Police officers in Arizona say that they have cornered the man suspected in four recent shooting deaths. The suspected shooter, who police claim deliberately targeted four people, some of whom once worked on the JonBenet Ramsey case, is believed to be holed up in the Extended Stay Motel in the city of Scottsdale. According to Fox News, the Phoenix and Scottsdale police departments have tweeted out that the suspect is currently surrounded near 69th Street.
So far, no word of the suspect's identity or motive has been released. However, it seems that the shooter is motivated by something involving the Ramsey case of 1996.
So far, the unnamed shooter has killed Steven Pitt, a forensic psychologist who worked on the Ramsey case, paralegals Veleria Sharp and Laura Anderson, and Marshall Levine, a psychologist and counselor who was found dead on Saturday.
Fox10 in Arizona is reporting that police officers are currently trying to make contact with the suspect. This story is still developing at this time.
Famous murder
On the day after Christmas in 1996, the parents of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, John Ramsey and Patricia "Patsy" Ramsey, went to police in Boulder, Colorado to report that their daughter was missing. They also reported receiving a ransom note, which said in part: "We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction.
We do respect your bussiness but not the country that it serves. At this time we have your daughter in our posession. She is safe and unharmed and if you want her to see 1997, you must follow our instructions to the letter."
The Ramsey case became one of the biggest stories of the 1990s, with public opinion sharply divided about who they believed was guilty.
Many suspected John Ramsey of murdering his own daughter, while others claimed that a serial killer or some kind of sexual predator had invaded the Ramsey home and killed the 6-year-old beauty queen. Given that the case remains unsolved to this day, it still attracts sleuths, both amateur and professional, who believe that they know who did it.
Revenge?
One forensic psychologist interviewed by Newsweek said that the shooter in Arizona may be motivated by revenge. Enzo Yaksic said: "because the homicides of Pitt, Sharp and Anderson are most likely not inspired by urges or compulsions, but are instead systematic, deliberate and intentional." This means that the killer may have already accomplished his twisted goals.
What relation the killer's motivation has to the Ramsey case remains to be seen.
