West
JonBenét Ramsey’s father ‘cautiously optimistic’ about finding his daughter's killer: filmmaker
JonBenét Ramsey’s father is hopeful that in his lifetime, he’ll find out who murdered his daughter – but time is ticking for the heartbroken patriarch.
“He’s cautiously optimistic,” Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger told Fox News Digital about John Ramsey. “This is a guy who has been brutalized by the police department, brutalized by the court of public opinion, brutalized by the media. And for his sake, I hope the family finds the truth.”
“But John, a staunch advocate for finding the killer, is 80,” Berlinger shared. “I hope the guy has another decade left, but I’d like this case to be solved before he goes so that the family can have a measure of peace.”
JONBENET RAMSEY’S FATHER JOHN CLAIMS COLORADO POLICE OFFICER SAID THEY ARE ‘JUST WAITING’ FOR HIM TO DIE
JonBenét Ramsey, a child pageant contestant who was killed in 1996, is seen here with her father, John Ramsey. Her case is the subject of an upcoming Netflix docuseries by Joe Berlinger. (Netflix)
The pageant star was 6 years old when she was killed 28 years ago. The case is now the subject of a new Netflix docuseries by Berlinger, “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?” streaming Nov. 25.
The film aims to shine a light on what John feels are missteps made by authorities who investigated the murder, as well as how advanced DNA technology could be key to cracking the cold case. It features a new interview with Ramsey, who has been speaking out in hopes of putting pressure on police to continue searching for his daughter’s killer.
John and Patsy Ramsey are seen here meeting with a small selected group of the local Colorado media four months after their daughter was killed on Christmas. (Helen H. Richardson/ The Denver Post)
“It just felt like a good time to tell this story now because there are still so many lingering misconceptions,” said Berlinger. “There have been great advances in DNA technology.”
JonBenét Ramsey is seen here on Christmas Day a few years before she was killed. (Netflix)
“The Boulder authorities are very mum about whether they’ve retested or going to test,” Berlinger claimed. “It’s time to hold some feet to the fire and get new DNA testing and finally try to put a resolution to this case.”
In response to Berlinger’s statement, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn told Fox News Digital in a statement: “The killing of JonBenét was an unspeakable crime and this tragedy has never left our hearts.
“We are committed to following up on every lead, and we are continuing to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved.”
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John Ramsey is speaking out in the new Netflix docuseries. (Netflix)
“This investigation will always be a priority for the Boulder Police Department,” the statement added.
Anyone who may have information is encouraged to contact detectives at BouldersMostWanted@bouldercolorado.gov or by calling the Boulder Police tipline at 303-441-1974.
The six-year-old was found dead in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder on Dec. 26, 1996, bludgeoned and strangled.
JonBenét Ramsey is seen here with her mother, Patsy Ramsey. The matriarch died in 2006 from cancer. She was 49. (Netflix)
She was discovered several hours after her mother, Patsy Ramsey, called 911 to say that her daughter was missing, and a ransom note had been left behind. The child’s death was ruled a homicide, but nobody was ever prosecuted.
“I’ve gotten six wrongfully convicted people out of prison, including two on death row with my film and television work,” Berlinger explained. “I’ve shined a light on a lot of other cases and have helped move the needle. And I realized that this case has a lot of things in common with what happens in wrongful-conviction cases.
John Ramsey and his family were heavily scrutinized over the years. (Netflix)
“Now, obviously, the Ramseys were not wrongfully convicted, but they were wrongfully convicted in the court of public opinion, and that has hindered the case for decades,” Berlinger added.
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John Ramsey’s son, John Andrew Ramsey, also came forward for a sit-down. (Netflix)
The police department was criticized for its initial handling of the investigation. The details of the crime and video footage of Ramsey from the pageants propelled the case into one of the highest-profile mysteries in the United States, unleashing a series of true-crime books and TV specials.
While the district attorney at the time of Ramsey’s death said her parents were under “an umbrella of suspicion” early on, tests in 2008 on newly discovered DNA on her clothing pointed to the involvement of an “unexplained third party” in her slaying, and not her parents, or their son, Burke.
John and Patsy Ramsey found a handwritten ransom letter, presumably left behind by the killer, inside their Colorado home. (Netflix)
That led former district attorney Mary Lacy to clear the Ramseys of any involvement, two years after Patsy died of cancer in 2006, calling the couple “victims of this crime.”
John Ramsey wants evidence to be tested using modern DNA technology. (Netflix)
The docuseries takes a close look at the autopsy report and forensic evidence. Berlinger said that after looking at both, it’s “absurd” to think that the family was involved.
“There’s just no evidence, no prior history of family abuse,” said Berlinger. “She had petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes and her heart, which means that the garrote was used to choke her when she was alive. . . . This is the aggressive, violent act of a pedophile.”
Former district attorney Mary Lacy cleared the Ramseys, calling the couple “victims of this crime.” (Netflix)
“It’s uncontestable that she died with a garrote around her neck and her fingers trying to pry it loose,” said Berlinger. “She died from strangulation by an intruder, in my opinion.”
