It's simply tragic IMO. Just a tragedy for JBR. I don't think this crime will ever be solved. You had a DA's office bent on the Ramseys innocence and an inexperienced police department handling the crime scene pointing the finger at the Ramseys. The evidence was never collected properly. The grand jury in 98 didn't have enough to indict the Ramseys or anyone else. The new DA, Mary Keenan Lacy has just been publicly documented as chasing a wild goose, I give her credit for getting an obvious sick pervert off the street and answering to various law enforcement agencies which alerted Boulder to this guy....

Cyril Wecht still remains steadfast in stating the pathological evidence is where they should start and emphatically reminds us there were two adults in the house the night the crime happened and where the body was found the following day. The case is simply right back where it was day one almost ten years ago.

Lacy led everyone to believe they had evidence on this guy stating he knew specifics about the crime scene which had not been made public....so, does the affidavit which was sealed become unsealed now? Apparently, there is no new physical evidence....

katie...

Prosecutors won't charge Karr in JonBenet Ramsey slaying: defence lawyer

2 hours, 40 minutes ago

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Prosecutors have decided not to charge John Mark Karr in the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey, his lawyers said Monday after a TV station reported that the schoolteacher's DNA failed to match genetic material on the six-year-old girl's body.

"The warrant on Mr. Karr has been dropped by the district attorney," public defender Seth Temin said outside the jail. "They are not proceeding with the case."

"We're deeply distressed by the fact that they took this man and dragged him here from Bangkok, Thailand, with no forensic evidence confirming the allegations against him and no independent factors leading to a presumption that he did anything wrong," Temin said.

Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy's office did not return repeated calls from The Associated Press.

Karr was scheduled to make his first Colorado court appearance late Monday afternoon.

Denver's KUSA television station, citing two sources close to the investigation, said earlier that hair and saliva taken from Karr in Boulder after his arrival last week were tested over the weekend at the Denver police crime lab and that he was ruled out as the source of the DNA taken from the crime scene.

The schoolteacher's arrest in Thailand a week and a half ago was seen a surprise break in the decade-old murder mystery that had cast suspicion over JonBenet's parents. But inconsistencies in Karr's account immediately raised suspicions that he might be an obsessed follower of the case who confessed to a crime he didn't commit.

Among other things, Karr's relatives insisted that he was with them, celebrating Christmas in Georgia and Alabama, around the time the JonBenet Ramsey was found strangled and beaten at her Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996. They said that if Karr had not been with his family at Christmas, they would have certainly remembered it.

In an interview with the media in Thailand, Karr said that he was with JonBenet when she died and that her death was an accident. Asked if he was innocent, he said no.

In an interview Monday with MSNBC, Gary Harris, who had been spokesman for the Karr family, did not directly confirm the KUSA report. But he said: "I knew it wouldn't match."

Karr has been "obsessed with this case for a long time. He may have some personality problems, but he's not a killer," Harris said. "He obsesses. He wanted to be a rock star one time. ... He's a dreamer. He's the kind of guy who wants to be famous."

So much for the gag order imposed last Friday. Yep, this nutcase bought him a free ticket to the US from Thailand. Can't wait to hear the DA's press conference.

katie....

Fox News: DNA from Karr does NOT match DNA in JBR's clothing .... !

My problem with the parents is the motive. I cannot determine their motive. I cannot think of ANY reason why the parents would kill their child in such a horrific, brutal manner.

I know, it's compelling that two adults were in the house and didn't hear a thing....father finds the body after seven hours when first made aware of the ransom note and then there is the excessive staging. It's bizarre.

katie...

What puzzles me though is that the DA in this case must have something to be able to lay charges

Lou Smit (pro-Ramsey detective) claims there is fiber and hair evidence which has not been made public and won't...so as not to alert the perp that the authorities have it....this is old news, Smit made this declaration years ago.

Whatever "something" is, it was enough to warrant further investigation and nab Karr in Thailand.

The missing piece of the paintbrush used in the garrotte has never been located, plus, "all" of the autopsy photos were never released to the public, just a few and they are gruesome. There is speculation/news reports Karr provided details regarding the state of JBR's body which has never been made public.

