I am excited to announce, that on Monday, November 25, 2024, Netflix will be releasing a new documentary based in part on my book, published by WildBlue Press, LOU AND JONBENET, A Legendary Lawman's Quest to Solve the Murder of a Child Beauty Queen. This three-episode documentary, titled Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, was directed by Joe Berlinger, who is well-known for his award-winning true crime docuseries and documentaries.
This is the first time a TV documentary was inspired, at least in part, by one of my books.
It was exciting for me to see this project develop, including weekly Zoom meeting with the producer and his production team. Although I do not appear in the documentary, I was hired to serve as a technical advisor. In that capacity, I did introduce the producer to members of the Smit Family and the Smit Family Team.
Although I have not yet viewed the finished documentary; I was assured by the producer that a video recording Lou Smit, recorded three years before his passing in 2010, will be featured. In this segment, Lou explains his comprehensive slide presentation to viewers, which focuses on the physical evidence collected at the crime scene, and at the autopsy, which supports his "Intruder Theory" and presents DNA evidence which excludes the Ramsey Family.
In a media release, from Deadline, producer Joe Berlinger says he gained "unprecedented access" to the investigation of the crime and through his three-part series will showcase the deep flaws that erupted a child's murder case into years of conspiracy theories: "Many people think they know the JonBenét Ramsey story and have played armchair detective for three decades, often callously pointing a finger at the very people who suffered such an unthinkable loss. Through unprecedented access and a comprehensive multi-year investigation, we reveal the deep flaws in how the case was originally handled, resulting in a sea of conspiracy theories that nearly destroyed the Ramsey family for a second time."
"Cold Case features interviews with individuals close to the investigation to present new perspectives, including appearances from JonBenét's father John Ramsey." The media release mentions several of Joe Berlinger's previous documentaries, including his Emmy-nominated 1996 documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hills on HBO…Berlinger's films and series have the power to make an impact, which could happen with the Ramsey case, too."
Making an impact is precisely what I, and the Smit Family Team, as well as the Ramsey Family, hope this new documentary will achieve, as we approach the 28-year-anniversay of one of the most high-profile unsolved murders in American history.
