her eyes were closed. >> and lo and behold, when john ramsey finds the body, you now have john ramseyt the crime scene. >> john ramsey picked that little girl up, took the tape off of her mouth and dragged her upstairs in his arms. and then the coup de gras. he grabs a blanket, which is full of who knows what kind of contaminants, and throws it over the body. right then and there, the police investigation was tainted. >> reporter: jonbenet had been strangled with a length of cord, a vicious homemade weapon known as a garrote. she was hit on the head with enormous force. and, there was evidence of sexual abuse. >> i knelt next to her, and i leaned down to her face. and john leaned down opposite me. >> reporter: in her 1999 interview, detective arndt seemed to suggest to elizabeth vargas that, in that moment, she was afraid of john ramsey. >> and we had a nonverbal exchange that i will never forget. and he asked if she was dead. and i said, "yes, she's dead." and as we looked at each other, i remember -- and i wore a shoulder holster, tucking my gun right next to me and consciously coun

the ramseys had submitted multiple handwriting samples. >> john's definitively was cleared >> yours was mine scored 4.5 out of 5. 5 is no match. >> there are investigators who say patsy ramsey could not be excluded as an author. it's very subjective. >> three months after jonbenet's murder, police were no closer to an arrest. the d.a. made a bold move, hiring veteran homicide detective lou schmidt. >> perhaps at first i leaned towards the parents doing it, but as i got into the case i started seeing red flags which started pointing the other way. >> the case took on a whole new turn. schmidt found evidence at the crime scene he thought directly pointed away from the ramseys and to an intruder. first an open and broken window in the basement. police had dismissed it when they first searched the house, claiming the window was too small for an adult to fit through. schmidt begged to differ and made his own demo. >> it really wasn't that difficult coming in that window. >> and something else intriguing, john ramsey had noticed it, too. >> the suitcase doesn't belong there. it looked like it

i couldn't do anything but scream. >> and john ramsey carried his daughter rigid from rigor mortis up stairs and set her on the floor. >> jean casarez joining me now, and i mean, this is just a riveting look back at this crime that i think still has so many people puzzled, and we know that people have grown up hearing this name. they maybe aren't familiar wit basic facts of the story. what happened? >> reporter: well, it's just as you saw. a little girl. she was in kindergarten. it was a family from atlanta that moved to boulder because of john ramsey the business that grossed $1 billion that year, it was in the local newspaper. it was big news and had a wonderful christmas day, and christmas evening, and john ramsey does not like to talk about this, bu we went to him. he lives in a very remote community, very private now. agreed to sit down one on one and he takes me through how that the last time he saw her was when he put her to bed christmas night and the next morning a scream from patsy and it was that ransom note. as you know, it went on and all forces were looking at the parent

john ramsey with barbara walters just a year ago. -- we had an interview with john ramsey with barbara walters just a year ago. you can see the handwriting analysis 's ownnd patsy ramsey handwriting samples that she gave to investigators. it is pretty stunning when them up and look at them word by word, letter by letter. we will let you judge for yourself when you see that. that was perhaps the most stunning visual information that i got when you really got to see it up close, side by side. we are looking forward to that episode of "20/20" tonight. coming up after the break, any chance of a warm-up for the weekend? we will check back in with doug. are at the washington, d.c., medical center -- we are doug: clouds will be increasing today, 29. then a wintry mix early in the morning, then warming up to 54. even warmer temperatures on sunday. we will probably have some updates to these watches and advisories at 4:00. jummy: it is going like this this weekend. thank you for joining us this midday. watch "abc 7 news at 4:00." have a wonde

i interviewed john ramsey who is getting on in years and for hours i spoke with him.e through everything, not that he wanted to but he did. we heard about christmas day. he talked about how when he realized there was a ransom note what went through his mind. he talks about that afternoon when he went down to the basement and he is the one that found jonbenet. he goes through that. i asked him about the grand jury because they vote ed yo ed unan to indict him and his wife. the dna evidence. i spoke to the forensic scientist that did dna testing. it's not someone just analyzing numbers. she did the testing. she talks to me about how and what happened and when she found out the results and what those results were. >> wow. i remember this case so well but the details i don't like what you just mentioned. we have to watch to see what she says. it's fascinating opinion obviously, this case has never been solved. the evidence is confusing. you have a ransom note left in the home when it wasn't even a kidnapping which is odd. a long three-page ransom note. >> asking for the a

i didn't realize that the grand jury unanimously voted to indict john ramsey and his wife.nd the da did not bring charges believing he could not proof it beyond a reasonable doubt. >> incredible. jean casarezs. that cnn special report, tonight at 9:00 eastern here on cnn. i'm jim sciutto. erin burnett "outfront" with kate baldwin starts right now. >>> "outfront" next. donald trump's about face just hours after accusing president obama of sabotaging the transition, trump says things are going very smoothly. which is it? plus the rockettes pressure to perform at donald trump's inauguration. will they leave trump out in the cold? and one of the hottest gifts on amazon. why is it now at the center of a mysterious murder? let's go "outfront." ♪ good evening everyone.

