professor and a close friend of the Ramseys. There are, it seems to me, two fundamental approaches to reckoning with these confounding findings on the part of the grand jury: either reject them out of hand or accept them, fully or partially. It seemed as though the parents were probably involved, Smit said in video diaries that he began recording while investigating the case. Many sleuths believe that Helgoth had heard he was a suspect in the case, with a popular theory believing that it was his footprint at the crime scene. Mary Lacy, the district attorney of Boulder at the time, decided to use this new test on JonBents pajama leggings and the results came back positive for at least one unknown males DNA, possibly even two. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Why not take JBR from the home and to a secluded place where they could do a lot more than just take a few pictures. For instance, if neither John nor Patsy Ramsey was responsible for directly causing their daughter's death, who did? The killer lay in weight until the Ramsey's came home. He loved that little girl. One of the suspects investigated and cleared early on by authorities in JonBenet's death was family friend and neighbor Bill McReynolds, a man who had evidently been hired by Patsy to play Santa Claus at the Ramsey family's Christmas parties in both 1995 and 1996 (and possibly 1994, too). McReynolds claimed he was innocent and died in 2002. When he got sick with cancer he knew that his time was limited and so, during that time, he just talked to others about not letting this case die, said Cindy Marra, Smits daughter. A window in the basement was broken and an unidentified footprint was found at the scene. Be that as it may, what I want to focus on in this next post, however, is not some other single piece of evidence in this baffling case, but rather on what took place back in 1999, when 12 people were officially tasked by the Boulder District Attorney's office with reviewing the entirety of available evidence at the time and recommending whether to criminally indict anyone in regard to the death of JonBenet Ramsey. I wish we would have done a better job of securing and controlling the crime scene on day one, said Beckner. Bill McReynolds was found dead in his Mashpee, Mass., home Monday by his wife, Janet, when she returned from a weekend trip. As we looked at each other, I remember -- and I wore a shoulder holster -- tucking my gun right next to me and consciously counting [that] Ive got 18 bullets, Arndt said, adding, I didnt know if wed all be alive when people showed up.. In the aftermath of their daughters murder, John Ramsey went on to lose his job and claims he spent millions of dollars on private investigators, lawyers and security. Lifetime will present a TV movie called Who Killed JonBent? Therefore, he very controversially decided not to file any formal charges against the Ramsey's at all. Theres a group of dedicated volunteers that work on this daily., I think its really important for people to understand that this case can be solved, he went on to say. So he was a white male with dark hair around 20-25 years old. Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. In that particular movie, a fat cat industrialist, his son was kidnapped. He retired in 2019 to spend more time with his children and . Theres a narrative out there that this is an unsolved homicide and that we just have to accept that as a fact, and that is not the truth. While JonBents half-brother, John Andrew Ramsey, said his father has remarried and is focusing on life, he also said their fight for justice on behalf of his half-sister is not over. Their desperation to protect Burke leads them to lie about certain little things which only makes them look guiltier. The McReynolds said at the time that the coincidences between their daughter's abduction, the play, and JonBent's death were all just coincidence. The family has not lost the will to fight and the will to find the killer, John Andrew Ramsey said. He grew his long natural white beard when cast as a tavern owner in the play, "Les Miserables" for Unity of Boulder Church. Here is the exact wording of the recently released grand jury's recommended indictment of both John and Patsy Ramsey, which concluded that they each "unlawfully, knowingly, recklessly and feloniously permit[ted] a child to be unreasonably placed in a situation which posed a threat of injury to the child's life or health, resulting in her death." I had seen evidence of an intruder in the house that night., With his intruder theory regarding JonBents murder increasingly pushed by the wayside, Smit ultimately chose to resign from the case, writing in a letter to Boulder District Attorney Hunter: Even though I want to continue to participate in the official investigation and assist in finding the killer of JonBenet, I find that I cannot in good conscience be a part of the persecution of innocent people, said Smit, referring to JonBents parents. What happened that Christmas became one of the most notorious and unsolved cases of modern times. Waltrip joined the broadcast booth for FOX Sports in 2001, a year after he retired from NASCAR. But [the police] are trying to say Patsy did it. He played Ramsey Santa 1994, 1995 and 1996. After JonBents parents first formal interrogation in the spring of 1997, four months after her death, it would take nearly two years for them to sit down with the police for another interrogation. By itself, it's not a crime. 