JBR Book Review: A Mother Gone Bad
Fernando Melendez
Andrew G. Hodges, M. D. Village House Publishers, Birmingham,
1998. Paperback ($12.95)
______________________________________________________
According to this book, Patsy Ramsey wrote a detailed confession of
how she murdered her daughter JonBenét in a fit of rage after finding
daughter and husband engaged sexually in JB's bedroom. She
distributed details of her confession throughout various documents she
wrote after the dastardly deeds she committed on December 25, 1996.
Oh? Hadn't heard of these documents? Ah, well, they are written in a
special code that requires the peculiar training and insights of the
author, Dr. Hodges, in order to decipher them. The principal document
is the ransom note, written (and found) by Patsy, in which she tell
why and how she did it, where it took place, and every little detail
you may want to know about the murder. Other documents containing the
confession and the lurid details are in the form of the Christmas
form-letters from the Ramseys (including, by the way, a forecast of
the murder right there in the 1996 letter). The author calls the
ransom note the "Rosetta Stone" of the murder, and well he should if
his interpretations were correct. I, for one, believe that the author
is loco. Crazy like a fox, perhaps; maybe he will groan and cackle
and moan all the way to the bank under the weight of his book
royalties. Don't think so, but who knows?
It is the kind of book that makes a mockery of psychiatry by applying
in retrospect, values and meaning to words so that they will say
whatever it is that the author wants them to say. Sure, once he knows
all the details of what happened, he can take the ransom note and make
it say anything. But what if he were just handed the note and told to
decipher it without any knowledge of ther crime? Not much would be
said, for sure.
Here is an example of Dr. Hodges methodology: in chapter 7 of his book
he analyzes the final sentences of the ransom note, which were:
"...Don't try to grow a brain, John. You are not the only fat cat
around so don't think that killing will be difficult. Don't
underestimate us John. Use that good southern common sense of yours.
It is up to you now John!
Victory!
S.B.T.C."
What does all of that mean? Its very simple, really:
1. Patsy was secretly blackmailing John Ramsey
2. Patsy ends the message with three sexual symbols confirming
that John Ramsey was sexually abusing JBR.
3. Patsy Ramsey saw JBR as a rival - and that night a cat fight
broke out between them.
4. Patsy was uncomfortable with success.
5. Patsy specifically feared that her cancer would spread to her
brain and quickly kill her.
6. Patsy continually links the murder to a conflict in a threesome
involving herself, JBR and John.
Now do you get it? It is very easy. Here is an explanation of point 2:
"A john is a man who uses a prostitute and the killer maybe speaking
for both herself and JBR, reminding John that he has treated both of
them as prostitutes. First he used Patsy as a trophy wife, and more
recently he used JBR sexually. In "John" we find another subtle hint
of abuse. Patsy may also be revealing what she holds over John's
head. By repeating John three times in rapid-fire succession, she may
be drawing attention to the fact that "John is a john."
Got it now?
Given the author's ability to fantasize on would think that his book
would be full of bells, whistles, paper hats and psychedelic colors.
Instead it is dull, gray and boring. Forget about getting vicarious
Kultur by reading the bibliography (no bibliography) or being allowed
to move about freely by consulting the index (no index), or even being
able to use it as a defensive weapon against the scary beings of the
night: its only a paperback. Mosquitos yes, bigger things probably
not.
A thumbnail sketch of this man's theories as he reads them in the
Rosetta Stone and related documents:
Early that evening (she was dead before midnight) Patsy whacked JBR
with the flashlight when she caught her and John engaged sexually. She
felt the skull cave under the impact of the flashlight. Even though
they both soon realized that the child was still breathing, there was
not question about calling for medical help, for that would mean a
collapse of their successful life style. John had a motive to complete
the job (silencing his victim), and besides, as the author says "I
cannot imagine any mother killing her child twice within one hour when
any other option presented itself." So John created the strangulation
scenario as part of a coverup of what had really happened. The garrote
had nothing to do with the sexual molestation, which had been going on
for a long time with Patsy's covert encouragement and consent.
Dr. Hodges has a chapter devoted to the experts in this case, in which
he explains how and why they have, to a greater or lesser extent,
failed to see what he sees: John Douglas, Robert Ressler, Clinton Van
Zandt, Cyril Wetcht, Donald Foster....they all parade by, some having
gotten closer to the truth, some not so close, while all the time it
was clearly there for all to see in that ransom note.
I personally felt badly for the dissed Bible expert Dale Yeager, who
is president of a small organization devoted to the study of religious
crime. According to this man, there is a connection between Psalm 118:
27, the 118,000 ransom demand, and the murder of JBR. The particular
passage reads "God is the Lord, which hath showed us light; bind the
sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar." According to
this expert he knows of two cases in which mothers have killed their
children and written "Psalm 118" in blood on the wall. This stuff was
a little too much for Dr. Hodges who dismissed it with "there is
simply not enough evidence to make Yeager's case." But if Hodges can
write a whole book with no evidence of anything in it, maybe Yeager
can to; and I'll bet his would be more interesting than this one.