He may be formally charged today....

is it a purely political move?

In this case, I don't think so, I can't imagine the DA bringing Karr to the US unless, they felt they had something. The last thing she wants to go on the record for is chasing a red herring.

katie....

I still can't dismiss the Parents, Katie .... Just can't do it ....

What puzzles me though is that the DA in this case must have something to be able to lay charges, or is it a purely political move?

I agree on all points!

Boulder DA's Official Response to Unsealing Arrest Warrant Affidavit

http://www.courts.state.co.us/docs/daresponse.pdf

Page 3 and 4 of this file is the DA's rebuttal to the media's request, it simply reiterates most of the evidence in the affidavit has not been publicly disclosed, and doing so now would jeopardize the investigation. IMO, this is the last thing the DA needs to deal with right now, the media circus should "rest" and let the DA and investigators finish their work.

katie....

Correction..{b]I'm very curious about this evidence which has been disclosed.

Meant to type which has NOT been disclosed.

katie....

Origin, I'm almost 100% this quack knows nothing more than the rest of us (the public ). I'm very curious about this evidence which has been disclosed. Did Karr "luck out" and say something that was consistent with the undisclosed evidence. Was he involved in a pedophile ring that was targeting JBR? I'd like to see the case solved for once and for all.

I know the last thing the Ramsey's probably want to hear is she was abused, tortured etc before she died at the hands of sickos....I'll never understand how John let Patsy continue to parade JBR around dressed up the way she did at those pageants anyway. I have two daughters 7 and 9....no way would I ever teach them to dress and act provocatively at that tender young age. She was a kindergartner....geeez! My kids like to play dress up from time to time...but that's it.

katie....

Murder Suspect's Brother: Karr Didn't Kill JonBenet
Friday, August 25, 2006

•
JonBenet Murder Suspect to Appear in Court Tuesday for Extradition Hearing


BOULDER, Colo. — John Mark Karr's brother insisted Friday that Karr did not kill JonBenet Ramsey. "Absolutely not. Emphatically. Without a doubt," Nate Karr said in a television interview.

Karr told ABC's "Good Morning America" he was certain his brother spent Christmas 1996, when JonBenet was slain, with his family.

"Well I can say almost without question that from the time that John had children he has never missed a Christmas with his family, and that's any Christmas," said Karr, who appeared on the show with his father, Wexford Karr.

More coverage available in FOXNews.com's Crime Center.

"If he was away from his family during Christmas it would have been a family scandal," Nate Karr said.

The brother said he was uncertain where the family spent the holiday when the 6-year-old child beauty queen was slain in her Boulder home.

"To the best of our recollection, he was either with us in Atlanta or with (his ex-wife) Lara," Nate Karr said. "It's not as easy as you might think to remember 10 years ago."

Addressing his brother, Nate Karr said: "We love you and we support you 100 percent. ... Help's on the way." Hope it's psychiatric help

The public defender assigned to represent Karr took the unusual step Friday of asking the court to seal Karr's handwritten application for a public-funded lawyer.

Commentators have suggested that Karr's handwriting in a yearbook from his hometown resembles the writing on a ransom note found in the Ramsey home.

Without referring specifically to this speculation, deputy public defender Seth Temin told the court in a filing that he "is without sufficient knowledge about all the facts of the case to be able to evaluate the prejudice that may be associated with the release of any of the defendant's handwriting."

Karr, meanwhile, spent his first night in an 8-by-10-foot jail cell in Colorado, away from other inmates for his own safety.

Nine days after his arrest in Thailand, the 41-year-old former schoolteacher now awaits a court appearance that could come as early as next week.

Karr arrived in Colorado Thursday, flying in from Los Angeles on a state police plane to face charges in a homicide case prosecutors acknowledged is in its infancy.

Formal charges were pending and the date of Karr's first court appearance could be announced Friday, the district attorney's office said.

His first few hours at the jail were to include physical and mental evaluations, and he was isolated from the other 480 inmates, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said.