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John Ramsey is 80. He is hopeful that in his lifetime, he’ll find out the identity of his daughter’s murderer. (Netflix)
Berlinger noted that the family is “still pounding the table for DNA testing.” There are new items that have never been tested before, as well as old items that were examined using outdated methods, he insisted.
“It’s quite clear that the crime scene was not properly secured because originally, [investigators] thought it was a kidnapping,” Berlinger explained.
Anyone who may have information about the case is encouraged to contact detectives at BouldersMostWanted@bouldercolorado.gov or by calling the Boulder Police tipline at 303-441-1974. (Netflix)
“The police department refused outside help, had no real experience in homicide, and therefore, the DNA sampling at the time was compromised,” Berlinger claimed.
John Ramsey said there is genetic material on the handmade garrote used to strangle his six-year-old daughter. (Netflix)
“Why has it taken so long to retest? We still don’t know if the Colorado authorities have retested. They say they’re going to . . . but they’re awfully silent about it. Hopefully, the film will get people to be outraged enough to insist that we have some accountability in Colorado.”
In 2022, the Boulder Police Department said it had been working with state law enforcement agencies and the FBI on the investigation. They also shared that DNA from the case is regularly checked for any new matches.
John Ramsey was married to Patsy Ramsey from 1980 until her death in 2006. (Netflix)
At the time, the department added that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation had updated over 750 DNA samples from the investigation with the latest DNA technology.
Patsy Ramsey died wondering who killed her child. (Netflix)
In the film, Ramsey doesn’t blame anyone specifically for his daughter’s murder. He is, however, adamant that the family wasn’t involved.
“I definitively, without hesitation or doubt, believe the Ramseys are innocent,” said Berlinger. “… I think everyone needs to be looked at again in terms of new DNA testing. And this is not a trial by television. We are not going to put forth who we think is guilty. . . . Everyone’s on the table. DNA needs to be tested, and a proper reinvestigation needs to happen.”
Ramsey told People magazine ahead of the documentary’s premiere that of the items that were sent to labs in the beginning, “six or seven of them were returned untested.”
The residence at 749 15th Street, where JonBenét Ramsey was murdered in December 1996. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
“We don’t know why they were not tested, but they were not tested,” Ramsey said. “The garrote used to strangle JonBenét and several items were just sent back.”
The Ramseys and their son Burke, who was nine at the time, were never charged in connection with the murder. Berlinger said Ramsey has faith that someday he’ll get the answers he’s been searching for.
The case is still unsolved 28 years later. (Chris Rank/Sygma via Getty Images)
“He and Patsy are both extremely religious,” Berlinger reflected. “I don’t share their point of view on this, because of my afterlife beliefs, which is I don’t believe in an afterlife. But they strongly believe that.”
JONBENET RAMSEY’S FAMILY ‘DIDN’T CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS’ FOR YEARS AFTER MURDER 27 YEARS AGO, FATHER SAYS
John Ramsey, his wife Patricia Ramsey and their son Burke were never charged in connection with JonBenét Ramsey’s murder. (Netflix)
“Patsy, before her death, strongly believed she would be reunited with JonBenét and know the truth,” he shared. “I think John Ramsey feels the same way, and I hope for their sake that they are right about that.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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West
Sanctuary policies let alleged child predator roam free until DHS made Portland, Oregon, airport arrest
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FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrested an illegal migrant who was charged with rape, purchasing sex with a minor, and sexual abuse in Oregon, after the migrant was released on bail by sanctuary policies.
Manuel Cruz-Ramirez, who still faces the slew of charges, was not referred to immigration officers upon his arrest and release due to Marion County’s sanctuary status.
The illegal immigrant from Mexico was apprehended only because he was using a fraudulent Mexican passport at the Portland International Airport. TSA and CBP agents were flagged when his falsified name did not return full data, according to DHS.
“Manuel Cruz-Ramirez was arrested for rape, purchasing sex with a minor, and sexual abuse in Oregon,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. “The state’s sanctuary politicians allowed this pedophile to be released from jail back into American communities.”
An anti-ICE agitator chants and gestures at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, Jan. 9, in Portland, Ore. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
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In non-sanctuary cities, Cruz-Ramirez would have referred to immigration officers, who would have apprehended him before he was released from detention.
“Americans can be proud of the swift actions of TSA and CBP for protecting them and our judicial system by preventing this monster from fleeing the country,” McLaughlin explained. “Criminal illegal aliens should not be released from jails back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans.
“Oregon’s sanctuary politicians must stop this reckless insanity of releasing child predators from jail back into our neighborhoods to prey on more innocent children,” she added.
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Federal immigration enforcement officers deploy tear gas as hundreds of anti-ICE agitators march from Portland City Hall to an ICE facility, Feb. 1, in Portland, Ore. (Sean Bascom/Anadolu via Getty Images)
DHS also told Fox News Digital that Cruz-Ramirez had been deported from the U.S. in 2018, though he re-entered the country at an unknown location and time. He is now in ICE custody and his removal order has been re-instated.
Portland has been one of several cities where agitators have mobilized to confront and protest federal law enforcement.
