The Death of Innocence : The Untold Story of JonBenet's Murder and How Its Exploitation Compromised the Pursuit of Truth [Hardcover]

John Ramsey (Author), Patsy Ramsey (Author)

Book Description

Series: Precious Moments Seasons of Faith | Publication Date: March 17, 2000

Since the murder of their daughter on Christmas night, 1996, John and Patsy Ramsey have lived a nightmare of grief, fear, and persecution. Throughout the onslaught, they have remained quiet, patiently trusting that the focus would finally turn to finding the person who committed this heinous crime. The Death of Innocence contradicts the myths, half-truths, and outright lies that have been published as fact in this tragic case. It also tells of the Ramsey's faith in God, their trust that He is in control, and their relationship with Him that has seen them through this tortuous ordeal. From the people who have lived it, this is the entire story for the first time-from the inside out.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Part memoir, part murder mystery and part diatribe, this book targets socially conservative Christians, but much of its content will undoubtedly engender sympathy in a broader audience. In response to three years of allegations that they killed their daughter, the Ramseys have written their side of the story, refuting the myriad accusations leveled against them and replacing them with their own recollections of events. These recollections paint a more than plausible picture of a family victimized at first by the horrific murder of a young child and then by a relentless media and police campaign to smear their reputations and prove their guilt. There is a whiff of narcissism in their tendency to refer to themselves in the third person; detailed descriptions of their homes, clothing and other possessions add to this impression. The Ramseys do, however, acknowledge that their wealth, now mostly gone, has protected them from the wrongful incarceration that many Americans endure. The Ramseys' attempt to set the record straight is at times tiresome, especially when they predictably complain about liberals who hate them because they are successful. But as we read their account of the hellishness of their lives since their daughter's murder, we realize that nothing about this situation has ever been fair and simply mourn that they had occasion to write this book at all. 16-page photo insert. Author appearances on 20/20, Today and Larry King Live.

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 396 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785268162
• ISBN-13: 978-0785268161
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (199 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget what you think about guilt or innocence..., March 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Death of Innocence : The Untold Story of JonBenet's Murder and How Its Exploitation Compromised the Pursuit of Truth (Hardcover)

Consider what this book gives you: access to two of the most major players in the Ramsey case. Whether you are anti-Ramsey (and prepared to disbelieve every word), pro-Ramsey (and prepared to believe every word), or somewhere in between, Death of Innocence gives you something concrete against which to measure media reports, talk show content, and the statements and leaks from the Boulder PD and DA. Once one's mind is made up, it's tempting to stop thinking, stop listening, stop being open to possibilities that are contrary to your rigid stance. But the only thing that will accomplishe is to freeze you in place, leaving you forever stuck with your views, regardless of where the facts may lead. If you happen to be right, perhaps that's not such a bad thing. But if you're wrong, you'll either be eating a lot of crow, or denying the correctness of the ultimate solution of this crime (*if* it's ever solved). For quite a while now I have been leaning toward the possibility that the Ramseys are innocent, but I bought their book to look for contraditions and conflicts that might challenge or change my thinking. I did not simply seek reinforcment of what I was already tending to believe. In Death of Innocence, I have read things that trouble me, raising questions that I wish I could hear answered. But over all (at least at this moment) I remain open to the thought that the Ramseys may well be innocent. You may see it otherwise. This book is neither exonerating nor incriminating. Rather, it is an important piece in an intriguing puzzle. Regardless of whether it contains information or disinformation, it is an essential document for those who are thinking their way through the maze of this murder case, for how can one do that without knowing what the Ramseys have to say? It may be lies or it may be the truth -- but in either case, it is the only document of its kind that we have available to us. To judge it, you must read it. And to know its accuracy, you must wait for a time that may never come. It is not my admiration for the writing that makes me give this book 5 stars (in fact, I see the hand of the ghost writer throughout; I wish that freelance writer hadn't "helped" the Ramseys because I wanted their "voices" to be truly theirs). Why did I give the book 5 stars? Because it tells us the Ramseys' story, or at least the story the Ramseys want us to believe -- and, either way, it is indispensible to anyone who is making an informed decision regarding the Ramseys' guilt or innocence. Use it to shape your thinking now, and to refer to later, if and when the case is officially solved.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Made me think, February 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Death of Innocence (Paperback)

...it's fun to read stories that you assume are largely fiction but have characters that you know from movies, history, etc. I was certain that "The Death of Innocence" fell squarely into that category. However, I was surprised to find it to be a fairly well written memoir that presented a plausible case for the Ramsey's innocence. While the book didn't convince me that the Ramseys are as innocent as they claim to be...If nothing else, the book forced me to think of John, Patsy, and JonBenet as real people instead of two-dimensional tabloid characters...