"Anybody that's in jail in our population that faces these kinds of charges, charges against children, faces some danger," Pelle said.

Questions about Karr's involvement in the case have arisen since he told reporters following his arrest in Thailand that he was with JonBenet at the time of her death but that it was an accident.

Boulder County prosecutors have refused to detail any evidence they might have, but in a court filing this week said investigators didn't learn of Karr's name until Aug. 11, five days before his arrest. They said he was arrested in part because they feared he might get tipped off and vanish.

The court filing conflicts with the Sonoma County, Calif., sheriff, who said his office alerted Boulder authorities about Karr in 2001 after he was arrested on child pornography charges. The sheriff and Boulder prosecutors declined to comment on the apparent discrepancy.

Karr has professed love for JonBenet in e-mails with a Colorado professor, and told a California woman he believes the girl was tortured before she was strangled.

Sonoma County sheriff's Lt. Dave Edmonds said Karr expressed an "apparent fascination" with 1993 murder victim Polly Klaas and JonBenet, and "presented ideas about what the murderers of Polly Klaas and JonBenet Ramsey must have thought and felt."

But there was no confession, Edmonds said, or anything else to suggest Karr played a role in JonBenet's slaying.

The Boulder arrest warrant and supporting affidavit remain sealed and the district attorney is fighting media requests to open them. Prosecutors said in the court filing Wednesday the affidavit contains evidence never before disclosed publicly.

Former Denver prosecutor Craig Silverman speculated that investigators may already have DNA evidence that they believe links Karr to JonBenet's death.

He said prosecutors may have obtained and tested DNA from a letter Karr reportedly sent through the mail, and that may have persuaded Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy to send an investigator to Thailand to surreptitiously collect more samples.

Nate Karr told ABC his brother may have become obsessed with the case because he wanted to write a book about it. Because he lost the ability to see his sons and wife five years ago, "maybe he felt lost," the brother said. "And maybe that was the only reality he had left."

After JonBenet's father, John Ramsey, found her body in the family's basement on Dec. 26, 1996, police collected DNA from blood spots in her underwear and from under her fingernails.

Investigators have said some of the DNA was too degraded to use as evidence, but some was of sufficient quality to submit to the FBI in 2003. The sample did not match any of the 1.5 million samples in the agency's database, according to the Ramsey family attorney.

Other evidence includes a ransom note, a mysterious boot print found outside the house, marks on JonBenet's body that some say could have been made by a stun gun; and signs that someone may have entered the house through a basement window.

Dozens of attorneys have come forward offering to represent Karr. The county public defenders' office has asked to meet with Karr, the sheriff said. It was not known whether such a meeting had taken place Thursday.

Did this man really kill Jonbennet?
By topi lyambila + agencies
Aug 19, 2006, 05:59


Mark Karr - Some believe he is just a fantasist other think he is deranged.
After more than three years of correspondence with the man who confessed this week to killing six-year-old Colorado "beauty queen" JonBenet Ramsey, University of Colorado journalism professor Michael Tracey received an email with a bizarre request.

On the day before Christmas Eve last year, teacher John Mark Karr asked his confidant to read aloud an ode he called JonBenet, My Love at Ramsey's old house on Christmas Day in Boulder, Colorado, where she was sexually assaulted and strangled nine years earlier.

"JonBenet, my love, my life. I love you and shall forever love you. I pray that you can hear my voice calling out to you from my darkness - this darkness that now separates us," it read, in part.

The email, one of many between Tracey and a man believed to be Karr obtained by the Rocky Mountain News, sheds light on a quirky, frail-looking man who the world now believes is responsible for the grisly slaying of the little girl in the basement of her home on Boxing Day in 1996.

Karr, in a startling confession, told the world he was with the girl he loved when she died.

"Her death was an accident," he said in Bangkok, where he had been trying to build a new life before being arrested this week following a request from US authorities.

"I am so very sorry for what happened to JonBenet. It's very important for me that everyone knows that I love her very much, that her death was unintentional, that it was an accident."

