John Bennett Ramsey

John Bennett Ramsey (born December 7, 1943) is an American business man, author, and father of homicide victim JonBenét Ramsey. He was the first to discover JonBenét's body in the wine cellar of the Ramseys' 15-room home in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996, just hours after her murder.

Life and business

Ramsey was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Mary Jane (née Bennett) and James Dudley "Jay" Ramsey.^[1] His net worth was reported at $6.4 million as of May 1, 1996. He graduated from Michigan State University. In 1966 Ramsey joined the navy, serving as a Civil Engineer Corps officer in the Philippines, for three years, and in an Atlanta reserve unit for an additional eight years.^[2] . He holds a pilot's license and owns two planes.^[3] In 1989, he formed the Advanced Product Group, one of three companies that merged to become Access Graphics. He became president and chief executive officer of Access Graphics, a computer services company and a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin.^[4] In 1996, Access Graphics grossed over $1 billion, and he was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. Immediately following the murder he was "temporarily replaced so the company did not have to bother him about business matters as he grieved", according to Lockheed spokesman Evan McCollum.^[5] Ramsey soon left his job to move his family to Michigan, where he joined another computer company. Access Graphics was later sold to General Electric in 1997. He has a son named Burke Ramsey.

John Ramsey's wife Patsy died June 24, 2006 of ovarian cancer. Ramsey's eldest daughter from his first marriage, Elizabeth Pasch Ramsey, died in a 1992 car accident at the age of 22.

Ramsey reportedly began dating Beth Holloway, the mother of Natalee Holloway, an Alabama student who disappeared during a 2005 high school graduation trip to Aruba. Ramsey met Holloway while attending a fundraiser after his wife's death.^[6] However, Ramsey downplayed their relationship, stating that they "developed a friendship of respect and admiration" out of common interests related to their children.^[7]

On July 21, 2011, John Ramsey married fashion designer Jan Rousseaux after meeting her at a wedding in Denver in 2009. Ramsey proposed to Rousseaux on February 14, 2011. They got married at a private ceremony in Charlevoix, Michigan.

Case files

JonBenét's was the only murder in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. The Boulder police had little experience in that type of investigation. Regardless, the majority of them immediately thought that the Ramseys were guilty due to the lack of evidence found indicating that an intruder had broken inside the house, and that the Ramseys had been avoiding the police since the death of their daughter.

Boulder police dismissed the possibility that an intruder had somehow slipped inside the house and committed the murder because they could not find any evidence of anyone breaking in. Instead, District Attorney Alex Hunter leaked information to the media. Meanwhile, the Ramseys had themselves retained a public relations firm and repeatedly appeared on national television to plead their case.

Statements were given to the media by John Ramsey's ex-wife, brother, and sister-in-law. They categorically deny that John Ramsey is, or has ever been, a child abuser. To further defend the claims, John Ramsey's son, John Andrew, and elder daughter, Melinda, told interviewers that their father had always been a loving and gentle person who "cherished" his children and had never abused them in any way. Both children were interviewed as possible suspects in the murder but were later cleared.

In 2004, investigators began to emphasize an intruder theory. Throughout the investigation, the Ramseys maintained their innocence.

Even after the false confession, extradition, and later release of John Mark Karr, JonBenét's murder remains unsolved. Charges have not been filed against anyone.

In July 2008, John Ramsey and his late wife Patsy were officially cleared of the death by the Boulder District Attorney's office, based on new DNA evidence collected from JonBenet's clothing; this particular DNA analysis did not exist at the time of the killing.^[8] This was done against normal practice and police still believe them to not be cleared of all charges. ^[9]

Defamation lawsuits

Several defamation lawsuits have ensued since JonBenét's murder. L. Lin Wood.^[10][11][12] was the plaintiff's lead attorney for John and Patsy Ramsey and their son Burke, and has prosecuted defamation claims on their behalf against St. Martin's Press, Time, Inc., The Fox News Channel, American Media, Inc., Star, The Globe, Court TV and The New York Post. John and Patsy Ramsey were also sued in two separate defamation lawsuits arising from the publication of their book, The Death of Innocence, brought by two individuals named in the book as having been investigated by Boulder police as suspects in JonBenét's murder. The Ramseys were defended in those lawsuits by Lin Wood and three other Atlanta attorneys, James C. Rawls, Eric P. Schroeder, and S. Derek Bauer, who obtained dismissal of both lawsuits including an in-depth decision by U.S. District Court Judge Julie Carnes that "abundant evidence" in the murder case pointed to an intruder having committed the crime.^[13]

In November 2006, Rod Westmoreland, a friend of JonBenét Ramsey's father, filed a defamation suit^[14] against Keith Greer, who posted a message on an Internet forum using the pseudonym "undertheradar". Greer had accused Westmoreland of participating in the kidnapping and murder.^[15] Greer has defended his statement.^[16]

Politics

In 2004 and 2008, Ramsey unsuccessfully campaigned for a seat in Michigan's House of Representatives.^[17][18][19]

Fictional portrayals

• Ramsey was portrayed by Ronny Cox in the 2000 miniseries Perfect Murder, Perfect Town.

• Ramsey was portrayed by Michael McDonald on MADtv.

• The Ramseys were also portrayed in the South Park episode "Butters' Very Own Episode" The episode strongly implied that John Ramsey with his wife were responsible for the death of JonBenét Ramsey. In a 2011 interview, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone stated that they regretted how the Ramseys were portrayed in the episode.^[20]

References