JonBenet Ramsey’s brother Burke slams conspiracy his mum murdered the six-year-old beauty queen
Former suspect answers speculation after 20 years of silence
THE brother of murdered JonBenet Ramsey has after 20 years of silence addressed speculation that it was his late mother who killed the six-year-old beauty queen.
Burke Ramsay said "it doesn't make sense" the notion that his mother Patsy murdered his pageant-winning sister -- who was found dead in their home in Boulder, Colorado in 1996.
In the second in a series of special interviews with US TV personality Dr Phil, Burke, 29, said: "Not to say she never got upset, but nothing near laying a finger on us, let alone killing her child."
He insisted that his mother -- who died of cancer in 2006 -- never spanked her kids. "Nothing of the sort," he added. "Not even close."
Burke Ramsey was just nine when his pageant-winning sister was found dead in the basement of the family’s home.
Suspicion immediately focused on the girl’s parents John and Patsy, as well as Burke, however the family has always maintained their innocence.
Burke, now 29, made the first of his three-part appearance on talk show Dr. Phil on Monday night, marking the 20th anniversary of JonBenet’s death.
But viewers have commented on his appearance and body language, saying they were left troubled by his shifty nature and nervous smile.
“For the last 20 years I wanted to grow up like a normal kid,” Burke said with a grin on his face.
In the interview, Dr. Phil asks Burke: “Has it ever occurred to you that your parents actually thought you did this and didn't ask you because they didn't want to know?”
Burke replies: “I know people think I did it; that my parents did it. I know that we were suspects.”
“I remember my mom searching my room that night saying, 'Where's my baby? Where's my baby?’”
He added: “I want to honour her memory by doing this interview. I don't want anyone to forget.”
But his manner during the first installment got viewers commenting on social media.
“Why is Burke Ramsey smiling talking about the murder of his sister Jon Benet?” one viewer tweeted.
Dr. Phil McGraw told the Today programme last week that Burke's body language could leave viewers suspicious -- but said the haunting memory of his sister's murder likely had an impact on his social skills.
"For 20 years he has been off the grid," he said. "And my impression is he's socially awkward."
"People are going to be very interested in his demeanour, and they're going to find his demeanour atypical," Dr Phil continued.
"He might be talking about some pretty dark aspects of this story and smiling while he's talking about that."
When Burke was asked about his "odd" reactions on the night of his sister's murder, he said: “I guess I like to avoid conflict,” while he laughed nervously.
“I guess I felt safer there. I'm not the worried type. There's a part of me that doesn't want to know what's going on.”
JonBenet Ramsey was reported missing on Boxing Day.
Her parents told police she had been kidnapped and that a note had been left demanding a ransom of $118,000 (£89,737).
Hours after officers searched the home, John found JonBenet’s body in an underground utility room.
She had been bludgeoned, strangled and hidden underneath a white blanket with a nylon cord around her neck, her wrists bound above her head and her mouth covered by duct tape.
Patsy was suspected of being the murderer after reports emerged that handwriting on the ransom note was similar to her own.
She provided samples to police to prove her innocence but remained a primary suspect, alongside husband John, for more than a decade.
Fingers pointed at the family as there were no footprints in the snow around the house and the ransom amount was the exact total John has just received in his annual bonus.
Patsy and John denied Burke was responsible for his sister’s death and said he was sleeping until after they called the police.
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Burke, who has remained out of the spotlight, was exonerated by DNA evidence in May of 1999.
Patsy died of ovarian cancer in 2006 and she and John were cleared of any wrongdoing two years later.
Private investigator Ollie Gray claimed JonBenet’s killer was Michael Helgoth, whose family owned a junkyard on the outskirts of the city.
He died of an apparent suicide in 1997 and was cleared a few years later when it was revealed none of his DNA was found under JonBenet’s fingernails or in her underwear.
In 2006 a paedophile former teacher named John Mark Karr confessed to killing the blonde youngster.
He was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, but he was never charged with the murder because his DNA did not match that found on the girl's body.
The remaining parts of Burke's interview will air tonight and tomorrow.
John Ramsey also appears in the three-part special, but vows that it will be his final interview about the death of his daughter.
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