At first glance, it was case closed after all those years, solving one of America's most enduring murder mysteries and finally putting to rest those vicious rumours that JonBenet's parents had something to do with her death.

But as the confession was placed under the microscope in the US yesterday, it became apparent that Karr, 41, had posed more questions than he had answered.

At a press conference, Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy confirmed Karr had been arrested for Ramsey's murder and had been under investigation for "months".

But she would not discuss the evidence her office had gathered or say what charges would be brought. "We should all heed the poignant advice (JonBenet's father) John Ramsey gave," Lacy said. "Do not jump to judgment. Do not speculate."

Dr Michael Bader, a forensic scientist with a long involvement in the case, said yesterday: "As every hour passes it is looking more and more like a false statement."

This does not suggest Karr is squeaky clean.

Some dark episodes in his life were exposed yesterday, including the allegation that as an 18-year-old he married a 12-year-old Alabama girl after getting her to change her age and took her across state lines. "He was abusing her every way there was," her mother said.

Karr, who has three sons, lost his job in Petaluma, California - scene of the infamous 1993 child murder of Polly Klaas - and was divorced after being charged with possession of child pornography in 2001. He fled the US with a warrant being issued for his arrest.

The single most important piece of evidence in the murder was always the three-page ransom note found on the stairs by JonBenet's mother, Patsy, that Boxing Day morning.

Written on paper from a notepad kept in the home, it claimed JonBenet had been kidnapped by a foreign gang, demanded a ransom of $US118,000, and ordered the Ramseys to wait for a phone call the next day.

Instead, the Ramseys called the police. An initial search of the house failed to find the body. It was hours later, when John Ramsey made another search of the basement, that the corpse was discovered.

The police quickly came to regard the $118,000 ransom demand as hugely significant because it was exactly the amount that John Ramsey, head of a software company, had paid himself as an annual bonus weeks earlier.

That led the police to discount the intruder theory and narrow the list of suspects to JonBenet's parents and those close enough to know their personal financial details.

When a forensic handwriting analysis cleared John Ramsey of writing the ransom note but left open the possibility that his wife had written it, the police thought they had their killer. But with the unidentified male DNA in the mix and two unidentified footprints in the basement, there was never enough evidence to lay charges.

If Karr's confession is fiction, the huge international media juggernaut now resurrecting every gruesome detail of the case may soon switch its attention back to JonBenet's family, and to Boulder DA Mary Lacy, who took over control of the Ramsey murder investigation in 2003.

Lacy has sealed the arrest warrant affidavit, so the details of any evidence against Karr that can corroborate his confession - if any exists - remains unknown. She's also been remarkably reluctant to explain the circumstances of the arrest, saying only that a warrant can be issued prior to an investigation being completed and that urgent circumstances could "drive the timing of an arrest". Even so, Karr's confession is full of holes.

Karr says he drugged JonBenet before killing her, but toxicology tests found no drugs in her body. Her says he had sex with JonBenet, but while there was evidence of vaginal abrasion, no semen was found.

After 48 hours there's also no evidence that Karr was ever in Colorado and his ex-wife, Lara Knutson, has insisted that he spent the Christmas of 1996 with his family in Alabama.

Asked what happened when JonBenet died, Karr said: "It would take several hours to describe that. It's a very involved series of events that would involve a lot of time. It's very painful for me to talk about."

What is known is that Karr was obsessed with child-killers. According to his brother Nate he was researching a book about them and had contacted people like Polly Klaas's killer, Richard Allen Davis.

He had also been in email contact with Tracey, a passionate believer in the innocence of the Ramseys who has produced several TV documentaries on the case.

According to some reports, Karr revealed something about JonBenet's murder in his communications with Tracey - which were often lurid and disturbing - only the killer could have known.

Emails published yesterday do not back up Karr's claim that he had a role in Ramsey's death, but they do raise doubts about the itinerant schoolteacher's grasp on reality.

In one email, Karr brings up pop singer Michael Jackson, whose close relationships with young boys landed him in court.

