Lilyanna Hodson/staff reporter
“Death of a little princess” is a True Crime Non-Fiction Book Written by Author Carlton Smith. This book goes into depth about the true murder of Jonbenet Ramsey and showed me how precious the life of a child truly is.
Jonbenet was a six-year-old American girl, she modeled and participated in beauty pageants. Her mother Patricia Ramsey would have her wearing heavy makeup, bleached hair, and costumes that cost thousands of dollars. Above all the girl loved to be the center of attention.
The millionaire Ramsey family lived in Boulder Colorado. The day after Christmas 1996, everything changed. Patricia Ramsey walked down the stairs from her bedroom, to find a strange yellow note. It read “Mr. Ramsey, we have your daughter.”, these were the first words to a letter that threatened death upon Jonbenet. Patricia immediately shouted for her husband John Bennet, the girl’s father, he then later found the 6-year-old strangled dead in the basement of their home. She had been beaten, and found with tape over her mouth, and her hands tied with a cord.
The media went crazy about this tragic murder and beauty pageants being acceptable for children became a huge debate. “If a little girl is put into the position where she’s told her worth is measured by her looks and her ability to entertain, the message comes across very strongly that that’s all she’s worth.” -Regina Cowels
While reading the book it truly intrigued me and made me think deeply. This book confused me in an unusual way, and I was left wanting to know more about the story. This story not only showed me just how devastating the death of a child is, but also taught me how much conflict and accusation murder causes. Carlton Smith definitely went into depth into how murder does not only affect those involved, but also leaves an emotional scar on everyone, an entire country. The Author Carlton Smith did an amazing job writing points of view from all sides of the story. I was constantly thinking this whole book, trying to guess who killed this little girl. To me reading this book felt like a mystery and gave me the feeling that I was a murder investigator. If you are interested in learning about true crime or want to feel intrigued by a story, I strongly recommend this book to you.
images :
JonBenet Participating is beauty pageanthttps://news.yahoo.com/jonbenet-ramsey-know-beauty-queen-130040743.html
Book coverhttp://www.amazon.com/Death-Little-Princess-Tragic-JonBenet/dp/0312964331