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What about that wordy ransom note, which included suspiciously personal details about the family? Walters quotes "law-enforcement sources" as saying the handwriting similarities between Patsy Ramsey and the note's author have been "grossly exaggerated." Walters leaves it at that, which is a bit out of context: police handwriting analysts never definitively claimed Mrs. Ramsey wrote the note, only that they eliminated every suspect but her.
In general the Ramseys fare well before Walters. The couple picked a lovely location for the interview, a room so serene and spotless it could be a priest's quarters. They are also dressed perfectly, Patsy wearing just the right touch of pink lipstick. They don't sob and shout, yet they aren't passionless. At one point, Patsy leans over in tears onto John's shoulder, and he mumbles something treacly--and acted?--about JonBenet being "with us" in spirit. But Walters says the Ramseys believed the cameras had stopped.
In fact, Walters found the Ramseys "credible" overall, and she has helped produce a sympathetic package that could go a long way toward softening their image. She points out that the couple showed up to meet her without an attorney. "I have never done an interview with someone--not that I can remember--who was under the umbrella of suspicion without a lawyer present." And Walters has interviewed a long list of suspected lowlifes: Claus von Bulow, Imelda Marcos, Michael Milken. Says Walters: "Even Monica had a lawyer."