the bombaster

There has always been much speculation around the paltry amount of the ransom demanded 12/26/1996 for the safe return of six year old JonBenet in 1997, that never happened. Many sense there is some connection to a bonus John Ramsey had received for the year prior despite the amount requested by the killers was not the same as that 1995 lump sum bonus compensation. Others subscribe to a biblical reference to Psalm 118. Some that remain interested in the crime and still theorizing while others contend it’s a random number. Whatever it is, it's unique and somehow lends to the bad actor 's grandiloquent flavor put forth in the ransom note:

"...You will withdraw $118,000.00 from your account. $100,000 will be in $100 bills and the remaining $18,000 in $20 bills. Make sure that you bring an adequate size attaché to the bank...'

Instructing Mr. Ramsey to provide for an 'attaché' may reveal the writers callow origin and is as gauche as those horrid bum bags. Surely you remember, these were also called fanny packs that came and quickly fell from fashion grace in the '90's.

Into said carrying case , the writer instructed, the money was to be placed once retrieved from the bank, so something of a size to accommodate just over 4 pounds of money that would make up the 1900 total bills in the prescribed denominations: 1000 $100's and 900 $20's. The combination of bank packs and sub packs of new bills for the $118,000 amount might stack up to roughly some 8 inches high by 2.61 inches wide and 6.14 inches long.


That is not very much bulk at all and could fit easily into a medium sized ladies purse or manbag, lunch pack or even a large (you guessed it) a large bum bag-fanny pack. DB Cooper sized attache not required.

Really though, I bet you can't think of anyone that would seriously brag about ever having worn a bum bag-fanny pack in the same way anyone on the planet with an ounce of sophistication or refinement couldn't use the word attaché seriously, or at least without snickering.

This ransom note was obviously the precursor to the discovery of a murder that is far from a laughing matter. Whether fractured, or schizophrenic in its grandiose style and detail as compared to the stark reality of the brutal murder, it is, in the end, though remarkably verbose not different than the result of ransom notes left by other sexually motivated child killers and part of the thrill of it.