Why Burke Ramsey, JonBenét’s brother, refused to participate in the new documentary

One person is notably absent from “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey,” a new Netflix documentary series investigating the murder still unsolved of JonBenét Ramsey, 6 years old, in 1996.

Burke Ramsey, older brother of JonBenét Ramsey, refused to answer an interview on the series, almost three decades later his sister was found dead on December 26, 1996 in their childhood home in Boulder, Colorado.

“Citing treatment by the media and web sleuths, Burke Ramsey has declined our request for an interview,” reads a card at the end of the third and final episode.

Director Joe Berlinger told TODAY.com that Burke Ramsey, now 37, is “doing fine” and explained why he didn’t interview him for the series.

“We tried to access it through our relationship with John Ramsey and through (his) son, John Andrew Ramsey,” Berlinger says.

John Ramsey, Burke Ramsey’s fatherand John Andrew Ramsey, Burke Ramsey’s half-brother, are featured in the documentary.

“But we didn’t want to pressure Burke and he didn’t want to talk to us, and he just didn’t want to participate. So we respected that,” Berlinger says.

Interest in Burke Ramsey’s life has remained high as true crime aficionados investigate the murder in their spare time, although no one has been accused of wrongdoing in connection with JonBenét Ramsey’s death.

Burke Ramsey was cleared as a suspect in 2008

The Boulder District Attorney’s Office confirmed in 2008 that it had exonerated Burke Ramsey, as well as his parents John and Patsy Ramseyof having been involved in the murder of JonBenét Ramsey, NBC News reported.

DNA testing in 2008 on a piece of the 6-year-old’s clothing revealed DNA that matched a previous DNA test on her underwear in 1997, then-Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy wrote in the letter addressed to John Ramsey.

“The male DNA match on two separate items of clothing worn by the victim at the time of the murder clearly shows us that an unknown male handled these items,” Lacy said. “To the extent that we may have contributed in any way to giving the public the impression that you may be involved in this crime, I am deeply sorry.”

Burke Ramsey spoke to Denver’s NBC affiliate KUSA-TV after the letter was published.

“I think the people in charge of the investigation are focused on that, and that reassures me a lot,” he said. “We are certainly grateful that they recognized that, on that basis, we certainly could not have been involved.”

“But the most important thing is that we now have very, very strong evidence – and this has always been my hope, at least in the recent past – that would eventually lead us to the murderer,” he added.

Burke Ramsey was in ‘Dr. Phil’ 20 years after the murder of his sister

Burke Ramsey appeared on “Dr. Phil” in 2016, his first public interview since the 1996 crime, and explained why he decided to speak out two decades later.

“I want to honor his memory by doing this interview,” he said. “I don’t want anyone to forget.”

In the three-part special, Burke Ramsey spoke with Dr. Phil McGraw and addressed the rumors that he and his family were involved in the murder.

“It blows my mind. What more proof do you need that we didn’t do it? he said.

“You won’t find any evidence because that’s not what happened,” he added.

At one point during the interview, McGraw presented Burke Ramsey with a copy of the ransom note found in their home on December 26, 1996.

“I’ve never really looked at it closely, because I’ll see it and I’ll be a little surprised and it’s not something I really want to watch a lot, you know?” he said.

He added that he didn’t think it was his mother’s writing because it was “too sloppy”, and told the story of his mother making him rewrite things to get a better look. writing.

Burke Ramsey sued CBS News in 2016

In 2016, CBS aired a two-part special presenting a theory that Burke Ramsey killed his sister. The special speculated that he might have killed JonBenét because she ate part of his snack.

Burke Ramsey sued CBS, the producers and hosts of the special later that year for $750 million, according to the Associated Pressalleging that they conspired to defame him for publicity and profit.

Burke Ramsey’s lawyers alleged in the lawsuit that CBS conducted a “sham investigation” into the murder with the “preconceived story” that he killed his sister and conspired with his parents to cover it up, according to the Associated Press .

“The accusation that Burke Ramsey killed his sister was based on a compilation of lies, half-truths, fabricated information and the intentional omission and avoidance of truthful information about the murder of JonBenét Ramsey” , the lawyers wrote in the suit.

CBS declined to comment to The Associated Press when the lawsuit was filed.

The lawsuit was settled in 2019 after CBS and the producers agreed to pay an undisclosed sum, according to court documents.

Where is Burke Ramsey now?

Burke Ramsey, now 37, lives in Michigan and appears to work in technology management, according to public records.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com