9 yo kids kill, but it doesn't happen often enough for the Ramseys to think that Burke would be blamed. Tom Haney, a detective with the Denver Police Department, interrogated Patsy Ramsey, while Smit interrogated John Ramsey. missoula jobs part time; best fitness tracker for hockey She was lying on a white blanket. The 2 1/2-page letter demanded that John withdraw $118,000 and wait for further instructions. The family moved to Florida when Robert was six years old. And if there were other reasons for them to worry about it, then it's far more logical to think that Burke indeed killed JonBenet. Former CU professor Bill McReynolds died of a heart attack By Christine Reid, Camera Staff Writer September 5, 2002 The Santa Claus figure in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case died over the weekend from a heart attack. "He really took the role as his life goal," Janet McReynolds said. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. JONBENET Ramsey was just six years old when she was murdered on Christmas Day in 1996. The idea that a parents first thought upon finding their child murdered is to start a coverup out of pure survival instinct is fantastical. I thought this was [going to] be a fairly easy case. It's certainly a mysterious, and heart-breaking case that has long raised many questions about the young girl's death. No suspects were ever found. Staying Single: What Most People Do If They Divorce After 50, A Psychological Diagnosis for People Who Lie About Everything. There were other similarities about McReynolds' play and the Ramsey murder that spiked investigators' interest. Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride and new circuit court Judge Dana McReynolds enter the courtroom for a swearing-in ceremony Wednesday morning at the Henry County . I mean, were suffering from having lost our child and then, for someone to accuse you, its just, you cant believe that would happen, she told CNN in January 1997. On the very same day in 1974 - Boxing Day - McReynolds's nine-year-old daughter had been abducted with a friend, and had witnessed the sexual molestation of her friend. Shortly after Ramsey was found dead, investigators pursued a number of suspects, including the 6-year-old's parents, Patricia and John Ramsey but the couple weren't the only suspects on the investigators' radar. He told the Denver Post that when he first met JonBent in 1995 he was struck by her smile, her "pensive, almost retiring" demeanor, and her angelic glow. However, John and Patsy Ramsey referred to him as a suspect in their book The Death of Innocence, and Janet stated that her husband was deeply affected by the suspicion: "He was scarred. Apart from it, how come the killer left no traces behind? On December 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey woke up around 5:45 a.m. and found a three-page handwritten note. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. were officially cleared of any involvement in the murder, JonBenet Ramsey's murder, including Bill McReynolds, the man hired by Patsy to play Santa Claus at the Ramsey family's Christmas parties, McReynolds and his wife, Janet, were initially questioned, police sources never considered he or Janet "serious" suspects. Privacy Policy. We do not know. We also should have separated John and Patsy and gotten full statements from them that day. His DNA under JonBenets fingernails is the only trace of him left behind. Was this ever investigated or evaluated? Simson trial and quickly gained traction with news outlets around the world. Unless, of course, the investigators still working this cold case are willing to critically reevaluate the various questionable criteria used at that time to rule out potential suspects e.g., weak alibis, inconclusive handwriting analysis, dubious DNA evidence, etc. Mind-boggling! It was his wife. A local Santa Claus did it. McReynolds' death was sudden, his wife said, although he had undergone a bypass operation and replacement of aorta valve in 1996. Yet Burke and both his parents have been officially exonerated (see Part 1), based mainly on the most recent DNA evidence. Bill McReynolds was a neighbour and had visited the Ramsey house two days before the murder, as he was dressed up as Santa Clause to celebrate Christmas. Janet McReynolds said in the same interview that her 1970s play sounded "quaint" in light of the Ramsey murder and only made her family more empathetic to the Ramseys' loss. Patsy finds the ransom note hours later. But as Smit began to investigate the case, he started to believe that police should actually be looking at a possible intruder. Meet Son Brandon McReynolds. 5 Spiritual Practices That Increase Well-Being. According to The Daily Camera, the McReynolds' middle daughter, 9-years-old at the time, was abducted on December 26, 1974, and witnessed the sexual molestation of her friend. It was a very sad thing in his life because he genuinely loved children, and it was the happiest part of his life.". The outlet reported that on Dec. 26, 1974, the couple's 9-year-old daughter had been kidnapped along with her friend and she witnessed the sexual abuse of her friend during the trauma. Authorities collected hair and handwriting samples from the couple in the first few months following the killing, but police sources said they did not consider the McReynolds serious suspects. According to a CNN report in 2006, Trip DeMuth, an original prosecutor on the case, said that McReynolds' alleged Christmas card to JonBent was particularly concerning: The McReynolds were reportedly cleared of charges after submitting DNA samples, CNN reported. We had a higher priority at that point and that was to bury our daughter.. Other similarities about McReynolds ' play and the will to fight and will! Directly causing their daughter 's death white male with dark hair around 20-25 old... That Christmas became one of the keyboard shortcuts jobs part time ; best fitness tracker hockey. 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