Jonbenet Ramsey: A Study in Media, Wealth, and Crime

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On the night of December 26, 1996, six year old Jonbenet Ramsey was murdered in her home. To this day, her murderer remains unknown. Over the past twenty years, there have been many theories and speculations on what happened that winter night. Soon after the story made its way into headlines everywhere, the public was outraged. People believed that Jonbenet’s parents were to blame for her death. Many people still believe that to this day. Regardless of who the killer was, this case showed how wealth, beauty, and massive amounts of media attention can affect the way a crime is handled. The story started early Christmas morning. Jonbenet and her brother, Burke, ran downstairs to open presents. The whole family then went to a friend’s Christmas …show more content…

They had a large, elegant house, took many vacations, and bought their children many luxuries. Many people believe that their abundance of money had an influence on the case. Things happened during the investigation that were not supposed to happen. For example, John and Patsy were never questioned about the crime. Questioning the family is a common procedure, so why was it simply overlooked in this instance? Had the police officers been persuaded by someone? There is also a theory that the grand jury that was assembled in 1999 was “warped by the influence of money” (Prendergast). One of Jonbenet's favorite hobbies was to compete in beauty pageants. Her mother had participated in them as well. While this a common activity for little girls to partake in, it made Jonbenet look like someone she wasn’t. All of the magazine and tabloid covers that discussed the case plastered pictures of the young girl glammed up at beauty pageants, not pictures of a six year old girl. This made it hard for people to understand the reality of the case. All they were presented with was a beautiful little pageant girl, and not a victim of a brutal crime

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