"I will tell you that I can understand people like Michael Jackson and feel sympathy when he suffers as he has," Karr wrote. He added that he, himself, "is trapped in a world that does not understand".

Karr's empathy for Jackson extended to writing to Tracey about Finding Neverland, a movie about the author of Peter Pan. "I can only say," he wrote, "that I can relate very well to children and the way they think and feel. I think you are asking if I am much a 'Peter Pan'. In many ways, the answer is yes."

The conclusive test of Karr's role in Ramsey's death will be matching his DNA - he provided a mouth swab in Thailand - with the unidentified male DNA obtained from blood in JonBenet's underwear and in scrapings from her fingernails.

But these tests may prove inconclusive, which means his handwriting will be crucial.

"It's clear to me that he's somewhat interested or maybe even obsessed by the case and the real question is whether he's inserting himself into it for some obscure psychological reason," said Carlton Smith, who wrote 1997's Death of a Little Princess: The Tragic Story of the Murder of JonBenet Ramsey

Latest update on JBR case. Nothing to report except this suspect is clearly delusional and somehow his random statements have been interpreted as a confession in the media. Wonder why the Boulder authorities have not extradited him yet....perhaps the DNA doesn't match and they are having a difficult time in tying him to the crime scene. This suspect is basically repeating everything the public has already disseminated and postulated...still want to know what he has said to capture the Boulder DA's attention.

Suspect says he hid in Ramsey house

Karr's family finds no photo to show him at home Christmas 1996

Wednesday, August 23, 2006; Posted: 5:13 p.m. EDT (21:13 GMT)



(CNN) -- The suspect in the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey made additional statements about the child's death once he reached the United States, a source told CNN.

As he was being driven to the Los Angeles County jail, John Mark Karr began talking calmly to himself while looking out the window, a source involved in Karr's transfer said.

"Everybody says I couldn't know my way around the house, but I got in the house around 5 o'clock ... and I stayed there all night," the source quoted Karr as saying.

Karr, 41, also said that "they" -- meaning the Ramseys -- did not come home until about 10 p.m. He also repeated what he earlier told reporters -- that JonBenet's death was an accident, and that he was with her when she died.

Karr also told a Thai officer that he had "sex" with JonBenet, who was 6, before her December 26, 1996, death but "there was no penetration," a Thai official said Wednesday.

"Karr then said, 'There are so many ways to have sex,' then he went quiet," Thai Immigration chief Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul told CNN.

Chatty suspect

Karr's disclosure to the officer on duty was the only time the suspect mentioned sex involving the child beauty pageant contestant during the four days he was held in Thai custody, Suwat said.

JonBenet's beaten and strangled body was found in the basement of the family home in Boulder, Colorado, the day after Christmas.

Karr's troubles began at an early age, according to longtime family friend George McCrary. He told CNN that Karr's mother was an evangelist and became delusional, believing demons were in her children -- especially John.

McCrary said the woman needed psychiatric treatment after she attempted to kill Karr, not yet 2, with fire. Neither Karr's family nor their attorney has been available to verify his account, however.

Despite incriminating statements Karr made to reporters and law enforcement officials in Bangkok last week, questions have surfaced as to whether the slight, soft-spoken schoolteacher could have been involved in the grisly killing of JonBenet.
Family's story on the block?

Karr's immediate family strongly believes he had no involvement in the young girl's murder, according to family spokesman and attorney Gary Harris in Clayton, Georgia.

Harris, who is not representing John Karr, told CNN that family members do not remember Karr ever missing a Christmas gathering prior to his 2001 estrangement from them.

The family members Harris is representing said they would have remembered if Karr was not with his family because Karr was not well-off, Harris said. The family would have remembered if he had taken a plane trip somewhere.

Harris said he would turn over to Boulder police a photograph taken at Christmas of 1996, showing Karr's three sons and another child. Karr is not seen in the photograph. The attorney said family members asserted that if Karr's three children were there, then Karr was as well.

Meanwhile, producer Larry Garrison told CNN he has obtained the film and television rights to the family's story. No money has changed hands, Garrison said, but if money is made by the Karr family, it will be used for Karr's legal fees and for his children's college education.

