Plot Synopsis

Directed and executive produced by Joe Berlinger, COLD CASE: WHO KILLED JONBENET RAMSEY is a three-part documentary that explores new steps authorities could take to finally bring JonBenet's killer to justice, while chronicling how law enforcement and the media mishandled the case. On December 26, 1996, John and Patsy Ramsey woke up the morning after a loving family Christmas to discover their youngest child, six-year-old JonBenet, was missing, a chilling ransom note left downstairs. Later that day, John Ramsey discovered his daughter's body in the basement, revealing the shocking truth that JonBenet had not been kidnapped, but was instead sexually assaulted and brutally murdered in their own home. The Boulder, Colorado police, who had little practical experience in homicide investigations, quickly cast suspicion on JonBenet's family as the most likely suspects, fanning the flames of media scrutiny and largely one-sided reporting, turning the case into a national obsession. Twenty-eight years later, that obsession -- and finger-pointing -- hasn't gone away, and the murder of JonBenet Ramsey remains unsolved. The series delves deeply into what John Ramsey perceives as errors made by authorities during the investigation of JonBenet's murder, scrutinizes the missteps of law enforcement and the media, and highlights the relatively straightforward measures that could potentially solve this haunting mystery. Plus, the series includes a new interview with Boulder district attorney Alex Hunter, as well as a significant amount of never-before-seen material, including pieces of the audio diaries belonging to Colorado Springs detective Lou Smit. All three episodes of COLD CASE: WHO KILLED JONBENET RAMSEY dropped on Monday, November 25, 2024 on Netflix:

"Keep Your Babies Close": The shocking Christmas night murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey becomes a national obsession as the media casts suspicion on her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey. But after mishandling evidence at the crime scene, police struggle to make an arrest.

"Umbrella of Suspicion": Without evidence tying John and Patsy Ramsey to the murder of JonBenet, the police try to pressure the parents into confessing. Meanwhile, a legendary detective joins the investigation and finds stunning new evidence that points the case in a new direction.

"The Truth Is Going to Prevail": A prosecutor's controversial decision sends the case against John and Patsy Ramsey into a tailspin. At the same time, private investigators and journalists uncover new suspects, and a professor's chance encounter leads to an arrest that shocks the world.