‘People think I did it…’ 20 years on, JonBenet’s brother finally speaks
On Christmas Day in 1996, JonBenet Ramsey was bludgeoned and strangled to death – and then discarded in the basement of her family’s home.
Today, close-to 20 years on, her killer has never been found and her murder remains one of the world’s most high-profile mysteries.
However, two events have recently shined the spotlight once again on the small mountainous city of Boulder in Colorado – where the blonde child beauty pageant star grew up before her death at the age of just six.
Firstly, there is the release of a forthcoming documentary – The Killing Of JonBenet: The Truth Uncovered, a film to which her father, John, lends his first-hand experiences.
Secondly, and arguably more significantly, her brother, Burke, has agreed to be interviewed by the famed Dr Phil – and in the process he opens up publicly about the brutal death of his sister for the very first time.
Both John and Burke – as well as her late mother Patsy – were all at one stage suspects in the case.
"I think the JonBenét Ramsey case is the biggest unsolved murder mystery of our generation,” Phil McGraw has now said.
“And the missing link is Burke Ramsey, because in 20 years he has never spoken publicly and also he was interrogated three times," he added.
The exclusive sit-down with Dr Phil begins airing on September 12 and runs as a three-part mini-series.
A sneak-peak clip to promote the screening reveals that Burke wants to honour his sister's "memory by doing this interview. I don’t want anyone to forget".
"I remember the viewing," he adds. "The casket was small. Her eyes were closed."
Burke furthermore admits: "I know people think I did it, that my parents did it. I know that we were suspects."
The Ramsey family always denied having anything to do with JonBenet’s death and were officially cleared in 2008, two years after Patsy Ramsey died following a 13-year battle with ovarian cancer.
Investigators never found any signs of a break-in at the property. Afterwards it was discovered that 38 registered sex offenders lived within just 3.5km of the family's home at the time of JonBenet's death.
Patsy told police she had found a two-and-a-half page ransom note that demanded $118,000 for her daughter's safe return.
Coincidentally, this figure was almost the exact amount her husband received in bonuses yearly. Investigators ruled out John after handwriting analysis, but Patsy's results were deemed inconclusive.
TWO WEEKS until #JonBenetRamsey's brother Burke gives his first media interview. #DrPhil pic.twitter.com/Jp0KGScMab
— The Dr. Phil Show (@TheDrPhilShow) August 30, 2016
