John Bennett Ramsey

John Bennett Ramsey (born December 7, 1943) is an American businessman, author, and father of JonBenét Ramsey, who was murdered in her Boulder, Colorado, home on December 26, 1996.

Early life

Ramsey was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, the son of Mary Jane (née Bennett) (1919–1978) and James Dudley "Jay" Ramsey (1916–1992), a decorated World War II pilot. He attended Okemos High School in Michigan. In 1966, he graduated from Michigan State University (MSU) with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. Ramsey earned a master's degree in business administration from MSU in 1971.

Ramsey joined the Navy in 1966, served as a Civil Engineer Corps officer in the Philippines for three years, and in an Atlanta reserve unit for an additional eight years.

Career

In 1989, Ramsey 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 Ramsey 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, but returned to his job within weeks.

Ramsey, along with his wife Patsy and young son Burke, moved back to Atlanta shortly thereafter. Access Graphics was later sold to General Electric in 1997.

In 2015, Ramsey told Barbara Walters in an interview that the death of JonBenét and the ensuing investigation and cost of the case had drained his finances. He also claims that because of the notoriety of the case he now finds it very difficult to find work.

Case file for JonBenét murder

The murder of Ramsey's six-year-old daughter, JonBenét, was the only murder in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996.

The Boulder police considered the possibility that an intruder had gotten into the house and committed the murder. The Ramseys appeared on national television to assert their innocence.

Linda Arndt, the detective first assigned to the case, stated in a deposition that she believed John Ramsey was responsible for the murder.

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.

However, Stan Garnett, the current Boulder County DA, regarding Lacy's exoneration letter, said, "This letter is not legally binding. It's a good-faith opinion and has no legal importance."

Defamation lawsuits

Several defamation lawsuits have ensued since JonBenét's murder. L. Lin Wood was the attorney for the Ramsey family, filing 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 intruder who committed the murder.

Political campaign

In 2004, Ramsey campaigned for a seat in Michigan's House of Representatives for the 105th district. He received 24.3 percent of the vote in the Republican Party primary, finishing in second place to Kevin Elsenheimer.