before the 20-year anniversary, jean casarez has a very rare interview with jonbenet's father, john ramseynding his daughter's body and the days after her death. >> reporter: on new year's eve in their hometown, atlanta, georgia, the family buried jonbenet. >> i think it's the worst thing a human being can experience is the loss of a child. >> reporter: but things for john and patsy were about to get even worse. investigators had grown suspicious. >> a lot of things didn't make sense. why would they leave a ransom note with her body still in the house? >> my first impression was that this guy wrote the magna carta. >> will withdraw $118,000 from your account. >> if i were kidnapping this guy's daughter, i'd ask for a quarter million, half million, a million dollars, so the amount of money is just really odd to me. >> reporter: the ramseys thought so, too. >> what's that mean? we looked at psalm 118. where did the number come from? >> when did it hit you the 118 dollars equated to your christmas bonus? >> it didn't initially. that bonus occurred a year earlier in january of '96 but it was o

john ramsey doesn't like to relive it. he does not do interviews, very rarely. able to go into a remote small little town that he now lives in that he does not want disclosed. i spoke to him for hours. the insight you get as he relives this, and it was emotional for him to relive it and questions because he and his wife were indicted unanimously by the grand jury but the prosecutor did not bring charges because he didn't believe he could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. that true bill of indictment was returned. one note, so fascinating, when he found her body, there was duct tape on her mouth, which i don't think we really know about. he ripped it off because he just couldn't stand having his daughter with the duct tape. i spoke to acclaimed forensic expert dr. daniel spitz who said it's a shame the duct tape was taken off because it could have been a mechanism of death, but it was a brutal death. >> does he have any idea who killed his daughter to this day? >> he believes it's someone he worked with. remember, he had a company that had made $1 billion that

john ramsey doesn't give interviews, very rarely does he. able to go to where he lives, an undisclosed location, he doesn't like people to know where he is, he wants his privacy because he lost it. i spoke with him. we take him back 20 years. he didn't want to go there but he tells us what happened, how he found her, her condition. do you know she had duct tape over her mouth and she ripped it off because he was so horrified, he said, when he found her in the cellar and i spoke with an acclaimed forensic pathologist who told me "it's a shame that happened because that could have been a mechanism of death depending on how that duct tape was put on her nose or her mouth. >> he shouldn't have removed it. but as a father, he saw his child, has there been new information? >> there's new information all the time but the question is they still have various theories running and everyone believes something and as you look at the proposed evidence we have, you have to decide what you think. remember, john and patsy ramsey, unanimously by a jury they r

john bow nay ramsey cold case she was found dead in 1996 and killer never thought. now could dna case bring justice to the case. details ahead. >> as we head to break let's look live across the d.c. region now. 4:51, 39 degrees. fox news morning back after >> back at 4:54 cellphone video of police draging a woman after a delta airplane has gone viral and happened detroit metropolitan airport the woman skipped past ticket area and boarded plane and they they she was arrested and charges are pending. >> college as cross the country are welcoming bomb-sniffing dogs to campus to combat increased security threats. colleges are often a community's hub which makes them ideal place for bombers seeking maximum carnage to strike. justice department is now stepping in to fund the dogs. >> developing overnight ohio governor john kasich signing a bill ban ago portion weeks and ohio becomes 16th state to adopt the 0 week standard based on the theory it's point where fetuses can feel pain critics say it's unscientific and there's a stricter provision that would push the ban back t

ramseys killed their own daughter. was there enough evidence to indict john and patsy ramsey? of a crime?upon the evidence that was presented, i believe that's correct. >> reporter: but if the case went to trial, did he believe that the ramseys would be convicted? >> no. >> based on the evidence you were presented, do you feel you know who killed jonbenet ramsey? >> i highly suspect i do. >> now, the grand jury an indictment accusing john and patsy ramsey, not of murder, but of child abuse finding they allowed jonbenet to be placed in a situation which resulted in her death and, of course, the prosecutor decided not to pursue that indictment. >> let's talk to dan abrams about that right now. usually you think of prosecutors sort of molding the grand jury in the image they want them to be but we're hearing, we wanted to do it, he didn't. >> only the prosecution presenting evidence to a grand jury, right. there is no defense attorney there. so, typically what happens is the prosecutor will present the evidence in the hope of getting an indictment and almost all cases they get it. in this ca