Douglas M. Case
someone is finally returning the board to a discussion of true-crime
literature.
Just a couple of thoughts:
1) Whose med school application was rejected in favor of Hodges's?
2) What is the link between believing this a case of A Mother Gone Bad and
believing the blow to the skull was the actual murder act? It seems to
have some metaphysical resonance.
If we take Hodges scenario, then under the laws of Colorado, the eyes of
God, and the eightfold thumbs of Vishnu it is JOHN Ramsey who murdered his
daughter. The blow delivered by Patsy Ramsey at the very least lacks
premeditation. She'd be as guilty of murder as he, of course, but not
from swinging the maglite.
And yet, and yet. Almost every postulation of Patsy as murderer treats
the skull fracture as the cause of death. De facto or metaphoric. Leave
Cyril Wecht's reconstruction, which says it couldn't have happened that
way, out of it for a moment. Someone, under threat of exposure as a child
molester, fashions a garrotte and squeezes what's left of his daughter's
life out of her. That's a *footnote*?
3) What kind of cardboard cut-out are we to take John Ramsey to be?
Assume, in a panic, he decides he must kill in order to cover his tracks.
(He doesn't simply turn, like a B-movie actor with a ten-yard stare, and
say, "But, my dear, it was YOU who was molesting our daughter. I heard
her scream and ran down to find you holding the flashlight." All the
while creeping closer, closer...). Anyway, he spends the better part of
an hour staging a sexual crime, then leaves it to his wife to write the
note which will exonerate them? A note which has nothing at all to do
with sexual crime?
dmc
---------------------
Steve McQueen looks good in this movie. He must have made it
before he died.
-Yogi Berra
CBofGDALE
note.
Fernando Melendez
>I think the Boulder police are pretty sure it was Patty Ramsey who wrote the
>note.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, she probably did write the note. The police are almost certain
it wasn't John, nobody seriously claims it was Burke, and it
certainly wasn't JonBenét; Jacques wasn't in residence that night.
The issue is: Does the note contain an admission by Patsy that she
bashed in JBR' head? Does the note say that the "kidnapper" has
already killed JBR? Does the note contain hidden instructions to
police: how to catch Patsy? Does it instruct the police to look for
the body hidden in the basement? Does it tell us that John Ramsey
participated in the murder? Does it tell the police to focus on an
incident between John and JonBenét to solve the crime? Ahh! All of
that and plenty more is right there if only you knew how to decipher
those words, which you don't. So buy the book and Dr. Hodges will
tell you all about it.
Fernando
Douglas M. Case
fer...@worldnet.att.net (Fernando Melendez) wrote:
FM, does Hodge explain how he knows Patsy *authored* the note, as opposed
being the co-author, or the scribe?
dmc
---------------------
Like all men, he was given bad times in which to live.
-Jorge Luis Borges
Fernando Melendez
Case) wrote:
> FM, does Hodge explain how he knows Patsy *authored* the note, as opposed
>being the co-author, or the scribe?
>
>
>dmc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Hodges devotes chapter after chapter to the analysis of Patsy's
(and not John's ) secret messages as found in the ransom note, so by
implication he certainly is saying that Patsy was the author and not
just a scribe. At the same time he does not rule out John having
contributed small details to the note:
"Patsy or John Ramsey may simply have come up with the initials
S.B.T.C. on a whim, as a random choice..."
Of course, he immediately denies any notion of randomness:
"Surely the initials have some significance to Patsy Ramsey.
Being the artist that she is, Patsy likes to put a special
hidden message into her communications..."
Possible meanings for those famous initials: "Saved by the Cross;"
"Son of a Bitch: The Cancer;" "Sacrifice Bound with The Cords;'
and so on.
Fernando
Carol
cbof...@aol.com (CBofGDALE) wrote:
3I think the Boulder police are pretty sure it was Patty Ramsey who wrote the
3note.
** Aren't we all? **
Carol
Douglas M. Case
fer...@worldnet.att.net (Fernando Melendez) wrote:
>Dr. Hodges devotes chapter after chapter to the analysis of Patsy's
>(and not John's ) secret messages as found in the ransom note, so by
>implication he certainly is saying that Patsy was the author and not
>just a scribe.
I've ordered the book. I can't excuse asking you to be his Boswell any
more, despite your abilities. I do have one reservation: I'm afraid I'm
developing a sort of antipodal Stendhal Syndrome. First, I noticed that
when Dr. Joyce Brothers was on teevee I had that sorta light-headedness
you get if you stand up too quickly. Then the other day in the bookstore
I absent-mindedly started leafing through Men are from Mars, Women are
from Venus, or whatever it's called, and I had to grab the shelf to keep
from pitching onto my nose.
