Reporter: JONBENET
RAMSEY'S SLAYING REMAINS ONE
OF THE MOST HIGH-PROFILE
UNSOLVED MURDER CASES.
TODAY SHE WOULD BE 22.
HER FATHER, JOHN RAMSEY,
STILL WAITS FOR HER KILLER
TO BE FOUND.
IT IS A HORRIFIC CRIME.
THE MURDER OF A CHILD IS
BEYOND ANY PERSON'S NORMAL
COMPREHENSION.
Reporter: IN THE 15
YEARS SINCE JONBENET'S
BRUTAL MURDER, ONE MEDIA
EXPERT NOTED THAT THE STILL
UNSOLVED SLAYING OF THE
BEAUTY QUEEN INITIATED ONE
OF THE FOULEST, YELLOWEST
CHAPTERS IN AMERICAN
JOURNALISM.
YOU WILL PILLERATED BY
THE PRESS AND THE
AUTHORITIES AND BY THE
WORLD.
THE POLICE ALWAYS LOOK AT
THE PARENTS FIRST, AND WE
ACCEPTED THAT AND JUST
ASSUMED THEY WOULD COMPLETE
THAT CYCLE AND MOVE ON,
WHICH, OF COURSE, THEY DID
NOT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IT DIDN'T
MATTER REALLY.
WHAT MATTERED WAS WE LOST
OUR CHILD.
THAT WAS THE CRUSHING BLOW.
THE REST OF IT WAS, LIKE,
WHATEVER.
WE JUST ACCEPTED IT.
IT WASN'T -- WE WOULD HAVE
GIVEN EVERYTHING TO HAVE OUR
CHILD BACK.
Reporter: JONBENET'S
MURDER WASN'T THE ONLY
TRAGEDY HER FATHER, JOHN
RAMSEY, SUFFERED.
OVER A 14-YEAR SPAN HE LOST
HIS OLDEST DAUGHTER, BETH,
WHO WAS KILLED IN A CAR
ACCIDENT.
LITTLE JONBENET, AND THEN
HIS WIFE, PATSY, JUST 49 TO
CANCER.
PATSY NEVER LIVED TO SEE
THEIR FAMILY PUBLICLY
EXONERATED AS SUSPECTS IN
JONBENET'S SLAYING.
Reporter: HOW LONG DID
YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS,
AS THE TERM WAS COINED AT
THE TIME, THE UMBRELLA OF
SUSPICION.
WE WERE OFFICIALLY
CLEARED AND APOLOGIZED TO BY
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN
2008, SO THAT WAS 12 YEARS.
Reporter: MARY LACEY,
BOULDER'S NEW DISTRICT
ATTORNEY, SAID THEY CLEARED
THE FAMILY OF JONBENET'S
MURDER.
"THIS D.N.A.PROFILE BELONGS
TO THE PER TRADER.
THE CONDITIONS IN THIS CASE
CREATED AN ONGOING HELL FOR
JONBENET RAMSEY AND HIS
FAMILY, WE DICTATE THAT THE
RAMSEYS BE TREATED ONLY AS
VICTIMS OF THIS SERIOUS
CRIME."
I DON'T VIEW IT AS A
LET'S GO OUT AND CELEBRATE.
IT WAS JUST ANOTHER STEP IN
THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
BUT THE INTERESTING THING
WAS, OF COURSE, THAT THE
MEDIA WAS OUT TO LYNCH US.
THE INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE WERE
WONDERFUL TO US.
IT REALLY OPENED MY EYES TO
HOW COMPASSIONATE PEOPLE CAN
BE, AND HOW IMPORTANT THAT
IS.
WE CERTAINLY SAW EVIDENCE
AND EXAMPLES OF HOW GOD
TAKES THINGS AND TURNS THEM
FOR GOOD.
AND, YOU KNOW, I GOT A
LETTER FROM A LADY SEVERAL
YEARS AGO THAT SAID I WAS
CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE, AND I
DECIDED IF YOU COULD HANDLE
YOUR PROBLEMS, I COULD
CERTAINLY HANDLE MINE.
Reporter: IN TIME,
JOHN'S GRIEF GAVE WAY TO
HAPPY MEMORIES OF HIS
DAUGHTER.
I STILL, OF COURSE, THINK
OF JONBENET AS A SWEET
LITTLE 6-YEAR-OLD.
Reporter: JOHN, A "NEW
YORK TIMES" BEST-SELLING
AUTHOR HAS WRITTEN ANOTHER
BOOK, "THE OTHER SIDE OF
SUFFERING," TO ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE BROKEN BY TRAGEDY OR
INJUSTICE.
HE SAYS THE DEATH OF HIS
OLDEST DAUGHTER, BETH, IN
1992, WAS THE BEGINNING OF
HIS FAITH JOURNEY.
THE FIRST WORDS OUT OF MY
MOUTH AS I HUNG UP THE PHONE
THAT MORNING, THERE IS NO
GOD.
I SCREAMED, THERE IS NO
GOD.
BECAUSE IT JUST DIDN'T MAKE
SENSE.
A CAR ACCIDENT IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE DAY.
A FREAK ACCIDENT.