"This is a family that loves their brother," Garrison said. "They love him in spite of everything in the news. They believe in his innocence and that he may have some psychological problems. It's a family that loves John and it's sad for them right now. The truth always comes out in the end."

Ex-wife cooperates

Karr's second ex-wife, Lara Knutson, told a San Francisco television station last week that he was with her and the children during the entire 1996 Christmas season.

However, according to Knutson's attorney, Michael Rains, "Lara has not located a photograph which places Mr. Karr either at their home in Hamilton, Alabama, or in any other location on or about Christmas Day 1996."

Knutson has turned over documents to Boulder County prosecutors, Rains said in a statement issued Tuesday, and continues to search for other materials that may be relevant. (Watch an examination of Karr's bizarre past -- 4:00)

When asked why Karr would make up a story about being involved in the Ramsey murder, Harris said there may be a "problem with his emotional condition."

Still, a U.S. law enforcement source told CNN that Karr provided investigators with details about the condition of the girl's body -- details that had not been publicly disclosed.

Karr has waived his right to contest the extradition. (Full story)

His only words during the hearing were "Yes, your honor," when he was asked procedural questions by the judge. (Watch Karr in court -- 2:22)

Sgt. Paul Patterson, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, said Karr would not be leaving the Twin Towers jail on Wednesday. The judge allowed 10 days for the transfer to take place.

Karr is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, kidnapping and child sexual assault, though he has not yet been directly charged with any crime.

News Organizations Ask Court to Unseal JonBenet Documents
Tuesday, August 22, 2006

What a buncha vultures, unsealing the documents can jeopardize the investigation!


BOULDER, Colo. — Media organizations asked a judge Monday to unseal the arrest warrant and other documents involving John Mark Karr, who claims he was with 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey when the young beauty pageant queen was killed.

"There is great public interest to learn whether the arrest of John Mark Karr solved the case after a decade or is yet another 'mistake,'" the media court filing said. "Only with disclosure can the public evaluate the competency of the investigation that led to the issuance of the warrant."

The district attorney's office will oppose unsealing the records because the case is still under investigation, spokeswoman Carolyn French said.

Little is publicly known about what evidence Boulder officials may have on Karr. The 41-year-old teacher has told reporters he was with JonBenet when she died in the basement of her Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996, and that it was an accident.

Karr returned to the U.S. from Thailand late Sunday and was immediately locked up in a high-security jail cell in Los Angeles. An extradition hearing set for Tuesday morning will determine when he will be sent to Colorado.

On Aug. 15, Boulder County District Judge Roxanne Bailin ordered the case documents sealed, saying disclosure could jeopardize the investigation.

The media attorneys asked for a hearing on the matter.

"It is difficult, if not impossible, to conceive how public disclosure of the facts that support probable cause for [Karr's] arrest would compromise further investigation into John Mark Karr's involvement in the crime or the involvement of any other person in the crime," the filing said.

The brief was filed on behalf of The Associated Press, The Denver Post, The [Boulder] Daily Camera, the Rocky Mountain News and two Denver broadcasters, KCNC-TV and KDVR-TV.

"In a democracy, in an open society, there's scrutiny of public officials, and how can there be scrutiny without information?" said John Temple, editor and publisher of the Rocky Mountain News.

If the judge decides not to release the full documents, the filing asked her to consider releasing edited versions with information crucial to law enforcement officials blacked out.

Suspect's Lawyers: There is Nothing Crazy About John Karr
Tuesday, August 22, 2006



LOS ANGELES — Two attorneys for the man suspected of killing 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey described him as "extremely lucid" but exhausted and concerned Tuesday ahead of an extradition hearing that could have him headed to Colorado to face charges.

"There is nothing crazy about this man," attorney Jamie Harmon said on NBC's "Today" show.

Harmon and Patience Van Zandt, who represented Karr when he was charged in 2001 with possessing child pornography in northern California, said they spent a total of 7 hours with him on Monday. Their role representing Karr hadn't been clearly defined.

