How the Homicide of JonBenét Ramsey Turned a Nationwide Obsession

Gary Oliva was named by 48 Hours Investigates in August 2002 as somebody police checked out after studying he might have been close to the Ramsey house the night time of the killing and was noticed at a candlelight vigil for JonBenét on the one-year anniversary of the crime. The present reported he had known as a detailed pal someday after her demise and sobbed that he had “completed one thing horrible.”

In a jailhouse interview included within the present, Oliva denied being concerned, saying, “I consider she got here to me after she was killed and revealed herself to me. I might wish to see a memorial arrange for her. I have never seen that, anyplace.” 

Oliva was arrested on fees of possessing youngster pornography in June 2016. Boulder metropolis spokeswoman Sarah Huntley informed the Every day Digital camera, “The police division is definitely very conversant in him, each due to the investigation that was completed within the context of the Ramsey case, and due to his felony historical past and the truth that he’s a registered intercourse offender.”

She continued, “The police division diligently investigated these present allegations and believes there may be possible trigger to help the arrest. However we’re presently not snug ruling anyone out as a suspect, or ruling anyone in as a suspect, within the Ramsey case.”

Oliva was sentenced to 10 years in jail within the youngster pornography case. (He has a parole listening to in September.) In 2019, responding to a report that Oliva had confessed in a letter to by accident killing JonBenét, Boulder police mentioned in an announcement that his “potential involvement on this case, together with a number of earlier confessions” had already been totally investigated—and there have been no new updates. “The division routinely receives info on this investigation,” police mentioned. “Data offered to the police division is reviewed together with the numerous ideas and theories we obtain.”

Ollie Grey, an investigator employed by the Ramseys who continued to look into the case on his personal, grew to become satisfied that Michael Helgoth was the killer. Helgoth’s household owned a scrap yard on the outskirts of Boulder on the time. John Kenady, who labored with Helgoth, had informed In Contact Weekly in April 2016 that he had heard {that a} tape existed of Helgoth saying he killed JonBenét. Kenady mentioned he reached out to police about 20 occasions within the months following the killing to inform them about Helgoth however by no means obtained any substantive response.

“You need to search for one thing with a purpose to discover one thing, and sadly for this explicit case, you had a very inexperienced police company,” Grey mentioned on the As we speak present in Might2016. “There are most likely three or 4 individuals that ought to have been investigated earlier and nonetheless must be investigated. The newest growth on this explicit case so far as I am involved is Michael Helgoth. He was mainly a hell-raiser.”