ramsey? >> i highly suspect i do. >> reporter: now, the grand jury handed up an indictment, accusing john andamsey, not of murder, but of child abuse, finding they allowed jonbenet to be placed in a situation which resulted in her death, and of course, the prosecutor decided not to pursue that indictment. >> let's talk to dan abrams about that right now. usually you think of prosecutors sort of molding the grand jury in the image they want them to be but we're hearing, we wanted to do it, he didn't. >> only the prosecution presenting evidence to a grand jury, right. there is no defense attorney there. so typically what happens is the prosecutor will present the evidence in the hope of getting an indictment, and in almost all cases, they get it. but in this case, they claimed that they tried to present the entirety of the case to the grand jury to let them decide. the problem was that the grand jury did not as amy points out come back with an indictment for murder. but instead this kind of compromise child abuse indictment. i think that this prosecution, this team was very divided within the b

john ramsey and his wife. and the da did not bring charges believing he could not proof it beyond a reasonable doubt. >> incredible. jean casarezs. that cnn special report, tonight at 9:00 eastern here on cnn. i'm jim sciutto. erin burnett "outfront" with kate baldwin starts right now. >>> "outfront" next. donald trump's about face just hours after accusing president obama of sabotaging the transition, trump says things are going very smoothly. which is it? plus the rockettes pressure to perform at donald trump's inauguration. will they leave trump out in the cold? and one of the hottest gifts on amazon. why is it now at the center of a mysterious murder? let's go "outfront." ♪ good evening everyone. i'm kate baldwin. "outfront" tonight breaking news. the white house confirming moments ago that president obama called president elect trump this morning from hawaii, describing the call as a positive one, centered on continuing a smooth and effective transition. trump echoing the thoughts a short time ago after e

. >>> the brother of john bennet ramsey is suing cbs and others for $750 million.id the multipart series that aired on the network last september falsely accuses him of murdering his sister. >> he was 9 when it happened, and the case captivated the country for years still remains unsolved. >>> demands for information from a murder suspect, and police say the smart speaker's audio recordings could help in the investigation. >> the retailer refusing, fuelling a debate over privacy concerns far beyond this case. here's more. >>> alexa. >> reporter: from the moment you wake up -- >> alexa, what's on the calendar today. >> reporter: until you go to >> reporter: the amazon echo delivering music, news, weather, and more. police in bentonville, arkansas could prove their case against this man, james base, accused of killing his coworker, mr. collins, found dead in his hot tub after a night of partying. when owners talked to alexa, it records the conversation. the question is, was it recording that night? the case brings new legal questions about high-tech devices that are

normal, and that was a huge interruption to that. >> the ramsey family exoneration came two years too late. she died from ovarian cancer. today johnremarried and lives a life far from colorado. burke is now a software engineer, once again, back in the headlines, this time on his own terms prc. >> i hope jonbenet ramsey gets justice. but there are some cases you just never figure out. this is probably one of them. i can't see whoever was responsible for killing this little girl, voluntarily coming forward. >> and if whoever is responsible never confesses, the colorado bureau of investigation hopes it's recently announced plans to test dna on additional pieces of evidence, might provide new clues and a solution to the 20-year-old mystery. ♪ don't let me down >> don't go away and don't let me down. up next, we go behind the scenes with the chain smokers, the electronic dance duo that has music fans losing their minds now. ♪ ♪ then we wad it up to make it nice and soft. but grandma, we use charmin ultra soft so we don't have to wad to get clean. mmm, cushiony...and we can use less. charmin ultra soft gets you clean without the wastefu

you had a long sit-down interview with her father, with john ramsey. what did he say?es a long ways away in a very remote area. he wants his privacy, but he allowed us to travel there to get to him. i spoke with him for hours. we heard things that i'd never heard before. what it's done to his life. he told me he's lost his privacy. he lost his money. he lost his reputation. and he truly says for the rest of his life he is trying to find who murdered his daughter. he talks about that he knows he was the prime suspect. he knows the grand jury indicted he and his wife, even though charges were never brought and what that did to his life. they had even signed custody of burke to someone else. >> their son. >> yes, because they believed they were going to be charged. >> because there are all of these incredibly confusing details, not to mention the ransom note, the three-page ransom note, the ransom they wanted, the exact amount, right, of his bonus. >> and so all of a sudden because this ransom note is too mr. ramsey, they're asking for the amount of his bonus, police hone

