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==Life and business==
==Life and business==
Ramsey was born in [[Lincoln, Nebraska]], to Mary Jane (née Bennett) and James Dudley "Jay" Ramsey.<ref>[http://www.wargs.com/other/ramsey.html Ancestry of JonBenet Ramsey]</ref> His net worth was reported at $6.4 million as of May 1, 1996. He graduated from [[Michigan State University]]. A distinguished [[navy|naval]] officer, he holds a pilot's license and owns two planes.<ref>[http://www.crimemagazine.com/jonbenet.htm The Murder of JonBenet Ramsey by J.J. Maloney and J. Patrick O'Connor<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 1989, late in his military career, he formed the Advanced Product Group, one of three companies that merged to become Access Graphics. After mandatory military retirement, he became president and chief executive officer of Access Graphics, a computer services company and a subsidiary of [[Lockheed Martin]].<ref>[http://www.forumsforjustice.org/forums/showthread.php?s=cef9c4001064275ff307a36b6e6913f1&p=79393#post79393 Forums For Justice - The Bonita Papers<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 1996, Access Graphics grossed over $1 billion, and he was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. Immediately following the murder he was "temporarily replaced so the company did not have to bother him about business matters as he [[grief|grieved]]", according to Lockheed spokesman Evan McCollum.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4191094 | work=Denver Post | first1=Mary | last1=George | first2=Marilyn | last2=Robinson | title=JonBenet Archive: Details emerge in slaying | date=August 16, 2006}}</ref> Ramsey soon left his job to move his family to [[Michigan]], where he joined another computer company. Access Graphics was later sold to [[General Electric]] in 1997. Has a son named Burke Ramsey
Ramsey was born in [[Lincoln, Nebraska]], to Mary Jane (née Bennett) and James Dudley "Jay" Ramsey.<ref>[http://www.wargs.com/other/ramsey.html Ancestry of JonBenet Ramsey]</ref> His net worth was reported at $6.4 million as of May 1, 1996. He graduated from [[Michigan State University]]. A distinguished [[navy|naval]] officer, he holds a pilot's license and owns two planes.<ref>[http://www.crimemagazine.com/jonbenet.htm The Murder of JonBenet Ramsey by J.J. Maloney and J. Patrick O'Connor<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 1989, late in his military career, he formed the Advanced Product Group, one of three companies that merged to become Access Graphics. After mandatory military retirement, he became president and chief executive officer of Access Graphics, a computer services company and a subsidiary of [[Lockheed Martin]].<ref>[http://www.forumsforjustice.org/forums/showthread.php?s=cef9c4001064275ff307a36b6e6913f1&p=79393#post79393 Forums For Justice - The Bonita Papers<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 1996, Access Graphics grossed over $1 billion, and he was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. Immediately following the murder he was "temporarily replaced so the company did not have to bother him about business matters as he [[grief|grieved]]", according to Lockheed spokesman Evan McCollum.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4191094 | work=Denver Post | first1=Mary | last1=George | first2=Marilyn | last2=Robinson | title=JonBenet Archive: Details emerge in slaying | date=August 16, 2006}}</ref> Ramsey soon left his job to move his family to [[Michigan]], where he joined another computer company. Access Graphics was later sold to [[General Electric]] in 1997. He has a son named Burke Ramsey


Ramsey's wife [[Patsy Ramsey|Patsy]] died June 24, 2006 of [[ovarian cancer]]. Ramsey's eldest daughter, Elizabeth Pasch Ramsey, from his first marriage died in a 1992 car accident at the age of 22.
Ramsey's wife [[Patsy Ramsey|Patsy]] died June 24, 2006 of [[ovarian cancer]]. Ramsey's eldest daughter, Elizabeth Pasch Ramsey, from his first marriage died in a 1992 car accident at the age of 22.

Revision as of 08:46, 11 June 2013

John Bennett Ramsey
Born (1943-12-07) December 7, 1943 (age 81)
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
NationalityAmerican
Spouse(s)Lucinda Pasch (1966-1978)
Patsy Paugh (1980–2006)
Jan Rousseaux (since 2011)

John Bennett Ramsey (born December 7, 1943) is the father of homicide victim JonBenét Ramsey. He was the first to discover JonBenét's body in the wine cellar of the Ramseys' 15-room home in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996, just hours after her murder.

Life and business

Ramsey was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Mary Jane (née Bennett) and James Dudley "Jay" Ramsey.[1] His net worth was reported at $6.4 million as of May 1, 1996. He graduated from Michigan State University. A distinguished naval officer, he holds a pilot's license and owns two planes.[2] In 1989, late in his military career, he formed the Advanced Product Group, one of three companies that merged to become Access Graphics. After mandatory military retirement, he became president and chief executive officer of Access Graphics, a computer services company and a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin.[3] In 1996, Access Graphics grossed over $1 billion, and he was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. Immediately following the murder he was "temporarily replaced so the company did not have to bother him about business matters as he grieved", according to Lockheed spokesman Evan McCollum.[4] Ramsey soon left his job to move his family to Michigan, where he joined another computer company. Access Graphics was later sold to General Electric in 1997. He has a son named Burke Ramsey

Ramsey's wife Patsy died June 24, 2006 of ovarian cancer. Ramsey's eldest daughter, Elizabeth Pasch Ramsey, from his first marriage died in a 1992 car accident at the age of 22.

Ramsey reportedly began dating Beth Holloway, the mother of Natalee Holloway, an Alabama student who disappeared during a 2005 high school graduation trip to Aruba. Ramsey met Holloway while attending a fundraiser after his wife's death.[5] However, Ramsey downplayed their relationship, stating that they "developed a friendship of respect and admiration" out of common interests related to their children.[6] The relationship did not last.

