What to Know About John Andrew and Burke Ramsey

Earlier than the 1996 homicide of 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey, her oldest brother, John Andrew Ramsey, stated the Ramseys had been a “common household.”

“It’s actually necessary to do not forget that previous to Christmas Day of 1996, we had been only a common household,” he stated in Netflix’s new three-part docuseries Chilly Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey?. “We weren’t excellent, we had been only a common household with a daily life.”

JonBenét was the youngest of 5 siblings. Her oldest brother John Andrew, in addition to her two sisters, Melinda and Elizabeth (who died in a automobile accident in 1992), had been born to John Ramsey and his first spouse, Lucinda Pasch. After their break up, John wed second spouse Patsy, with whom he welcomed a son, Burke, and JonBenét.

Initially, JonBenét’s dad and mom, John and Patsy Ramsey, had been thought of major suspects within the investigation, however neither had been ever charged with a criminal offense. Burke, who was 9 years outdated on the time of JonBenét’s homicide, was later accused of being concerned in her demise, an allegation he and his household have vehemently denied. John Andrew was out of state along with his sister Melinda when the slaying occurred.

Whereas JonBenét’s solely surviving sister, Melinda, has stayed out of the general public eye, her brothers have opened up about her unsolved homicide over time. Each John Andrew and JonBenét’s father, John, appeared within the Netflix docuseries concerning the chilly case whereas Burke declined to take part. The collection examines the native police’s dealing with of the case and what the Ramseys imagine to be authorities’ missteps.

Here is the whole lot to find out about JonBénet Ramsey’s older brothers, John Andrew and Burke Ramsey, and what they’ve stated about her unsolved homicide within the many years since.

John Andrew Ramsey

John Andrew Ramsey was born to John Ramsey and his first spouse, Lucinda Pasch, within the Seventies. In keeping with Self-importance Honest, John Andrew and his older sisters, Elizabeth and Melinda, grew up in Atlanta. He was about 13 years outdated when his youthful sister, JonBenét was born.

In 1996, John Andrew was in Atlanta along with his sister Melinda to spend Christmas with their mom. When he discovered that JonBenét was lacking, he was on a flight to spend the vacations with John, Patsy and his half-siblings in Michigan on the Ramseys’ trip dwelling.

“I believe I used to be paged or I used to be handed a word by one of many flight attendants saying that I wanted to name dwelling,” John Andrew informed ABC Information’ 20/20 in 2021, including that he and Melinda instantly modified their journey plans. “I yelled and screamed and kicked to get on the airplane to Denver … I bear in mind simply considering and processing all of it.”

By the point John Andrew and Melinda arrived on the Ramsey household dwelling in Boulder, JonBenét’s physique had been discovered and the property was labeled a criminal offense scene.

“JonBenét was the child that stored the dialog on the dinner desk going,” he informed 20/20 of his youthful half-sister. “You realize, she would go round and ask all people how their day was and what they did and [she] was simply an brisk and enjoyable child.”

John Andrew, whose oldest sister Elizabeth died in a automobile accident in 1992, stated that shedding one other sibling was heartbreaking.

“It was quite a lot of feelings getting back from shedding my oldest sister, Beth. You sort of suppose you are immune from that occuring once more,” he stated. “When it occurs a second time, it is an unthinkable tragedy.”

John Andrew has been vocal about making an attempt to resolve his youthful sister’s homicide, in addition to vindicating his household, who he stated suffered enormously from the publicity surrounding the case. He has additionally been adamant about wanting investigators to make use of DNA proof — which beforehand cleared his father and Patsy of wrongdoing, in line with The New York Instances — to seek out JonBenét’s killer. In 2024, he appeared in Netflix’s Chilly Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?.

Burke Ramsey

Burke Ramsey was born to John and his second spouse, Patsy, in Atlanta. He was 9 years outdated when JonBenét was killed and has remained largely personal ever since, graduating from Purdue College in 2010 with a pc and knowledge expertise.

Within the two-part CBS docuseries The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey, launched in September 2016, investigators theorized that Burke by chance killed his sister and that their dad and mom lined it up. The collection cited, amongst different issues, Burke’s seemingly impassive demeanor throughout police questioning, which authorized analyst Scott Robinson and the Boulder Police each informed PEOPLE was not proof in any way of his guilt.

“You gained’t discover any proof as a result of that’s not what occurred,” Burke stated of the cover-up allegations throughout a three-part Dr. Phil interview that aired later that month. He later added, “It blows my thoughts. What extra proof do you want that we didn’t do it?”

Burke’s Dr. Phil interview marked the primary time he spoke publicly because the homicide. Within the interview, he additionally stated he did not depart his bed room when his household was frantically looking for JonBenét, explaining, “I suppose I sort of wish to keep away from battle or, I do not know, I suppose I simply felt safer there.” He added that he is not sometimes “the nervous kind … I suppose a part of me [didn’t] need to know what is going on on.”

He additionally revealed how he first realized that his sister died.

“My dad informed me JonBenét is in heaven now, and he began crying, then I began crying,” he recalled. “I do not suppose I stated something. I did not imagine it at first.”

Burke additionally informed Dr. Phil that he is aware of many individuals imagine he or his dad and mom murdered his sister, however that he vehemently denies the allegations and maintains that an intruder — particularly, a sexual predator who could have seen JonBenét at a pageant — is the killer.

After The Case Of aired, Burke and his household filed a $150 million libel lawsuit in opposition to Dr. Werner Spitz, a forensic pathologist quoted within the docuseries, and a $750 million lawsuit in opposition to CBS for defamation. CBS stated in a press release to PEOPLE that they stood by their programming, and in January 2019, each events reached an undisclosed settlement, per Reuters.

Whereas Burke declined to take part in Netflix’s 2024 docuseries Chilly Case: Who Killed John Benét Ramsey?, his older brother John Andrew got here to his protection within the collection. “It is simply merely not honest to him [Burke]. You look again at footage of 9-year-old Burke … it’s simply completely absurd to suppose, ‘Oh yeah, he might’ve killed his sister and delivered this stage of violence,’ ” John Andrew stated.