Theory. Many believe in an intruder motivated by sex who gained access to the house while the Ramseys were at the Christmas Party and had ample time to craft the RN while waiting.
Jessica Butts, a 12 year old girl strangled by a telephone in Texas, had injuries remarkably similar to JBR's, i.e., petechiae from strangling, a contusion from a head blow and minor injuries to the vagina.
Sexually Sadistic Serial Killers. While there appear to be some sadistic and sexual elements in JBR's killing, JonBenet's killer may or may not have been a sexually sadistic serial killer. A profile of such killers is found a study of 30 sexually sadistic killers done by Dietz, Hazelwood and summarized with key findings:
37% committed their crimes with partners;
93% engaged in some form of advance planning, which in some cases included "preparing a "torture kit" containing binding materials, torture implements, weapons, cameras, recording devices, and burial equipment (e.g., a shovel and lime).
38 Sex Offenders Lived Nearby. In 2005, 48 Hours reported: "Within a two-mile radius of where the Ramseys once lived, 38 of their neighbors are registered sex offenders."
Matthew Falcon (The Falcon) Who is Matthew Falcon? "The Falcon" was a former CU student who confessed to attacking Jessica, a 22 year old psychology student, in December 1997. He also was investigated in connection with the Susannah Chase murder that occurred during that same month. Details are provided at acandyrose.com
Mike McElroy (The Prophet) Who is Mike McElroy? McElroy was a UC-Boulder student who hosted a website with pornographic articles about the murder and rape of young girls, photos of sexual bondage and a story about how to have violent sex with a Barbie doll (caution: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC). According to Internet poster jameson, McElroy also used the name Andy Savage.
Obsession with Barbie Dolls and Serial Killers. McElroy appeared obsessed by Barbie dolls and serial killers, as reflected by his now-defunct Website,Internet poster summarizes The Prophet as follows: "Prophet was an interesting character in Boulder, he attended the college, was a local dj, and had a website depicting Barbie in various stages of bondage . He was considered on the net as the expert in the art of Japanese bondage knots. He in fact, wrote an ultraviolent short story entitled "Barbie the Ultimate F***". Police confiscated a stun gun, sharpies and Hi-Tech boots (Shaprio 2001).
McElroy was cleared by Police. Internet poster stated: "He was investigated in January of '98, the BPD took some samples of his writings, his stun gun, shoes, sharpies, a bit of dna, and subsequently cleared him. He sent out an email to friends, sharing his experiences with the BPD, telling of how, after taking his possessions (which he spelled wrong), they took him shopping to replace "all items". They DID NOT take his hard drive which he found amazing!!"
Another internet poster confirmed: "McElroy (a.k.a. The Prophet) gave a palm print (the fake ransom note contained a partial palm print) and a saliva sample to the BPD.
Apparently his palm print didn't match the partial palm print on the note, or we'd know about it. Also, by this time, his DNA must have been compared to the DNA from the crime scene. If there was a match, we would know about that too."
Gary Oliva (The Saint/Thomas Acquinas/Churchmouse). This is discussed in detail in (Shapiro 2001) and at acandyrose.com. Authorities seem to have lost track of Aquinas (Shapiro 2001); however, he subsequently re-surfaced in various media broadcasts and most recently has been arrested again for a sex offense.
Media. See CBS 48 Hours 10-4-02 and 12-18-04 segments related to Oliva posted at acandyrose.com.
Oliva appears to have had the motivation (he was a paranoid schizophrenic with a history of sex offenses and apparent interest in JonBenet--at least after her death); the means (he owned a stun gun, black duct tape and used a garrote similar to the one found on JBR to attempt to strangle his own mother); and the opportunity (he was a transient known to be in the Ramsey neighborhood) to commit this crime. His handwriting was similar to that used in the RN and he also expressed remorse over having done something bad to a little girl.
History of Mental Illness. He was a paranoid schizophrenic who later spent time in a mental health facility (Shapiro 2001).
Registered Sex Offender. He made Oregon's registered sex offender list in 1991 for molesting a young girl (Shapiro 2001). In December 2016, Rolling Stone reported that Oliva was recently charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a child for possessing child pornography. He was last reported by the Denver Post to have been arrested in June and held on $100,000 bond, and is scheduled to appear in court later this fall.
