Stansport nylon utility cord

Discussion in 'Justice for JonBenet Discussion - Public Forum' started by cynic, May 23, 2012.

  1. cynic

    cynic Member

    In the middle of November, John Van Tassell of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, one of the world’s foremost experts on knots and cords, reviewed the neck ligature, the length of white cord that had been twisted around the broken paintbrush handle to create a terrible killing tool. Van Tassell commented that it was “a soft nylon cord.†Sergeant Wickman and I immediately caught the term.
    We asked if he was certain, and the Mountie studied it some more. Sure looks like soft nylon, he said, as he examined what looked like a soft flat white shoelace. Not stiff and rigid like polypropylene.
    I retrieved one sample package, a fifty-foot length of white Stansport 32-strand, 3/16-inch woven cord that I had bought. Van Tassell pulled the cord out, frayed an end, held it against the end of the neck ligature, and said, “Look.†The soft white braid and inner weave appeared identical. “I think this is the same cord,†he said
    .
    JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation, Steve Thomas, pages 260-261


    Stansport N50 3/16†x 50’ nylon utility cord.

    Packaging:

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    The manufacturer heat sealed ends:

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  2. cynic

    cynic Member

    Close up views of the two ends:

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    Width is 3/16” when pulled taut, 1/4” when “relaxed”

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    There is no “core,” it is tubular, but flat.

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    Cut open view:

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  3. cynic

    cynic Member

    Cord cut with sharp scissors:

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    Cord cut with dull scissors:

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    Cord cut with sharp knife:

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    Cord cut with dull knife:

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    Cord cut with sharp box cutter:

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    Cord cut with serrated kitchen knife:

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  4. cynic

    cynic Member

    My “garrote handle:â€

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  5. cynic

    cynic Member

    With respect to the discussion (http://www.forumsforjustice.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10084) relating to the crime scene pictures of the cord around the handle and whether we are seeing a treated cord end in the following picture:

    [​IMG]

    It’s possible that it is a heat sealed end from Stansport because while one end of my cord was square and evenly sealed, the other end was somewhat irregular and in a slightly blurred picture it may look as it did in the crime scene picture. I would have to say that after seeing my purchased Stansport cord, I don’t think that it’s likely, though.
    The only way to make an end of that cord appear round would be to cut the end with something sharp and then lightly squeeze the end. This is actually what I did in the series of pictures with the cord wrapped around the paintbrush handle.
    The other possibility is that the crime scene picture is simply showing the curve of another wrap around the handle.
    http://www.forumsforjustice.org/forums/showpost.php?p=189294&postcount=40
     
  6. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    Oh my god!

    You're under arrest! :spit:

    Good job, cynic!

    So it looks to me like the cuts with the dull knife and serrated knife are more like those of the ligature cord?

    Interesting that it comes in a package like that, as opposed to a "roll" like tape.

    Also, the designated uses are sports/camping orientated--and hence, StanSPORT utility cord.
     
  7. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    My problem with the "end" on the garrote handle not being an "end" is...so where is the end? I think you considered it could be hidden under the other cord wrapped around the handle, but how do you wrap a cord around a tubular piece of wood with the end UNDER the following wraps? I'm not saying it can't be done, but it would be hard, wouldn't it? How do you hold the cord on the wood to wrap if not by the end? In fact, it would be intuitive for me ot wrap WITH the end as the lead around the wood. Does that make sense?

    At any rate, I noticed that one photo you took of your cord ends actually had the cord at an angle where it appeared a bit rounded, as well. I'm thinking about how enlarged the cord is in the garrote photos we are using, compared to the rather slim piece of wood. It may cause us to have a distortion of our perception of the proportions?

    See what you think:
     

    Attached Files:

  8. cynic

    cynic Member

    I knew I shouldn't have begun emailing Michael Tracey.

    Definitely.
    I've been thinking about who would have been the most likely to bring that into the home.
    I'm pretty certain it's not climbing related, that leaves a few other possibilities:
    Marine use
    Camping
    Patsy's packaging for paintings or other parcels?
     
  9. cynic

    cynic Member

    Let us into the evidence room I say. That would clear up a few things!

    One end of my cord was sealed but had an irregular edge and yes that could, depending on lighting, picture angle, and resolution explain the crime scene picture.
    Overall, I wasn't impressed with the quality of the seals; my climbing equipment has far better seals.
     
  10. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    Well, we know the Ramseys had sailboats, but those were in Charlevoix.

    However, John had two planes in Boulder, counting his private plane and AG's private plane. I imagine there are uses for cord in securing things in a plane or hangar?

    Of course, JAR, Burke, or John might one or all have been into camping. John took Burke fishing after his testimony to the Grand Jury, didn't he? Or something Burke did that John wanted to reward him, more or less, if memory serves. I'm thinking the Ramseys wrote about that in their book, though I wouldn't swear to it as I was in altering states of anger and catatonia while reading DOI. :book:-->>:curses:-->>:yuck:

    Patsy did go into her "please be diverted by my rambling nonsense" mode in the '98 LE interview where she went on and on about how UPS and the US Mail didn't use that "gooey" tape anymore for packages blah blah blah.
     
