Burke Ramsey is the brother of JonBenet Ramsey, the child beauty queen who is the subject of a new Netflix documentary.
In 1996, JonBenet was discovered strangled to death in her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado. She was 6 years old. The case generated massive news headlines at the time. The child’s parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, were in the home at the time she was killed, as was Burke Ramsey, then 9. Patsy Ramsey has since died of ovarian cancer, according to The New York Times.
According to USA Today, one 1999 poll found that 5 percent of people surveyed believed Burke Ramsey was the killer, although he has never been accused by authorities of committing the crime, USA Today reported.
The final episode of the Netflix show reads, “Citing his treatment by the media and online websleuths, Burke Ramsey declined our request for an interview.”
The district attorney later exonerated the parents, who have consistently blamed an intruder, ABC News reported.
Burke was also cleared by the DA, NBC News reported.
Director Joe Berlinger told TODAY.com that Burke Ramsey, who is today 37, is “doing fine.”
“We tried to gain access through our relationship with John Ramsey and through (his) son, John Andrew Ramsey,” Berlinger told the site. “But we didn’t want to pressure Burke and he didn’t want to talk to us, and he just didn’t want to participate. So we respected that.”
Burke Ramsey Later Appeared on Dr. Phil & Then Settled a Defamation Lawsuit With CBS
GettyJohn Ramsey, right, and his wife Patsy.Burke Ramsey took CBS News to court for defamation after a documentary series pointed the finger at him, according to a 2019 article by NPR, which reported that Burke had settled the case with CBS.
Lin Wood, Burke’s attorney, spoke to NPR after the settlement.
“For almost 20 years, it has been my privilege to represent John Ramsey, Patsy Ramsey (before her untimely death in 2006) and their son, Burke in a number of defamation lawsuits,” Wood said to NPR. “It is now my professional and personal wish for this family that they no longer suffer the pain of false accusations in the future. I sincerely hope the CBS case is my last lawsuit for these fine clients and friends.”
The settlement amount was not disclosed, NPR reported, although Burke was seeking millions of dollars.
Burke Ramsey appeared on the “Dr. Phil” show to discuss what happened to his sister.
“Absolutely not,” he said when asked by Dr. Phil if he hit his sister “over the head.”
“I didn’t know if there was some bad guy downstairs that my dad was chasing off with a gun,” Burke Ramsey told Dr. Phil.
Dr. Phil asked Burke about different theories, including Burke’s mom being the suspect. “I know that we were suspects,” Burke said, adding that he had not “read the whole thing,” referring to the ransom note found at the scene. He said that he had “never really looked at it closely.”
Burke said the ransom note looked “too sloppy” to be his mother’s writing.
A Relative Says It’s ‘Absolutely Absurd’ to Think That Burke Ramsey Was Involved in JonBenet’s Death
GettyThe grave of JonBenet Ramsey.John Andrew Ramsey, who is Burke’s half-brother, said that it’s “absolutely absurd” to think Burke might have had anything to do with his sister’s death, USA Today reported.
“You look back at pictures of 9-year-old Burke,” John Andrew Ramsey said, according to USA Today. “It’s just absolutely absurd to think, ‘Oh yeah, he could’ve killed his sister and delivered this level of violence.’”
JonBenet’s murder has never been solved.
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