sudden ri back in the news tonight. 20 years after the murder of john be fay ramsey grand jury who consideredharges against her parents is speaking out for the first time and it comes as investigators are now retesting dna evidence. here's amy. >> 20 yourself after the unsolved murder of 6-year-old beauty queen ramsey we are taken in the early case against her parents. it's 1998. and prosecutor hunter is convening a grand jury to review the evidence. those proceedingsings are secret and penalty for revealing testimony or evidence can be severe. even jail time. but one juror two decades later is now talking to 2020. we agreed to alter the voice and show his face in schaad oychlt before were you a grand jury what did you know about the jon benet ramsey case. >> very also. i saw that there was a little girl dressed up. >>reporter: grand jury hearing evidence for more than a year instructed only to i hope diet if they found probable cause. >> was there enough evidence to indict john and patsy ramsey of a crime. >> based upon the evidence that was presented i believe that's correct e-about you if

panel of investigators suggestin that burke ramsay, the brother of john bejon benet ramsey. the show, investigators theorizing that burke may have killed herbie hitting her possibly with a flashlight. cbs saying in accept, it stand by the broadcast and will do so he filed a $150 lawsuit against a forensic path option. burke ramsay has been the suspect of several high profile programs. interviewed in september by dr. phil on his program, where burke was asked if he killed jon benet. >> there still are people that believe that you killed your sister. what do you say about that? >> look at the evidence or the lack thereof. >> since her murder on christmas, 1996, investigators investigated the possibility that jon benet was killed by an intruder that left a ransom note. 20 years later, plans for further dna testing that may once and for all solve this case. more "doing chores for mom" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty, the quicker p

. >>> coming up live, it has been 20 years and the murder of 6-year-old john benet ramsey still remainsd. now word that new dna testing is planned. what are authorities hoping to find. when are they leaving? grilled cheese and campbell's tomato soup go together like grandchildren and chaos. made for real, real life. i'ts your tv, take it with you. with directv and at&t, stream live tv anywhere data-free. join directv today starting at $35/month. no extra monthly fees. ♪ if you're going to wish, wish big at the lexus december to remember sales event get up to $2500 customer cash on select 2016 and 2017 models for these terms. see your lexus dealer. >>> the murder of 6-year-old jonbenet ramsey is one of the biggest unsolved cases. we have a special tonight at 8:00 p.m., and we have reports on new tests that will soon be done on key evidence in the case. >> stan garnett confirms with me that the next year, 2017, they will be doing brand new testing in the jonbenet ramsey case. it comes about because the colorado bureau of investigation is opening up new lab with new techniques and equipmen

. >>> today marks 20 years since the pageant participant john bennett ramsey. >>> two brothers in princerge's county have been receiving acts of kindness from a first responder who helped save their lives. derek ward shows us h little boys got to enjoy a very merry christmas. >> reporter: a moment like this, kids opening presents on christmas morning, it's happening all over the world, but this moment almost didn't happen. >> i'm happy to see that they are doing much better than the night that i saw them. >> reporter: a lit over a month ago the brothers were fighting for their lives. they'd been stabbed by their father. lieutenant pamela graham were among the ones that responded to that call. >> of course, we always think that it can't be right. so it was indeed. >> reporter: graham's response didn't end at the hospital. >> you want to get some toys? >> reporter: she befriended the boys and their mother. >> we talk frequently. she's a really good person. >> reporter: this christmas celebration was graham's idea. she opened her home for them all work. the man in the red suit was actually

was there enough evidence to indict john and patsy ramsey of a crime? >> based upon the evidence that was presented, i believe that's correct. >> reporter: but if the case went to trial, did he believe the ramseys would be convicted? >> no. >> reporter: no doubt? >> there is no way that i would have been able to say, beyond a reasonable doubt, this is the person. >> reporter: in the end, the grand jury indicted, not for murder, but for child abuse. finding the ramseys allowed jonbenet to be "placed in a situation which resulted in death." in a stunning twist, that prosecutor decided not to move forward with a case against the ramseys, and ten years later, another d.a. publicly cleared the family. amy robach, abc news, new york. >> thank you. and she'll have much more on her special "20/20" tonight. the full interview, 10:00 p.m. eastern. >>> and there's still much more ahead on "world news tonight." the disturbing video just in. the football star punching a woman inside a restaurant, weeks before his bowl game. >>> and shots fired inside a walmart. holi

