JonBenet Ramsey, the pineapple, and the modus operandus of Mr Cruel

Overview

For many years, the general public had heard that pineapple had been found in JBR's small intestine. However, "according to Lin Wood's motion in Burke Ramsey's 2016 defamation case against CBS, "a Boulder PD analysis after the autopsy determined that JonBenét’s small intestine had the remnants cherries, grapes, and pineapple—common fruit cocktail ingredients" (paragraph #655).



A bowl of pineapple was found in the breakfast area off from the kitchen. It contained only fresh pineapple and milk (along with a large spoon); no other elements of fruit cocktail were in this bowl. Therefore, the pineapple from this bowl may or may not be connected to the pineapple found in JBR's small intestine. See The Pineapple for more details about this evidence. When this was eaten potentially is an important factor in determining whether she was killed by a stranger or acquaintance intruder whom she did not know, a "friendly" intruder or family member.

   Stranger or Acquaintance Intruder Unlikely to Have Fed JBR Pineapple. It seems implausible that a stranger or acquaintance intruder would have had the motivation or ability to get JBR to eat pineapple on her way to being assaulted.
   "Friendly" Intruder Possibly Could Have Fed JBR Pineapple. It is more plausible to imagine a "friendly" intruder, e.g., in the guise of a "secret visit" from Santa, having the motivation and means to do this, albeit a "diversion" that would have elevated the risk of being caught by the parents or Burke while in the kitchen or dining area. But apart from risk, there is a timing problem. Any such scenario has to allow for the time needed for the pineapple to have digested enough to end up in the small intestine, which could have been as short as an hour, but more likely to have been at least 1-1/2-2 hours.
   If Ramseys Fed JBR Pineapple, They Lied to Investigators. If JBR were fed pineapple by John or Patsy Ramsey, it means they lied to investigators since they have repeatedly asserted she was asleep when they arrived home and that they put her immediately to bed. If the parents were innocent, they would have no good reason to lie about such a matter, so such evidence would point toward parental guilt and a possibly a joint cover-up.
   Burke Never Questioned About Pineapple. Internet poster Jameson claims that Burke was never questioned by BPD about the pineapple.
   Link to Prime of Miss Jean Brodie? Internet poster Paradox has suggested this passage from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie may be connected to the case: "Sandy Stranger had a feeling at the time that they were supposed to be the happiest days of her life, and on her tenth birthday she said so to her best friend Jenny Gray who had been asked to tea at Sandy's house. The speciality of the feast was pineapple cubes with cream, and the speciality of the day was that they were left to themselves. To Sandy the unfamiliar pineapple had the authentic taste and appearance of happiness and she focused her small eyes closely on the pale gold cubes before she scooped them up in her spoon, and she thought the sharp taste on her tongue was that of a special happiness, which was nothing to do with eating, and was different from the happiness of play that one enjoyed unawares."
   On-line Discussions.  See Pineapple or Fruit Cocktail? at Webbsleuths forum chat.


When JBR Ate Pineapple is Unknown

   "There is no evidence in the record that indicates when JonBenet ate the pineapple. Defendants state they did not feed JonBenet pineapple upon returning home from the White's party that evening. (SMF P 13.) Mr. White does not recall if pineapple was served at his dinner party on December 25, 1996. (F. White Dep. at 202.)" (Carnes 2003:9).
   Standard Digestion Times. An online textbook at Colorado State University notes that "it is difficult to state with any precision how long ingesta remains in the stomach, small intestine and large intestine. Nonetheless, there have been many studies on GI transit, and the table below presents rough estimates for transit times in healthy humans following ingestion of a standard meal (i.e. solid, mixed foods).

50% of stomach contents emptied 2.5 to 3 hours
Total emptying of the stomach 4 to 5 hours
50% emptying of the small intestine 2.5 to 3 hours
Transit through the colon 30 to 40 hours

Remember that these are estimates of average transit times, and there is a great deal of variability among individuals and in the small person at different times and after different meals."