  11. cynic

    cynic Member

    I get what you are saying, but I do know from my background working with knots, rope, webbing etc. that for reasons of aesthetics and neatness, you will often tuck loose ends in. I'm not saying definitively that's the case here, but I'm not entirely convinced that the crime scene picture is showing a treated end.
    Also, we may not be seeing the correct side of the handle and cord with the "end."
    You may well be right, though, who knows?
     
  12. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    I've already offered my services to Tricia for a break-in :cowboy: but she didn't respond, so I'm guessing that's a No. :dammit:

    Here's another issue with a currently manufactured cord similar to that used in the ligature: it's been 15 years, so no doubt some things have changed in the manufacturing process. The glues could be different. I know in the housing industry, materials are much different because of stricter environmental laws.

    But this gives us a good idea about the source for that cord, as well as you have done the first recreation of that "wrap" and knot on the handle that I've seen. Exactly how did you do that? It's so similar to the original, minus a few wraps.

    Maybe you could try to do that wrap with the cord end under the other wraps and see if that's possible? I mean, I know you have nothing else to do but obsess over this case with me.... :laughup:

    I can't believe I'm still at this...I came so close to letting it go...what happened? Oh, yeah. Tricia's radio show...sigh.
     
  13. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    Looking at the link with your cord illustrations on the other thread, I do notice the weave of the cord in the two sections of the photo of the "handle" you're comparing seem to be different. See if that makes sense:

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    Attached Files:

  14. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    Also, the giant enlargement shows a shadow under the "end" piece of cord that looks to me like it's straight, rather than curved around the wood.

    Here's a negative I did which may better illustrate this, if you follow the white line under the piece which may be the "end":

    [​IMG]
     
  15. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    Looking at a smaller picture of this cord on the handle, it may actually be able to better see the "flat" quality when the details aren't blurred into the white of the cord wrapped around it:

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  16. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    Here are three photos we have of the garrote handle wrapped with the cord, all from different sides/angles:

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  17. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    Excellent, excellent experiment, Cynic! Thank you.

    I'm with you and KK on the evidence room soiree'! We could close this case in a New York minute if we were allowed to actually see what the Boulder DA has been hiding all these years, PLUS we wouldn't be hamstrung by only entertaining scenarios that include an intruder with the Ramseys innocent.

    THAT is what has hampered this investigation from DAY ONE! Only evidence that would lead to letting the Ramseys off scot-free was given any weight, and that's what frustrated Steve Thomas (besides all the Ramsey back-room deals and shenanigans). Boulder buffoon, Mary Lacy, took Hunter's stalling a step further and ACTIVELY campaigned for only intruder evidence to be looked at, while anything that pointed to the Ramseys was shunted aside. Lacy was determined to find a way to exonerate the Ramseys, and by gum, she did it before she left office with a Hail Mary pass of the bogus "touch DNA." Oh man, now I'm mad all over again!!! :steamed:

    The first thing I want to see in that evidence room is the "touch DNA" report that Mary Lacy REFUSED to release to the public! Yes, REFUSED! She exonerated the main suspects and REFUSED to release any evidence to back up that exoneration!

    Could it be Lacy's exoneration won't stand up to scrutiny? Could it be that the "touch DNA" allegedly found by Bode Labs is contamination and the DNA results can't be duplicated by an idependent lab? Why hasn't the media DEMANDED to see the DNA results that we have been REFUSED, and why haven't they DEMANDED Lacy's reasons for the REFUSAL?!!

    :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
     
  18. Learnin

    Learnin Member

    Very good work, Cynic and thanks for sharing. I wonder why the perp tied the handle so close to JBR's hair that her hair got entangled? There's enough slack for the thing to be tied away from her head, no?
     
  19. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    It says on one side of the Stansport package that the cord was:

    Ideal for tents, hammocks, tarps
    boats and many other uses


    The other package side reads:

    All Outdoor Use
    Boating
    Camping
    Crabbing
    Awnings
    Tents



    Hmmm, who do we know that has a nice big BOAT? And both sons were skilled Boy Scouts, with the older son even making Eagle Scout? And they did a lot of camping? And they liked to go fishing? Could it be .......
    THE RAMSEYS?!!!
     

    Attached Files:

  20. cynic

    cynic Member

    Perhaps she's busy working out the logistics?
    In this case I'm pretty certain it was heat crimped.
    My lawyer has advised me to not speak further on the issue :D, but between you and me, I just looked at the crime scene picture and played around until it looked right.
    It is definitely not a knot, although there are people who claim it resembles a prusik knot or other types it's not true in my opinion. It is a relatively random series of wraps, that's all.
    You pretty much have me pegged.
     
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