On Thursday, Fox News Digital reported that DHS launched an investigation into an Oregon resident who was arrested during a traffic stop with knives and materials to make Molotov cocktails.
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The 18-year-old Oregon resident allegedly authored a manifesto with the intention of killing ICE at a Portland ICE office. The individual reportedly told authorities that he was planning on picking up an AR-15 rifle to carry out the attack.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly backed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. (Jim Watson/Getty Images)
Democrats, including those in Congress, have referred to ICE agents as Nazis and gestapo, and the Trump administration has said that such rhetoric is endangering the lives of law enforcement officers across the country.
During an interview with Fox News Digital earlier this month, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem noted the difference between some cities and those which are controlled by far-left leaders, saying that in cities where authorities cooperate with federal law enforcement there is far less conflict.
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“Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Twin Cities, have an opportunity to do the same thing that Memphis did. There we had a Democrat mayor who worked with us,” Noem told Fox News Digital. “It was about the same size as a city, about the same amount of federal law enforcement officers were there, and we dramatically cut crime and murder rates and partnered well together.”
Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
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San Francisco, CA
San Francisco schools chief ripped for ‘crocodile tears’ during strike as her salary and kids’ education revealed
San Francisco schools chief Maria Su was blasted for shedding “crocodile tears” while discussing school closures because of the teachers’ strike — as it was revealed she rakes in $385,000 a year while sending her kids to private school.
Su came under intense scrutiny this week as Bay Area public school teachers hit the picket lines over pay increases and better benefits. The strike ended Friday.
The schools chief — who earns five times more than a 10-year teacher with tenure — choked up Feb. 6 while discussing the impending strike and its impact on students “with the greatest needs.”
But she also dodged questions about making significantly more than her teachers — and also refused to answer a question about her own kids attending private school, KTVU reported.
“I’m a mom, I have kids, I know the importance of education,” Su replied.
“I know the importance of our teachers having fair and competitive and livable wages,” she said. “It is expensive to be here in the city.”
Su sat on her pile of cash while teachers stood on the San Francisco picket line for nearly a week before they landed a 5% raise for teachers over two years on Friday. The teachers also got their healthcare demands approved, receiving fully funded healthcare contributions for dependents.
Teachers didn’t have much sympathy for Su during the process of the strike — one picket sign on a wet day Tuesday said, according to the San Francisco Standard, “Is this rain or Maria Su’s crocodile tears pretending she cares about our kids?”
An eighth-grade science teacher in the area, Jennifer Erskine-Ogden, held the sign.
“Give me a break,” she told the San Francisco Standard about the tears. “It’s just fake.”
Su wasn’t the only San Francisco pol virtue-signaling about public education while sending her own kids to private schools, which can cost upward of $60,000 per year.
Saikat Chakrabati, a lefty candidate for Congress and tech multimillionaire, campaigned on behalf of the teachers union in a series of attention-grabbing videos — but sends his own child to a pricey private school, The Post is told.
Christine Pelosi, daughter of Rep. Nancy Pelosi and candidate for state senate, was shown on the picket lines as her own children enjoy an expensive private education.
Denver, CO
Denver Broncos host open house for community to present new stadium plans at Burnham Yard
The Denver Broncos organization hosted its second open house for the community on Thursday to present plans for the new stadium at Burnham Yard. The Broncos said the plans include parking, public transportation, a community open space and tailgating on game days.
“I love it, I’m happy, no, really I am,” said neighboring resident Peggy Sandoval.
The organization not only wants input from the community on the plans but also wants to educate them on why they believe the Broncos stadium will bring entertainment, community, and football together.
“We are laser-focused on delivering this site,” said Denver Broncos president Damani Leech. “We want it to be a great place for fans to go on gameday, but also a place every day, for this community that surrounds it, but also for the City of Denver.”
The proposed design for the new stadium at Burnham Yard calls for 58 acres in a decommissioned railyard off I-25 between 6th and 13th avenues to the north and south, and Seminole Road and Osage Street to the west and east. The team says it offers an accessible location in the heart of Denver while highlighting the site’s historic character as part of the redevelopment.
“It’s not that I’m not open to it, it’s just that I think we need to be careful about how we bring it into the community and how we protect people who have lived here in terms of their property values and being safe from developers,” said Christina Eyre, communications officer for Osage Lofts residence.
Plans beyond the stadium include restaurants, entertainment venues, retail space, housing, and offices.
“It’s important for this to be a multi-modal transportation hub. We have about 7,000 parking spaces at the current stadium that we control. I think our expectation is that we have a similar amount here. We plan on investing in and with RTD to make sure transit is avaliable option for fans on gameday,” said Leech.
Initial concepts provided by the Broncos show developers are addressing traffic concerns in the La Alma Lincoln neighborhood. The light rail will be relocated to establish walkways and bicycle connections.
“I think it’s going to be super important that the space inside the yard is connected to La Alma Lincoln Park,” said Eyre.
Leech said that there is no specific timeframe for when stadium renderings will be ready. They told CBS Colorado that they do anticipate entering into a community benefits agreement sometime in the next year, with a timeline to break ground on the project in 2027, and completion set for 2031.
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