The unsolved JonBenét Ramsey case has been the subject of countless documentaries and dramatic television retellings over the past 28 years. The latest addition to the case is Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey on Netflix – a three-part documentary about the six-year-old beauty queen who was brutally murdered on December 26, 1996 in Boulder, Colorado.

JonBenét’s parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, woke up the morning after Christmas 1996 to find a ransom note in their kitchen. Later that same day, John Ramsey found his daughter’s body in the basement and revealed that JonBenét had not been kidnapped but had been sexually abused and killed in the family home. Shortly thereafter, Boulder police, who had little experience with murder investigations, quickly turned their suspicions to the Ramsey family, sparking a media frenzy that portrayed JonBenét’s parents as prime suspects.

Directed by Academy Award-nominated director Joe Berlinger, “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey” examines the mishandling of the case by law enforcement and the media. Berlinger details how Boulder police fed the media false information, resulting in biased reporting that fueled a national obsession with the case. Nearly three decades later, no one, including John and Patsy Ramsey, has been charged with JonBenét’s murder.

For the documentary, Berlinger spoke to John Ramsey, 80, as well as lawyers and journalists who covered the case. (Patsy Ramsey died in 2006.) The documentary also includes footage of the late Colorado Springs homicide detective Lou Smit, who came out of retirement after JonBenét’s killing to help the Boulder district attorney’s office investigate the case. He left 18 months later because he was frustrated that Boulder police would not seriously consider that an intruder had killed JonBenét.

“Nobody has really studied the work of Lou Smit, who I think was a pioneering genius in the field,” Berlinger says. “My series ultimately makes the very strong case that the Ramseys are innocent and that the police and media have completely abused them.”

Although there have been many documentaries about JonBenét’s murder, Berlinger says he never hesitated to make “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey.”

“I want to do something when I have something to say, and I feel like I have a number of things to say here,” he says. “Most importantly, I believe this crime can actually be solved.”

While previous documentaries about the crime didn’t worry him, Berlinger admitted he’s worried about the upcoming Paramount+ limited series about the case, which will star Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen.

“I am deeply concerned that this production perpetuates misconceptions. “I don’t know what path they’re taking, but it was a little shocking to me to hear from John Ramsey that this production didn’t reach him,” Berlinger says. “I don’t want to blow other filmmakers away, but from what I’ve read, Ryan Murphy wasn’t interested in talking to the Menendez brothers either (for ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’). If you take over someone’s life and don’t talk to them, how do they know the nuances of so many situations?”

diversity spoke with Berlinger ahead of the Nov. 25 release of “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey” on Netflix.

In this case, what needs to be done to move the needle forward?

First, there were a number of crime scene items that were sent to the crime lab in 1996 but were never tested. We need to do these tests. Some things were also tested, but the technology was primitive back then. These things need to be tested again. But the most important DNA test that I think would provide a really good opportunity to solve the crime is the existing DNA in the case, which includes a mixed sample of JonBenét’s blood and the unidentified male DNA – which does not match any family member in There is a connection – their blood is mixed. If JonBenét’s DNA is separated from the perpetrator’s DNA, the perpetrator’s DNA can then be expanded and inserted into genealogical DNA, as with 23andMe. This is a new technology that has been used very successfully and has recently become an important tool for solving unsolved cases.

Is that one of the main reasons you decided to make this docuseries – to push Colorado authorities to finally take the necessary action to bring JonBenét Ramsey’s murderer to justice?

The Ramsey family has been treated so brutally for almost 30 years. One of the new things about my show that hasn’t been highlighted in other shows is the extent to which the Boulder police, who “had a feeling” from day one that John Ramsey was the killer, raised that suspicion. They couldn’t get away from it.

Did you reach out to John Ramsey to create these documentaries or did he reach out to you?

We approached him. It’s not about me taking up his advocacy. I think it would be a good show, so I’ll get back to him and show him my usual wrap-up – I have the final cut. You don’t get paid. You have no editorial input. He agreed to everything.

They have made several true crime documentaries, including the “Paradise Lost” trilogy and “Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.” What do you think of real crime detectives trying to solve murder cases on their own?

Even though it’s not overt in the series, this (series) was a way for me to comment on the dangers of all these armchair detectives and people falling down these Reddit rabbit holes. This series should remind people that true crime is so popular that you always have to remember that there is a victim on the other side. All of these people who are convinced that the family did it and who are peddling conspiracy theories and half-baked ideas to keep the drum going are unethical to me.