Watch the show. A lot of your questions were covered. The note itself is inherently implausible. How could a kidnapper be sure that he would find suitable pen and paper in the house...
I think pretty much everyone will have at least one pen and one piece of blank paper in the house.
Now, why the intruder would write a note at the scene rather than bring his own is unknown, but there are several possibilities:
- He may have been disorganized enough and forgot to bring it
- He may have brought one, but while waiting (and perhaps exploring the house, maybe seeing a pay stub from John Ramsey) decided to write a new one
- He might have decided to kidnap her without leaving a note (or had a plan to contact them later), and changed his plans once inside the house
...and would have time to write a rambling, three-page letter (hardly a "note")?
As I pointed out, the intruder would have broken in when the Ramseys were at the party. So, he could have had hours, both to explore the house, and write the note.
In fact that makes the most sense. After the killing, it is doubtful whether the perpetrator (whomever it may be) would have had the state of mind to compose ANY note.
A real kidnapper typically would want to be quick, and would bring a short note ("Get $100,000 in small bills. Wait for call. NO COPS!").
That's because the 'kidnapper' was probably not trying to abduct JonBenet for money. He goal was likely to punish the Ramseys for some slight (real or imagined) In other words, he wasn't a "real kidnapper".
The fact that the "kidnapper" claimed to represent "foreign factions"
Which sounds like an intruder trying to make themselves more important than they really are.
...and wanted an amount that exactly equaled John's annual bonus sure raises some doubts.
The amount of the Ransom ($118,000) is a little unusual. But there are a couple of possibilities about why that amount was used:
- The intruder had a lot of time to explore the house. He might have seen a pay stub with the bonus amount listed
- The amount ($118,000) may have actually translated to (I think) 100,000 pesos, so he may have had a plan to flee to mexico.
Furthermore, the Ramseys were worth millions. If the Ramseys were really trying to stage the kidnapping, why wouldn't they ask for a more reasonable figure, given their actual wealth?
And what makes you think that the Ramseys didn't go to the movies?
Having kids tends to change your social life.
Hey, maybe they did go to all the new movies. Maybe they were big clint eastwood fans, and saw the movie Speed (both possible sources of phrases in the ransom note). But those types of movies do tend to appeal more to a younger male demographic.
And in video interviews with the police, little Burke -- who had a history of hostility toward his sister -- actually demonstrated how "someone" could have struck Jon-Benet. Not a confession, but sure more than a guess.
Ah yes, the police interviews. Many have criticized the way they were done, asking leading questions. "How would X have happened". "See? they could be guilty of X!"
And here's something to keep in mind... Handwriting analysis ruled John out as the author, and suggested Patsy
may have written the note (not enough to rule her out anyways.) During the 911 call, the operator asks if the note was signed, and she sounded like she didn't really know. If she was the author, why wouldn't she simply say "the note wasn't signed"?