"What I found was an incredibly bright, intelligent, well-spoken, thoughtful human being," Harmon told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday. She said he seemed bewildered by the attention.

On the "Today" show, Van Zandt declined to discuss anything Karr said to her about the case.

"He's been through a lot this past week, and it shows. He's exhausted. He's terrified."

Karr, arrested in Thailand last week, was expected to make his first of many expected court appearances Tuesday when he goes before a judge and either agrees to be transported to Boulder, Colo., or challenges the order.

"What we're really focusing on is getting him back to Colorado and getting through that first appearance and going from there," said Carolyn French, spokeswoman for the district attorney of Boulder County, where authorities have a sealed arrest warrant for Karr.

The 41-year-old teacher has told reporters he was with the 6-year-old beauty pageant princess when she died and that her slaying in the basement of her Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996, was an accident. Little is publicly known, however, about what evidence Boulder officials have.

Karr spent Monday in a high-security jail cell, where officials said he met with various lawyers.

It was unclear who would represent Karr on Tuesday.

In Los Angeles County's Twin Towers jail, Karr is in a high-security isolation cell and kept far away from the other 3,500 male inmates.

"There may be inmates in here who might take an opportunity to hurt him, so we have to be careful," said sheriff's Chief Marc Klugman, who oversees county jails.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has yet to be asked to compare any evidence from Karr with evidence taken from the Ramsey crime scene, bureau spokesman Lance Clem said Monday. This is because the FBI is likely conducting the tests

A law enforcement official said last week on condition of anonymity that Karr was given a mouth-swab DNA test in Bangkok, but the results of that test were not known.

Asked about comments Karr earlier made to reporters about the murder, Van Zandt told NBC's "Today" show: "I don't believe he's made confessions. I think that he's made statements," she said. "Although I can't, unfortuantely, flesh out thoughts behind them at this point, I am absolutely confident that what Mr. Karr meant will become clear."

The Boulder district attorney's spokeswoman declined to comment on any evidence in the case.

Media organizations including The Associated Press on Monday asked a judge to unseal the arrest warrant and other documents involving Karr. The filing noted previous mistakes in the Ramsey investigation and said there is "great public interest" in whether Karr's arrest "is yet another `mistake."'

In an Aug. 15 order, Boulder County District Judge Roxanne Bailin ordered case documents sealed, saying disclosure could jeopardize the investigation. Monday's filing asked her to consider releasing edited versions of the documents if she rules against their full release.

In recent years Karr apparently traveled to Europe, Central America and Asia to search for teaching jobs. He taught in at least two Thai schools. U.S. authorities brought him from Thailand to Los Angeles on a commercial flight Sunday.

He pretty much spilled his guts already didn't he?

Oh no. Not with this crime scene. This nutcase said he was "with JBR" when she died. He hasn't explained the garrotte, the skull crush, the ransom note, why he was in the Ramsey house on Christmas night, how he got in there, what his intentions were, he just stated he "was with JBR the night she died" and whooooffff...he's whisked to the USA from Thailand.

This crackpot may be full of shit, one matter is certain, he has the attention of the Colorado law authority. Karr has said, translated some matter to another character who is researching the case, Michael Tracey, and it's caught the interest of the DA in Boulder. The DA is not talking at this time. For once in this cases history, no one is saying a word, so I'm optimisticly hopeful they have some goods on this creep. It's a baffling case. Just sit here and wait to see what the evidence is....oh, if that guys DNA is a match...well well...I'll be very elated for the parents, I've pretty much been pro-Ramsey through out the debacle. NO parent from their social background would ever hurt a child. Period.

katie..

How much more can he talk?

He pretty much spilled his guts already didn't he?

The DNA results should give the definitive answer but then again, nothing has seemed to go in a normal fashion in this entire case.

Apparently law enforcement wanted to "loosen" him up in hopes he would talk....he hasn't been formally charged with anything yet.

I'm guessing the DA is awaiting DNA results at this time...I'm on the fence with this kook, he may be the perp, or he may just be looking for attention....

katie...

Me too

wtf?!? that makes me want to hurl!