. >>> and one of the investigative reporters about a new lead in the murder case of john binet ramsey. in. we had to climb up the mountain to get the injured hiker. he fell from, like, a rock. he's been the one that has been rescued so many times. he said to me, "today, i got to be the hero." (avo) the subaru share the love event has helped grant the wishes of over twelve hundred kids so far. get a new subaru, and we'll donate two hundred and fifty dollars more to help those in need. ♪put a little love in your heart.♪ seconds can mean the difference between life and death. for partners in health, time is life. we have 18,000 people around the world. the microsoft cloud helps our entire staff stay connected and work together in real time to help those that need it. the ability to collaborate changes how we work. what we do together changes how we live. ( ♪ ) ♪ you gotta to be cool, calm, collected ♪ ♪ look your fear in the eye ♪ you gotta be shaking off the pressure ♪ ♪ gotta be taking your time ♪ had my ups, downs, run-arounds ♪ ♪ my dark and despair ♪ but the best stuff came ♪ when a

. >>> john benet ramsey older brother now suing cbs over a television series that implied he killed hisister. bourke ramsey says his reputation was destroyed after the six-part series "the case of jonbenet ramsey" aired back in september. the lawsuit says that cbs, the show's production company, and featured experts planned a, quote, shammed investigation, with a preconceived story line that burke killed his sister and covered it up with his parents. a prosecutor cleared the ramsey family back in 2008 based on dna evidence. burke previously sued a forensic pathologist featured in the series who claimed he bludgeoned his sister to death. in september, cbs said it, quote, stands by the broadcast and will do so in court. >>> still ahead, charleston church gunman dylann roof sticking with his plan to represent himself in the death sentencing phase of his penalty trial. >>> plus, a powerful winter storm could dump up to two feet of heavy, wet snow in new england today. we'll get a check of the weather coming up next. sweeet... wow... there it is. this holiday season, people have a lot to say

. >> reporter: in a statement, burke's father, john ramsey, says the conduct of cbs in falsely accusingchild of murder was unconscionable and cannot be tolerated. cbs has not returned messages seeking comment on the lawsuit but in september the network said cbs stands by the broadcast and will do so in court. one of the experts being sued, forensic pathologist warner spitz, declined to comment on this recent suit by in october burke ramsey filed another defamation lawsuit against spitz for other public comments he made about the case. in court documents spitz asked for that suit to be dismissed, arguing that because the death of jonbenet ramsey remains one of our nation's most widely discussed and debated unsolved crimes, the first amendment gives dr. spitz the breathing room to express his point of view about it. >> i know i didn't do it. >> reporter: earlier this year burke ramsey broke his silence speaking with dr. phil. >> did you do anything to harm your sister, jonbenet? >> no. >> did you murder your sister, jonbenet? >> no. >> reporter: for two decades now the history has captiva

ramsey road in fairfield. the property owner was among those arrested. >>> ive things to know at the :55. today secretary of state johnivers his vision of how to end the violence between israel and palestine. the speech comes just days after a u.n. resolution condemning settlements on occupied land. >>> more winter weather will hit much of the pacific northwest today and tomorrow of. strong winds expected to cause drifting snow and dangerous travel conditions. the mountains could see two feet of snow or more. >>> family, friends and fans are remembering carrie fisher best known as princess leia from "star wars." the 60-year-old died yesterday after cardiac arrest last friday on a flight from london. co-star harrison ford said carrie was one of a kind, brilliant and original. >>> today, in san francisco we will host the annual post- christmas wood shipper event at city hall. dozens of christmas trees will meet their end starting at 10:30. the wood chips will be used for mulch or as biomass to generate electricity. the event is meant to remind people to recycle their trees. >>> a replacement menorah is being installed a

ramsey, airs tonight 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific time. thank you for joining me today. "at this hour" starts now. >>> hello, i'm kate bolduan. john berman is off today. waiting game is over. the winner of donald trump's latest reality show who wants to be my secretary of state has been decided. exxon mobil ceo rex tillerson. tillerson is a millionaire many times over with the wealth of global business experience but no formal political or diplomatic experience. his nomination drawing praise and concern at the same time. do in large part to his long-standing business relationship with russian president vladimir putin. that may be a problem for some of trump's own party. like this guy. republican senator marco rubio. putting out a statement this morning saying in part that he has serious concerns about tillerson. and he's not alone there. but tillerson also picked up big endorsements from the likes of former secretaries of state condoleezza rice and james baker. this is the confirmation battle to watch, i can promise you, so stay tuned there. also new in transition this morning the president-elect has tapped former governor rick pe