Evidence Pineapple Eaten Before Ramseys Came Home

   Expert Opinion. "However, one Boulder medical examiner stated it could have been eaten as early as 4:30PM--before the Ramseys left their home for a dinner at the White's" (Schiller 1999a: 558). Internet poster Jameson says she talked with two Colorado coroners who had done reports on the autopsy findings and both asserted the pineapple "had been eaten hours before her death - - probably before she went to the Whites."
   Digestion Times Unpredictable. Internet posters also have pointed out that digestion rates are so individualized that it is easily possible the pineapple was eaten before going to the White's dinner on December 25.
   Internet poster Jameson believes Burke probably served the pineapple to JBR in the late afternoon of Christmas day before the family went to the Whites for dinner.
   Internet poster Jameson, alluding to bagels and "other food" served on the morning of December 26 claims that Patsy recalled being served pineapple by Priscilla White. Internet poster 70.19.73.203 has questioned the reliability of Patsy's memory, citing several instances in which she incorrectly remembered events.


Evidence Pineapple Eaten After Ramseys Came Home

   "Based on the condition of the pineapple in her intestine, the experts estimated that JonBenet had eaten it an hour and a half or two hours before she died, most likely after the family returned home that night." (Schiller 1999a: 558).
   Internet poster Bluecrab argues the pineapple was eaten "about one hour before she died."
   Other Internet posters concur that the pineapple must have been eaten after coming home from the White's.
   Green Fecal Matter. According to the autopsy, "The large intestine contains soft green fecal material." According to Internet poster BlueCrab "the cracked crab meal had been digested" and became this fecal material; this is further evidence the pineapple must have been eaten after the meal at the White's.
   Did Patsy Lie? "Patsy Ramsey gave Oscar-quality performances during police interviews about the murder, if you believe forensic psychiatrist Dr. Steven E. Pitt, a former consultant for the Boulder police and DA's office who scrutinized the videotaped interviews. Pitt reveals that one particular exchange 'practically made me jump out of my seat. It's the part when Patsy denied any knowledge of how pineapple got into the child's digestive tract after the family arrived home from a party. She snarled that she had put the girl right to bed and had not served her any fruit. But there was a spoon and bowl of fresh pineapple in the breakfast nook and the bowl had Patsy's fingerprints on it. Academy awards have been given for lesser performances. She was a very attractive woman, almost seductive. She knew how to work it'" (The Globe, December 25, 2006; quotation and source provided by Internet poster The Punisher.)

http://jonbenetramsey.pbworks.com/w/page/11682517/The%20Pineapple%20Evidence

Breakfast Room
Items on Breakfast Room Table

   Bowl of Pineapple.
       Bowl of Pineapple with Serving Spoon. A bowl of pineapple with large silver serving spoon was found on a table in the "breakfast room" (which typically was used for dinner rather than breakfast).
       Pineapple in JBR Stomach. This was potentially significant since pineapple was found in JBR's small intestine. See The Pineapple Evidence for further discussion.
       Fingerprints on Bowl. The bowl was later determined to have fingerprints matching both Patsy Ramsey and Burke Ramsey (according to Internet poster Evening2, this fact was reported in Schiller's 2006 documentary). Internet poster Jameson says she spent a lot of time with investigators and never heard even a hint that anyone else's fingerprints besides Patsy's and Burke's had been found on the bowl.
       Source of Bowl. Burke reported in police interviews that he recognized the bowl (Thomas 2000:317).
       Who Brought Pineapple? In interviews with Patsy Ramsey in 1998, Tom Haney asserted that BPD had queried the victim's advocates about the pineapple. While he did not indicate their response, it is reasonable to assume that BPD would not have questioned Ramseys so intensively about the pineapple if they knew that it had been brought by the advocates.

Stranger or Acquaintance Intruder Unlikely to Have Fed JBR Pineapple. It seems implausible that a stranger or acquaintance intruder would have had the motivation or ability to get JBR to eat pineapple on her way to being assaulted.

He then carried her back to the bedroom and reattached the leash to her neck.

She was left leashed to the bed for quite some time, during which Mr Cruel checked on her often and asked how she was.

On some occasions he carried her to the toilet and on other occasions he gave her a sandwich and drinks.

After the assault in the kitchen, Mr Cruel gave Nicola a glass of water, returned her to the bedroom and re-leashed her to the bed.

Nicola was able to keep track of the time while she was leashed to the bed as Mr Cruel left the radio on.

She told police Mr Cruel checked on her again at 10pm and asked if she wanted any food as he was about to pack it away.

Mr Cruel led Jill into the kitchen, where he ate some cold lamb, biscuits, milk and orange juice.

With his hunger satisfied, Mr Cruel then led Jill to the lounge room, where he assaulted her again before dumping her in a lounge chair.

He left the room for about 10 minutes, during which he checked on the welfare of the parents and Jill’s brother.