This is from the June 1998 interview- 20 LOU SMIT: Well, I know (INAUDIBLE) I'll 21 show it to you now and then I'll tell you what it 22 is. This here photograph is also of that window 23 area. But these were taken somewhat later. And 24 these are just crime scene photographs also. 25 Now these are photographs 418, 419, 420, 421, 0219 1 422,423, 424 and 425. I'm going to show you these 2 and see if, first of all, can you explain to me 3 how you got into that window, while I'm showing 4 (INAUDIBLE)? 5 JOHN RAMSEY: Well you can just lift the 6 grate out and slide it out, lay it on the ground 7 and then jump down into the well. Note that Smit asked "Can you explain to me how you got into that window?" This required John to relate a past experience of his, yet there was no indication of any past tense in his story. If John had actually done this, then his response would have been "I lifted the grate, slid it out, laid it on the ground, and then jumped down into the well." *snip* 14 LOU SMIT: So you say you just went down into 15 the window well where you kicked out the window. 16 Then what did you have to do? What's your next 17 step? 18 JOHN RAMSEY: Then you had reach in to 19 unlatch the window, and if it's stuck, you just 20 pop it open. I mean, I don't remember if I slid in 21 face forward or a turned around. Probably turned 22 around, turn around backwards and put your needs 23 on the ledge here and let your feet in and then 24 just drop down. That's probably how I would have 25 done it? Once again, John is not relating a past experience of his. Instead it sounds more like instructions given to someone who had to get in through that basement window, if they had to do such a thing. So, since John is supposed to be telling Smit what he did, then his response ought to have been "Then I had to reach in to unlatch the window. I don't remember if I slid in face forward or turned around. I probably turned around, turned around backwards and put my knees on the ledge here and let my feet in and then just dropped down." It's quite telling that he said "That's probably how I would have done it" instead of "That's probably how I did it" because "would have" implies an intent of action that had not been taken. -Tea
I agree, Tea. That broken basement window is one of the most convoluted, silly stories of the entire case.
It was hard enough to believe before we even found out that John claims to have stripped down to his underwear for this INTRUSION through the window. RR
Oh, I know, River Rat! Someone (DocG?) over at the BB brought up the absurdity of John only kicking out a baseball-sized hole in that pane, a hole in which he was miracuously able to get his hand and wrist through, instead of kicking out the whole pane. Makes me wonder if any tests were done using the same type of baseball bat found in the yard on the same size and type of glass since it was described as a baseball-sized hole. Also, his account of being only in his underwear and shirt makes me think that this was his attire when he broke the window that December night. For crying out loud! Why wasn't there any follow-up to his "That's how I probably would have done it"?!! -Tea