How He Did It: JonBenet 'Hitman' Who Confessed to Her Dad Detailed How He Gained Entry to Their Home Through a Side Door and 'Hid in Closet' Before Murdering Tot
A hitman called JonBenet's father three times, claiming he was responsible for her death.
Dec. 16 2024, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
A hitman revealed in frightening detail how he gained entry to the Boulder, Colo., home of the Ramsey family before he "murdered" little JonBenet Ramsey.
The man, who called himself David Cooper, claimed he was hired by a disgruntled employee of JonBenet's dad John to kill the tot, as this masthead reported.
We can now reveal Cooper told John — in three separate phone calls — he entered the home around 10.30 p.m. on December 25, 1996, shortly after the Ramseys returned from a Christmas party.
He gained entrance through an unlocked door on the side of the house, he said.
His description matched the so-called "Butler's Door" on the north side of the house, which was found slightly ajar by the police the next morning.
JonBenet Ramsey's father, John, will meet with Boulder cops and a DNA expert.
"Cooper claimed he hid in a closet in the basement until the family fell asleep," private investigator Ollie Gray, who worked for the Ramseys, said in a 2001 interview. "Then he crept upstairs to JonBenet's room."
Gray added: "He said he killed JonBenet and wrote the infamous ransom note, and the unmatched DNA evidence found on JonBenet's body will match him.
"Cooper added after the murder, he exited through a basement window, telling John that he stepped on a suitcase to reach the window.
"Police found a suitcase under the basement window the next day."
The hitman, who called himself David Cooper, claimed he hid in a closet in the family's basement and waited until they were asleep.
According to sources, John tested Cooper's credibility by asking him to describe the inside of the house.
The man passed with flying colors, according to a source, who said he mentioned three unique items in the house that had never been publicly revealed.
The source, who is connected to the case, added: "John asked about the motive. David Cooper said he was hired to kill JonBenet by a former employee who felt John 'screwed him over.'
"Cooper even gave the name of a former employee who had never been associated with the murder. John recognized the name."
There are a number of intriguing aspects to Cooper's story, the case source said.
As RadarOnline.com also reported, the apparent hitman is said to have reached out to Rev. Rol Hoverstock, the pastor at the Ramsey family's church, hoping to "unburden his soul" of the crime.
From there, he was able to also obtained John's phone number.
The confessed killer went on to admit that "David Cooper" was not his real name and then asked for $3,000 to fly to Boulder to turn himself in. However, when John refused to come up with the cash, he never heard from Cooper again.
At the time, John said police seemed indifferent to the claim, even though the private investigator determined Cooper was credible.
He added: "I was thinking this guy is legit, and I called the police but they weren’t interested in following up on it. I don’t know why they concluded that."
The case was thrusted into the spotlight again due to the Netflix doc, 'Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey.'
Meanwhile, insiders local to Colorado stated: "If an enemy of John was going to hire a hitman, it would be to kill him — not his first-grade daughter.
"It's just as unlikely that a real hitman would have a crisis of conscience and want to confess to the family of a victim."
Cooper actually turned out to be Darrel Kirkwood — who was said to have been locked up Westville Correctional Facility Indiana at the time of the murder on unrelated charges.
Today, John still believes the person behind his daughter's death will be found.
He previously told People: "We think the crime can be solved. We want to pressure the Boulder police to test DNA."
Ramsey's autopsy determined she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
Her skull was also fractured, and unknown DNA was found under her fingernails and in her underwear."
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JonBenét posing with mom Patsy and brother Burke in cherished photos before her brutal murder in 1996 which tore apart her family's lives.
Following her death, some accused John and his wife, Patsy, of their six-year-old daughter's murder, which the pair staunchly denied.
John said: "It doesn't bother me. I mean, we were so overwhelmed by kind people and caring people, and that 5 percent or 10 percent is irrelevant, and I'm not worried about it."
The cold case was thrusted into the spotlight again after Netflix released the documentary, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey.