Infatuation with JonBenet. Two separate incidents support this:
Attended Anniversary Vigil. At a one-year anniversary vigil for JBR in December 1997, photographs taken by private investigators working for the Ramseys revealed that Aquinas was in the front row (Shapiro 2001).
Carried Picture of JonBenet. He fell under suspicion after Boulder police learned he had broken into a building at CU. Looking through the transient's backpack, police found a stun gun and a poem he'd written about JBR and Susannah Chase (another girl murdered in Boulder by a baseball bat roughly 1 year after JBR) (Shapiro 2001). According to Rolling Stone, police allegedly found a magazine cutout of JonBenet Ramsey in his backpack after he was apprehended on drug charges in 2000. He was soon released, but suspicions remained.
Owned Black Duct Tape and Stun Gun. The photos of him at the 1997 one-year anniversary vigil showed him holding a folder sealed tightly with a strip of smooth, black duct tape (Shapiro 2001). Black duct tape was found on JBR's mouth that has been unsourced to the Ramseys. When arrested in 2000, he had a stun gun in his backpack. There is evidence a stun gun was used on JBR.
Tried to Strangle His Mother. Oregon law enforcement authorities say he tried to strangle his mother (Shapiro 2001).
Familiarity with Garrote. According to Rolling Stone, Vail revealed to InTouch magazine earlier this year that he was particularly unsettled by how the knots used to fashion the garrote that strangled
JonBenet were similar to those used in an incident where Oliva attempted to choke his mother with telephone cord. "My blood ran cold when I read that," recalled Vail of his troubled childhood friend.
Lived Close to Ramsey House. "Thomas Aquinas" was a transient paranoid schizophrenic who collected his mail at the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on 14th Street, only a block from the Ramsey home (Shapiro 2001).
Handwriting Similar to RN. Some believe Oliva's handwriting samples are similar to those of the RN.
Remorse Over Hurting Little Girl. According to Rolling Stone, "Oliva's high-school friend Michael Vail....claimed that not long after the murder, a distraught Oliva had called him on the phone and confessed to his longtime pal to have "hurt a little girl. I hurt a little girl."
Oliva Denies Killing JBR. On CBS 48 Hours on 12-18-04, Erin Moriarty asked "I have to ask you this though, did you hurt or kill JonBenet Ramsey?" Gary Oliva: "No, (looking straight into the camera) no I didn't."
Oliva's Handwriting Presumably Does Not Match. Because 48 Hours brought to light much of the evidence that should make authorities suspicious of Oliva, Internet poster Jameson has concluded "since there was no arrest, I believe his handwriting and DNA must not match."
Oliva's DNA Does Not Match. Oliva was cleared by DNA testing for the JonBenet murder.
Paranoid Schizophrenic Could Not Remain Silent. Internet poster has suggested that while Oliva should be "thoroughly investigated, "he is not a very good suspect: "It's just difficult for me to believe that a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic could hold things together long enough to commit this somewhat complex crime AND keep his mouth shut for so long."
James Allen Selby (Bankers Hill Rapist)Selby was a serial rapist who confessed to the murder of JonBenet and Danielle Van Dam. He committed suicide while awaiting sentencing in Arizona on November 22, 2004. Full details at acandyrose.com.
The Warrior Theory "The Warrior" was an American Indian who had studied political science at the University of Colorado at the time of the Susannah Chase murder 1 year after JBR (Shapiro 2001). This is discussed in detail in (Shapiro 2001).
"The Warrior was a tall, violent young man who had nearly killed his mother in Virginia by striking her across the head with a shotgun" (Shapiro 2001). "Police became concerned when they went into the bedroom of his apartment and found it wallpapered with hundreds of news clippings from the Chase and Ramsey murders" (Shapiro 2001).
"The Warrior's roommate had told investigators...that The Warrior had made a bumper sticker that stated: "I killed her." The roommate reportedly asked The Warrior, "Which one-Susannah Chase or JonBenet Ramsey?" The Warrior replied, "Either, or." (Shapiro 2001).
Police determined that The Warrior had an unshakeable alibi for the Chase murder. A judge issued an order to have DNA samples taken from The Warrior (Shapiro 2001). Presumably, if there had been a match, this would have been made public, so a reasonable assumption is that there
is no match.