SHE AND HER BOYFRIEND WERE
BOTH KILLED.
I REALLY HIT ROCK BOTTOM.
AND PRIOR TO THAT TIME, I
WAS A CULTURAL TIME.
I WAS A CHRISTIAN BECAUSE I
WAS BORN IN A CHRISTIAN
HOME.
AND THAT'S WHAT YOU DID ON
SUNDAYS.
I DIDN'T REALLY GET IT.
DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND
IT.
SOME GOOD FRIENDS CAME
ALONGSIDE ME, ONE IN
PARTICULAR TOOK ME ASIDE AND
SAID, JOHN, I'VE BEEN
PRAYING FOR YOU.
I WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH
YOU.
TAUGHT ME HOW TO STUDY THE
BIBLE.
SO MY FAITH HAD REALLY
GROWN.
Reporter: WHAT DO YOU
UNDERSTAND NOW ABOUT GOD AND
JESUS?
THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW BACK
THEN?
JESUS IS REAL.
HE IS WHO HE SAID HE IS.
I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT.
I CAN COMMUNICATE WITH HIM
IN PRAYER.
HE IS REAL.
SO WHEN JONBENET WAS
MURDERED, I HAD FAITH.
IT WASN'T JUST A LOGICAL
EXERCISE.
IT HAD GONE FROM MY HEAD TO
MY HEART.
SO I KNEW JONBENET WAS
OKAY.
I DIDN'T QUESTION GOD AS TO
WHY THIS HAPPENED.
Reporter: JOHN'S
SUFFERING CONTINUED.
PATSY HAD BEEN HEALED OF
STAGE FOUR OVARIAN CANCER IN
1994, BUT EIGHT YEARS LATER
IT WAS BACK.
2002 PATSY'S CANCER
RETURNS.
SHE HAD, I THINK, THREE
REMISSIONS OVER THE NEXT
THREE OR FOUR YEARS.
AND THEN THE POINT CAME
WHERE I WANTED GOD TO TAKE
HER HOME BECAUSE SHE WAS
SUFFERING SO MUCH.
IT WAS, LIKE, GOD, PLEASE
TAKE HER HOME.
IT IS TIME TO END THIS
SUFFERING AND STRUGGLE.
DEATH BECAME BOTH A SORROW
AND A RELIEF FOR ME, IN A
STRANGE WAY.
WE KNEW WE'D MISS HER
TERRIBLY, BUT I WAS GRATEFUL
THAT SHE WAS NOT SUFFERING
ANYMORE.
Reporter: AS A WIDOWER
AND SINGLE FATHER, JOHN WAS
CHALLENGED BY A FRIEND TO
LIVE AS IF HIS BEST DAYS
WERE AHEAD.
HE SPENT TIME IN INDIA
SERVING LOCAL PASTORS.
YOU JOINED UP WITH WIWIM,
YOUTH WITH A MISSION, TO
BECOME A MISSIONARY TO
INDIA.
IT WAS A WONDERFUL
EXPERIENCE.
IT REALLY MOVED MY SPIRITUAL
JOURNEY ALONG DOUBLE TIME.
Reporter: HE ALSO FELL
IN LOVE WITH AND MARRIED
JAN.
JAN, MY WIFE, GREW UP IN
ETHIOPIA AS A MISSIONARY
KID.
A REAL SOLID BELIEVER, SO
WE'VE HAD A WONDERFUL
MARRIAGE.
AND IT'S BEEN A BLESSING FOR
ME.
AND HELPED ME DO ALL OF THIS
TO VIEW THAT THE BEST DAYS
OF MY LIFE ARE STILL AHEAD
OF ME.
Reporter: THROUGH ALL
OF THIS, JOHN, YOU COULD
HAVE COME OUT ON THE OTHER
SIDE OF IT, AN ANGRY,
BITTER, RESENTFUL MAN, AND
YOU DIDN'T.
NO.
I THINK THERE WERE SEVERAL
FACTORS.
ONE IS WE WERE REALLY
BLESSED BY THE COMPASSION OF
OUR FELLOW MAN.
PEOPLE JUST REACHED OUT TO
US AND CARRIED OUR SPIRITS
AND ENCOURAGED US AND
APOLOGIZED FOR WHAT WAS
BEING SAID AND DONE TO US.
IT REALLY WAS AN UPLIFTING
EXPERIENCE FOR US.
Reporter: THROUGH ALL
OF THIS PROCESS, SUFFERING
IS PART OF THE PACKAGE THAT
JESUS SAYS YOU INHERIT WHEN
YOU EMBRACE HIM.
IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
I'VE LEARNED THAT PRETTY
MUCH EVERYBODY SUFFERS AT
SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFE.
LIFE IS NOT NECESSARILY
EASY, AND PEOPLE STRUGGLE,
PARTICULARLY NOWADAYS, AND
THAT WAS KIND OF AN
EYE-OPENER FOR ME.
AND THAT IT HAS A BEGINNING
ANN END. ANN-- AND AN END.
AND THAT IS WHAT THE BOOK IS
ABOUT, THAT THERE IS AN END
TO SUFFERING.
IT IS NOT FOREVER.
