Geraldo Rivera is seeking reconciliation with the father of JonBenét Ramsey. After John Ramsey’s daughter was tragically found murdered at the age of six in the basement of their Colorado home in 1996, the 81-year-old journalist conducted a mock murder trial on television. On Monday, during NewsNation’s “Cuomo,” Rivera addressed the mock trial that aired on his daytime talk show, “The Geraldo Rivera Show,” in 1997, expressing his deep regret to Ramsey, “I profoundly apologize for the pain you and your family have endured.” During the episode, Rivera’s “jury” held Ramsey and his wife, Patsy Ramsey, responsible for their daughter’s death, according to NewsNation.
Rivera continued, “No one should endure what you have. That’s my firm belief. And as I reflect on stories like yours throughout my 54-year career, it weighs heavily on me. It’s a profound burden. And once more, man to man, I apologize, and I am truly sorry for all you have been through, John.” Ramsey responded, “Geraldo, I accept your apology and thank you.”
The case has resurfaced due to the November release of the Netflix three-part docuseries “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?” which premiered on November 25. The 80-year-old has been outspoken for decades about what he views as errors made by the authorities during their investigation. John also noted how the media frenzy exacerbated the situation at the time. Ramsey and Patsy, who has since passed away, became persons of interest after JonBenét was found sexually assaulted and strangled on December 26. Earlier that morning, Patsy discovered a ransom note demanding $118,000 for the safe return of her youngest child. No member of the Ramsey family, including their son Burke who was nine at the time, has ever been charged in connection with the case. Despite several suspects, no arrests have been made.
Today, Ramsey advocates for state-of-the-art labs utilizing genetic genealogy and advanced DNA technology to solve the cold case. He asserts that there are seven items from the crime scene that have either never been tested or were examined with outdated methods. “We’re imploring the police to engage,” Ramsey told People last month. “There are cutting-edge DNA labs eager to assist and confident they can advance the case.” However, the Boulder Police Department refuted claims that they are not pursuing all leads and stated that progress is indeed being made. “The claim that there is viable evidence and leads we are not pursuing, including DNA testing, is entirely false,” the department stated in a recent post on X, formerly Twitter. “Furthermore, it was the Boulder Police Department, not the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, that convened the Cold Case Review Panel in December 2023 as part of its investigative efforts,” the post added.
Source link: https://nypost.com
