News announcement that John and Patsy Ramsey are writing a book

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Ramseys Plan Book on JonBenet Death
By Jim Patterson
Associated Press Writer
Friday, Nov. 5, 1999; 5:40 p.m. EST

NASHVILLE, Tenn. –– The parents of JonBenet Ramsey said Friday they are writing a book on the unsolved slaying of their 6-year-old daughter.

The book, with the working title "The Death of Innocence," is scheduled for release in March by Nashville-based Thomas Nelson Publishers, which specializes in books with religious themes. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"We have patiently waited for the justice process to evolve in the matter of our daughter's death," John and Patsy Ramsey said in a news release from Thomas Nelson. "We have remained silent while baseless and slanderous accusations about our family were made by the frenzied media. With the grand jury's recent decision (not to indict anyone), the time is appropriate to recount our experiences in this tragedy."

JonBenet Ramsey's body was found Dec. 26, 1996, in the basement of the family's home in Boulder, Colo. She suffered a skull fracture, was strangled and beaten, and may have been sexually assaulted.

A grand jury investigated the slaying for 13 months, but adjourned last month without indicting anyone. Colorado authorites have said her parents remain under an umbrella of suspicion, but they have not been charged.

Proceeds from book sales will help the Ramseys pay legal expenses and will go to the JonBenet Ramsey Children's Foundation, the Ramseys said. Rolf Zettersen of Thomas Nelson said the book "will address many of the myths and falsehoods surrounding the case."

"It will also give the Ramseys an opportunity to write about JonBenet, whose life was so much more than junior beauty pageants. This will be a story of their faith in God and how it sustained them through the tragedy and the horrible accusations that ensued."

The Ramseys – with some assistance – are writing the book themselves, said Eric Heyden, vice president and general counsel of Thomas Nelson. They are members of the Episcopal Church.

"I suspect their faith brought them to us," he said.

The Ramseys now live in the Atlanta area.

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Ramseys doing book
Saturday, November 6, 1999

Nashville -- The parents of JonBenet Ramsey announced Friday they are writing a book on the unsolved killing of their 6-year-old daughter in 1996.

The book, with the working title ''The Death of Innocence,'' is scheduled for release in March by Nashville-based Thomas Nelson Publishers, which specializes in books with religious themes. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

JonBenet, a child beauty queen, was found dead in the family's Boulder, Colo., home Dec. 26, 1996. The case provoked intense publicity. The Ramseys, who now live in Atlanta, have been described by police as under suspicion, but deny any involvement.

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Ramseys writing book on daughter's death

By Christopher Anderson
Camera Staff Writer

John and Patsy Ramsey said Friday they are writing a book about the death of their 6-year-old daughter, JonBenét — adding to a mounting war of words on the unsolved 1996 slaying.

The book, tentatively titled "The Death of Innocence," is scheduled to be released in March by Nashville-based Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Thomas Nelson claims to be "the largest publisher of Bibles and inspirational books in the English language."

The couple, who has been writing the book with an undisclosed author for several months, also gave a 25-minute interview to Nashville's WSMV Channel 4 News, affiliated with NBC. The interview is not expected to air for at least a week.

"We have patiently waited for the justice process to evolve in the matter of our daughter's death," the Ramseys said in a news release from Thomas Nelson. "We have remained silent while baseless and slanderous accusations about our family were made by the frenzied media.

"With the grand jury's recent decision (not to indict) the time is appropriate to recount our experiences in this tragedy."

The Ramseys' book will be released almost at the same time as former Boulder police Detective Steve Thomas' book on the case. Thomas, who says he believes that enough probable cause exists to file charges, handed in his badge in 1998, accusing Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter of compromising the case.

Thomas has been working with Boulder author Don Davis, who wrote a book on O.J. Simpson. Davis said Friday he could not comment on his latest book other than to say it will be handed to New York publishers by the end of the year and is expected to be released "early next year."

"We are working every day," Davis said.

JonBenét was found beaten and strangled in her family's home on Dec. 26, 1996.

Her parents have remained under the Boulder Police Department's "umbrella of suspicion" and were recently accused by Gov. Bill Owens Owens of "hiding behind their attorneys."

Owens also has referred to the couple as suspects. The Ramseys have repeatedly said they did not kill their daughter.

Adams County District Attorney Bob Grant said investigators will probably be interested in seeing what the Ramseys have to say in their book and television interview.

Grant said any statements that can be directly attributed to the Ramseys could be considered evidence. He said the book is another example of trying the case in the media.

"It's an unfortunate circumstance," he said.

Rolf Zettersen of Thomas Nelson said the Ramsey book "will address many of the myths and falsehoods surrounding the case."

"It will also give the Ramseys an opportunity to write about JonBenét, whose life was so much more than junior beauty pageants," Zettersen said. "This will be a story of their faith in God and how it sustained them through the tragedy and the horrible accusations that ensued."

Thomas Nelson was also the distributor of the book, "She Said Yes," which tells the story of Columbine shooting victim Cassie Bernall.

Proceeds from the Ramseys' book will go towards the Ramseys' legal expenses and the JonBenét Ramsey Children's Foundation.

The foundation was formed Feb. 3, 1997, with the goal of benefiting "children who are in a variety of needs," a Ramsey family spokeswoman said at the time.

By March of this year, the only known significant contributions made to the foundation came from the family itself and one of the family's attorneys.

IRS records showed the foundation's "charitable activities" amounted to $769 given to Crime Stoppers "to assist their effort to obtain crime leads" and $596 for "advertising soliciting information into the murder of JonBenét Ramsey."

The Associated Press and Scripps Howard News Service contributed to this report.

November 6, 1999

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