On July 21, 2011, John Ramsey married fashion designer Jan Rousseaux after meeting her at a wedding in Denver in 2009. Ramsey proposed to Rousseaux on February 14, 2011. They got married at a private ceremony in Charlevoix, Michigan. The wedding came 5 years after the death of Patsy Ramsey, who died of ovarian cancer in June 2006, and almost 16 years after the murder of his daughter, JonBenét Ramsey. Her murder remains unsolved as of June 2013.

Case files

JonBenét's was the only murder in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. The Boulder police had little experience in that type of investigation. Regardless, the majority of them immediately thought that the Ramseys were guilty due to the lack of evidence found indicating that an intruder had broken inside the house, and that the Ramseys had been avoiding the police since the death of their daughter. [citation needed]

Boulder police dismissed the possibility that an intruder had somehow slipped inside the house and committed the murder because they could not find any evidence of anyone breaking in. Instead, District Attorney Alex Hunter leaked information to the media.[citation needed] Meanwhile, the Ramseys had themselves retained a public relations firm and repeatedly appeared on national television to plead their case.

Statements were given to the media by John Ramsey's ex-wife, brother, and sister-in-law. They categorically deny that John Ramsey is, or has ever been, a child abuser. To further defend the claims, John Ramsey's son, John Andrew, and elder daughter, Melinda, told interviewers that their father had always been a loving and gentle person who "cherished" his children and had never abused them in any way. Both children were interviewed as possible suspects in the murder but were later cleared.

Stephen Singular investigative journalist and author of the book Presumed Guilty — An Investigation into the JonBenet Ramsey Case, The Media and the Culture of Pornography, suggests the existence of a connection of the murder to the industry of child pornography. He refers to consultations with cyber-crime specialists who believe that JonBenet, due to her beauty pageant experience, was the perfect kind of child who could be dragged into the world of child pornography and was a natural candidate to attract attention and pedophiles.[7]

In 2004, investigators began to emphasize an intruder theory. Throughout the investigation, the Ramseys maintained their innocence.

Even after the false confession, extradition, and later release of John Mark Karr, JonBenét's murder remains unsolved. Charges have not been filed against anyone.

However, in July 2008 John and Patsy Ramsey were officially cleared of the death by the Boulder District Attorney's office, based on new DNA evidence collected from JonBenet's clothing; this particular DNA analysis did not exist at the time of the killing.[8]

Defamation lawsuits

Several defamation lawsuits have ensued since JonBenét's murder. L. Lin Wood.[9][10][11] was the plaintiff's lead attorney for John and Patsy Ramsey and their son Burke, and has prosecuted 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 also sued in two separate defamation lawsuits arising from the publication of their book, The Death of Innocence, brought by two individuals 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" in the murder case pointed to an intruder having committed the crime.[12]

In November 2006, Rod Westmoreland, a friend of JonBenét Ramsey's father, filed a defamation suit[13] against Keith Greer, who posted a message on an Internet forum using the pseudonym "undertheradar". Greer had accused Westmoreland of participating in the kidnapping and murder.[14] Greer has defended his statement.[15]

Politics

In 2004 and 2008, Ramsey unsuccessfully campaigned for a seat in Michigan's House of Representatives.[16][17][18]

Fictional portrayals

References

  1. ^ Ancestry of JonBenet Ramsey
  2. ^ The Murder of JonBenet Ramsey by J.J. Maloney and J. Patrick O'Connor
  3. ^ Forums For Justice - The Bonita Papers
  4. ^ George, Mary; Robinson, Marilyn (August 16, 2006). "JonBenet Archive: Details emerge in slaying". Denver Post.
  5. ^ "John Ramsey and Beth Holloway Twitty Are Dating". Fox News. June 4, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2007.
  6. ^ Stephen M. Silverman (June 5, 2007). "JonBenet's Dad & Natalee Holloway's Mom Together". People. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  7. ^ "- Interview with Stephen Singular". Colorado truTV Crime Library. 2000. Retrieved 2011-08-07. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Exclusive: JonBenet's father 'grateful' after being cleared by DNA". Colorado 9 News. 2008-07-09. Retrieved 2008-07-09. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Erin Moriarty, "JonBenét: DNA Rules Out Parents," "CBS", March 26, 2005.
  10. ^ Vanessa Miller, "Boulder police take back Ramsey case," "Colorado Daily" February 2, 2009
  11. ^ David Kohn, "Searching: The Interrogation Tapes," "CBS" February 11, 2009
  12. ^ R. Robin McDonald All Articles (2009-03-16). "Northern District of Georgia's New Chief Judge Reflects on Her Career". Law.com. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  13. ^ Time Waster (2006-11-09). "Man Sues Over JonBenet Murder Claim". Thesmokinggun.com. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  14. ^ "JonBenet Ramsey Case Encyclopedia wiki / Legal Issues Surrounding JBR Case". Jonbenetramsey.pbwiki.com. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  15. ^ "JonBenet Ramsey Case Encyclopedia wiki / undrtheradar biosketch". Jonbenetramsey.pbwiki.com. 2007-02-28. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  16. ^ Flesher, John (July 31, 2004). "Ramsey father runs for election to Michigan State House". The Boston Globe.
  17. ^ The Citizen-Journal[dead link‍]
  18. ^ Noah Fowle (April 4, 2008). "Ramsey currently not a resident, must amend status to run for 105th district". Petoskey News-Review.
  19. ^ Goldman, Andrew (September 23, 2011). "The Fogies of 'South Park'". The New York Times Magazine.

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