Twenty Times the JonBenet Ramsey Murder Has Been Solved

JonBenét Ramsey is on the current cover of The Globe, alongside a screaming headline about "Chilling New Evidence!," a subhead referencing the "real reason beauty queen was MURDERED!," and photos of "two suspects arrested." Case closed? Not quite. As we've been reporting, it's been nearly twenty years since the JonBenét...

By Michael Roberts

July 19, 2016

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JonBenét Ramsey is on the current cover of The Globe, alongside a screaming headline about "Chilling New Evidence!," a subhead citing the "real reason beauty queen was MURDERED!," and photos of "two suspects arrested."

Case closed? Not quite.

As we've been reporting, it's been nearly twenty years since the JonBenét murder, which took place in Boulder on December 25, 1996 — and the impending date (which Boulder officials refuse to call an anniversary) has prompted a renewed interest in the case from TV and movie producers, as well as the supermarket tabloids.

Over the past two decades, publications such as the Globe, the National Enquirer, In Touch Weekly and more have claimed to have solved this terrible crime many times, announcing these scoops with a certitude that would be a lot more amusing if they didn't deal with the horrific murder of a child.

Look below to see a gallery of the twenty most memorable covers we could find on which the tabs declared that the culprit or culprits had finally been unmasked, including several from this year. The latter are proof that this story isn't going away. Rather, it's getting a second (or third) (or fourth) (or twentieth) wind.
Number 20: 2011

Number 19: 1997

Number 18: 2014

Number 17: 2016

Number 16: 2016

Number 15: 2016

Number 14: 1999

Number 13: 2002

Number 12: 2014

Number 11: 1998

Continue to keep counting down the top twenty times when the JonBenet Ramsey murder case was solved.

Number 10: 2010

Number 9: 2015

Number 8: 2003

Number 7: 2006

Number 6: 2016

Number 5: 1997

Number 4: 1997

Number 3: 1997

Number 2: 2004

Number 1: 2000

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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