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars If only noses COULD grow sometimes...!, July 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Death of Innocence : The Untold Story of JonBenet's Murder and How Its Exploitation Compromised the Pursuit of Truth (Hardcover)

I still don't know who killed JonBenet Ramsey, but I must saythis book has not ruled out, in my mind, her parents. Poorly writtenand hard to follow at points, but, an interesting read.

The bottom line with the Ramsey's, after all is said and done with this book, is PR (public relations) and perhaps the creation of a "boogey-man" factory in our minds. John quotes himself in the book to Patsy that "the number one priority of the attorneys and the investigators is to keep us [John and Patsy] out of jail." And here --- all this time --- I thought their number one priority was to find justice for JonBenet, to find JonBenet's killer! Couple this with the Ramsey's deep concern for what future generations of their own family will think of them, one could begin to wonder what IS at work, here? In addition, I found their suggestion of including suicide victims as suspects, particularly distasteful, if not unethical and crass. Sometime after I had decided that everyone in America (if not the world) should go to their local police department to submit voluntary samples to help solve this case, the Ramseys point their indiscriminate fingers toward yet another segment of the population ---- recent suicide victims (in these cases, their families).

Some of the charges they make against the media are fair, make no mistake about it. I would add that most people don't put a lot of trust in the tabloids, however, and sometimes not much in their local news coverages either. I also don't think that Larry King can be considered part of the tabloid establishment, yet the Ramsey's haven't really performed any better there. If they ever met with Ted Koppel, I missed it.

I do agree with the Ramsey's regarding their interpretation of the autopsy findings regarding cause of death. I do not agree with them, however, regarding their accounts of the un-likelihood of sexual abuse and incest. Incest is an issue this country has yet to face squarely and "know" squarely (which may be one reason people latched on to this case). It is my understanding (one of my college friends is a social worker specializing in the treatment of sexual abuse victims and has given me info here) that sexual abuse occurs much more frequently than any of us would ever suspect; the real numbers are hidden. It is also my understanding that fathers do not necessarily assault all of their daughters; they may only pick on one daughter. They may also assault their daughter only one time. It is also my understanding that many of these fathers are, to outsiders, upstanding citizens, perhaps even pillars of their communities, members of the neighborhood church, "pictures of perfection" --- people without any prior record, without any prior "histories". In this same vein, I disagree with the "prior sexual assault" (or lack of it) interpretation of the Ramseys with regard to the autopsy findings. I do agree with the experts that say it happened to JonBenet prior to Dec 25, 1996 as well as just prior to her death. Incest/ sexual assault of young girls is not limited to penetration but includes all violations against them, including voyeurism where no bodily contact is made whatsoever --- one would not necessarily expect to see external bruising, I would imagine, in some instances in that area. In addition, some little girls hide their "home-burdens" quite well, may even blot incestuous occurrences from their conscious memories entirely. The scenario, in this case, of the sex game gone awry seems to be a real possibility; followed by the blow to the head as part of the staging. Perhaps when JonBenet told a neighbor that "Santa was going to make a special visit to her after Christmas" she had her father in mind --- but, we all know the "Santa Claus" to whom these repetitive aspersions are so threateningly cast.

IF (and this is perhaps a big "if"), the Ramseys are indeed innocent, their attorneys have done them a big disservice by jumping into the picture and jumping in the way in which they did, virtually before JonBenet's body had even been removed from the house. One might guess that the friend-attorney suspected guilt as well. Maybe someone did enter their house prior to the Ramseys' return home that night (which would rule out the Whites, since the Ramseys were at the Whites' for dinner; and my oh my how the Ramseys portray Fleet White! and we the readers have no way of ever proving or disproving the accuracy of their portrayal!), but why would the perpetrator after using a stun gun, stop to commit his dastardly sexual deed in the basement? And who would possibly use a phrase such as "good Southern common sense of yours" in a vicious ransom hate-note? ...

For all the Ramsey's criticisms of the BPD, their own team does not seem to have narrowed the field of suspects down any after all these years, either. In fact, they have expanded the field and continue to do so. One could argue that that is their job; if not to actually SOLVE the case, then to at least attempt to create "reasonable doubt". Many questions are left unanswered; this book raises many additional questions in my mind ...