John Bennett Ramsey

John Bennett Ramsey 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 on Christmas Day. Personal life: Ramsey was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Mary Jane (née Bennett) and James Dudley "Jay" Ramsey. 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. He holds a pilot's license and owns two planes. 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. He has a son named Burke Ramsey. 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. However, Ramsey downplayed their relationship, stating that they "developed a friendship of respect and admiration" out of common interests related to their children. 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. Business: 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. 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 of his daughter he was "temporarily replaced so the company did not have to bother him about business matters as he grieved", according to Lockheed Martin spokesman Evan McCollum. 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. His net worth was reported at $6.4 million as of May 1, 1996. Case file: The murder of Ramsey's daughter, JonBenét, was the only murder in Boulder, Colorado in 1996. The Boulder police had had little experience with murder investigations. Regardless, the majority of them immediately thought that the Ramseys were guilty because of the absence of any evidence indicating that an intruder had broken into the house. Boulder police considered the possibility that an intruder had gotten into the house and committed the murder. However, they could not find evidence of a break-in. Meanwhile, the Ramseys retained a public relations firm and repeatedly appeared on national television to plead their innocence. Statements were given to the media by John Ramsey's ex-wife, his brother, and his sister-in-law. They categorically denied that John Ramsey was, or ever had been, a child abuser. Further, John Ramsey's elder son (John Andrew) and his elder daughter (Melinda) told interviewers that their father had always been a loving and gentle person who cherished his children. They said he had never abused them in any way. Both John Andrew and Melinda were interviewed as possible suspects in the murder and were cleared. In 2004, investigators began to emphasize the intruder theory. Throughout the investigation, the Ramseys continued to maintain their innocence. JonBenét's murder remains unsolved. No one has been indicted, although a grand jury voted in 1999 to indict the parents. The indictment did not occur as the District Attorney declined to sign the indictment. Letter from the District Attorney: On July 9, 2008, the Boulder County District Attorney's office announced that, as a result of newly developed DNA sampling and testing techniques known as Touch DNA analysis, the Ramsey family members were no longer considered suspects in the case. In light of the new DNA evidence, Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy gave a letter to John Ramsey that same day, officially apologizing to the Ramsey family: This new scientific evidence convinces us ... to state that we do not consider your immediate family, including you, your wife, Patsy, and your son, Burke, to be under any suspicion in the commission of this crime.... The match of Male DNA on two separate items of clothing worn by the victim at the time of the murder makes it clear to us that an unknown male handled these items. There is no innocent explanation for its incriminating presence at three sites on these two different items of clothing that JonBenét was wearing at the time of her murder.... To the extent that we may have contributed in any way to the public perception that you might have been involved in this crime, I am deeply sorry. No innocent person should have to endure such an extensive trial in the court of public opinion, especially when public officials have not had sufficient evidence to initiate a trial in a court of law.... We intend in the future to treat you as the victims of this crime, with the sympathy due you because of the horrific loss you suffered.... I am aware that there will be those who will choose to continue to differ with our conclusion. But DNA is very often the most reliable forensic evidence we can hope to find and we rely on it often to bring to justice those who have committed crimes. I am very comfortable that our conclusion that this evidence has vindicated your family is based firmly on all of the evidence. Defamation lawsuits: Several defamation lawsuits have ensued since JonBenét's murder. L. Lin Wood. was the plaintiff's lead attorney for John and Patsy Ramsey and their son Burke. He 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 sued in two separate defamation lawsuits arising from the publication of their book, The Death of Innocence. These suits were brought by two persons 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" pointed to an unknown intruder who committed the murder. In November 2006, Rod Westmoreland, a friend of JonBenét Ramsey's father, filed a defamation suit against Keith Greer, who had posted a message on an Internet forum using the pseudonym "undertheradar." Greer accused Westmoreland of participating in the murder. Greer has defended his statement. Political campaign: In 2004 and 2008, Ramsey unsuccessfully campaigned for a seat in Michigan's House of Representatives. 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 and 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.