>At the same time he does not rule out John having
>contributed small details to the note:
>
> "Patsy or John Ramsey may simply have come up with the initials
>
> S.B.T.C. on a whim, as a random choice..."
>
>Of course, he immediately denies any notion of randomness:
>
> "Surely the initials have some significance to Patsy Ramsey.
> Being the artist that she is, Patsy likes to put a special
> hidden message into her communications..."
>
>Possible meanings for those famous initials: "Saved by the Cross;"
>"Son of a Bitch: The Cancer;" "Sacrifice Bound with The Cords;'
>and so on.
I think he's on to something here. I'm married to an artist, and the
woman is *constantly* challenging acronymic convention. Drives me crazy.
A couple of months ago I was convinced it meant "Stop Buying Tom Clancy",
on the grounds that Patsy might have considered that a terrorist concern.
Maybe, though, it was just a reminder: "Start Breakfast,Then Call", or
"Shut Burke in
The Closet".
Fernando Melendez
Case) wrote:
(trimmed)
> I think he's on to something here. I'm married to an artist, and the
>woman is *constantly* challenging acronymic convention. Drives me crazy.
> A couple of months ago I was convinced it meant "Stop Buying Tom Clancy",
>on the grounds that Patsy might have considered that a terrorist concern.
>Maybe, though, it was just a reminder: "Start Breakfast,Then Call", or
>"Shut Burke in
>The Closet".
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Douglas, you must stop these sudden bursts of levity at the most
unexpected moments. I blew out a perfectly decent mouthful of orange
juice which was peacefully descending towards its normal destination
when it was explosively forced to reverse direction by your
deciphering S.B.T.C. All the versions are hilarious, but "Start
Breakfast, Then Call" captures the spirit of Mr. Cool Executive best.
Glad you are going to read the book. You may also want to look at the
comments by readers posted at Amazon. Mine is the only negative
review out of several. Apparently some psychologists and
psychiatrists, as well as some non-professionals, are truly impressed
by Dr. Hodges and his book. Please post your opinions when you finish
it: if they are contrary to mine I will still enjoy the anfractuous
reasoning by which you arrive at your conclusions.
Lastly, explain the Stendhal Syndrome. Despite his great reputation I
was never able to get past a few chapters of Scarlet and Black and of
the Charterhouse, so I am not one of his fans, and have no idea of
what ailment could have been named after him.
Fernando
Reality's bitch
> cbof...@aol.com (CBofGDALE) wrote: I think the Boulder police are
> pretty sure it was Patty Ramsey who wrote the note.
:> ** Aren't we all? ** Carol
No... ;-D
^|*|^ ^|*|^ ^|*|^ ^|*|^ ^|*|^ ^|*|^ ^|*|^ ^|*|^ ^|*|^ ^|*|^ ^|*|^ ^|*|^ ^|*|^
" She who has mellowed into fine wine was first stomped in the vat of Life. "
vcz
Born to Opine
Reality's bitch
:> I was convinced it meant "Stop Buying Tom Clancy",
A couple of months ago, *I* was convinced it meant "Shreds Better Than
Cheese"...but, then, after Titanic came out, I realized it meant "Sounds
Better Than Celine".
vcz [who will now posture that the note was written by JonBenet, *herSELF*,
as part of a bizarre suicide for which she wished to frame her parents...]
taco
~taco
Fernando Melendez
>:> Douglas M. Case (four...@earthlink.net) wrote: A couple of months ago
>:> I was convinced it meant "Stop Buying Tom Clancy",
>
>A couple of months ago, *I* was convinced it meant "Shreds Better Than
>Cheese"...but, then, after Titanic came out, I realized it meant "Sounds
>Better Than Celine".
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hear (private email) that Martha is trying to gain support for the
official recognition of S.B.T.C. to mean Silent Butler's THE Clue,
but that Joe is slightly ahead with Sweaty Bunions Taste Cool.
FM
Douglas M. Case
fer...@worldnet.att.net (Fernando Melendez) wrote:
>Lastly, explain the Stendhal Syndrome. Despite his great reputation I
>was never able to get past a few chapters of Scarlet and Black and of
>the Charterhouse, so I am not one of his fans, and have no idea of
>what ailment could have been named after him.
Uncontrollable swooning when confronted by great art. A frequent
occurance at Chartres, St. Peter's, and Epcot.
I checked. My own copy still has the college bookmark (cover from a pack
of Roach cigarette papers) on page 288. Gonna get back to it, though.
Soon as I finish Proust.
dmc
---------------------
Nothing is so useless as a general maxim.
-Thomas Macaulay
Douglas M. Case
fer...@worldnet.att.net (Fernando Melendez) wrote:
Kudos to you both. FM, the email I received must have been third
generation or so; it claimed Martha was pushing "Small Blonde in The
Chute". And JBrown just wrote me it's proof of an intruder: "Stopped By.
Took Child."
If Hodges goes to a second printing he's gonna have to answer all this...