IMO anyone that commits crimes against children should get the death penalty.

I agree, they should get more than just death, I don't understand folks who purposely hurt defenseless children.

I'm sure some inmates could fashion a homemade garrotte and take care of Karr if he is indeed the perp, if he's not, he clearly needs to be taken off the streets.

katie....

John Mark Karr was flown back from Bangkok in style yesterday to face justice in the notorious JonBenet Ramsey murder case. The creepy kook clinked glasses with an investigator, sipped champagne and nibbled on shrimp as he enjoyed business-class perks on a Thai Airways flight to L.A.


http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/445342p-375022c.html

Not to mention the detectives. I've seen them go on air many times before and say how they believe the family was involved but didn't have enough evidence to charge them. Maybe the entire town.

Still, no apology can ever make up for all these years. He might not even comment.

I'm hoping it is him so at least the father can live in peace knowing the case is closed and the murderer is being punished. Very sad.

IMO anyone that commits crimes against children should get the death penalty.

Lin Wood, Ramsey's atty will be taking questions on Larry King Live this Tuesday.

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/larry.king.live/

DNA results should be coming out in the near future. It's still unclear if Karr will remain in California or taken to Colorado. If the DNA is a false lead, would they keep him in California to serve time for his misdemeanor charges?

katie...

Evidence again under scrutiny in Ramsey case

Investigators face daunting task matching Karr’s story to the crime scene

BOULDER, Colo. - The most important evidence amounts to this: DNA taken from two blood stains, hair and fibers taken from the body, half a footprint and two partial palm prints.

What it boils down to is this: It is infinitely easier to prove itinerant teacher John Mark Karr did not kill JonBenet Ramsey 10 years ago than it is to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that he garroted and beat the 6-year-old child he claims to have loved.

Because of the nature of DNA testing, it is simpler to prove a negative.

“DNA is the sure way to eliminate him,” said Scott Robinson, a Denver defense attorney who has closely followed the case. “If it’s negative, you ride that horse all the way to the stable.”

The stable, in this case, being the exoneration of Karr, arrested in Bangkok last week and paraded before journalists to whom he professed his love for the little beauty pageant contestant and then claimed he was present when she died.

He called her death “an accident.”

Since then, his fantastic professions have been met with increasing suspicion and distrust.

Searching for a match
So if genetic testing rules him out, as some legal experts predict, what happens next?

“If it’s not this man’s DNA, then there has to be some very strong and compelling evidence that places him at the crime scene,” said Lin Wood, the Ramsey family’s longtime attorney. “Unless you have some positive evidence of DNA, it would be an extremely difficult case.”

Difficult, agreed Robinson, but not impossible.

“There are other things,” he said, including questions that Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy should be asking: “Can we place him in Boulder at the time of the murder? Can we place him in some relationship with the Ramseys?”

Whether the prosecutor has the answers to those queries is anyone’s guess at this point. Since announcing Karr’s arrest, she has refused to comment on nearly all aspects of the investigation.

Missing pieces

There is no publicly known evidence putting Karr in Boulder or any other town in Colorado. JonBenet’s father, John Ramsey, has said he has no recollection of the man meeting anyone in his family.

Prosecutors would also have to corroborate Karr’s statements to Thai police, including claims he sexually assaulted the girl, said Bob Grant, a former Adams County DA who helped investigate JonBenet’s death.

An autopsy found no semen in or on the child’s body, but noted vaginal abrasions and tearing of the hymen. There was not enough evidence to determine what caused those injuries.

The theory that an intruder killed JonBenet is supported by unexplained evidence: a mysterious boot print found outside the house after her body was found Dec. 26, 1996; marks on her body some say could have been made by a stun gun; and signs that someone may have entered the house through a basement window.

Then there is the DNA of an unknown male found in blood in JonBenet’s underpants. Tests in 1997 and 1999 indicated it was from a male who was not a member of the Ramsey family.

Two years ago, Wood said a better-quality DNA profile was worked up but it did not match any samples in an FBI database of convicted violent offenders. At the time, that database included 1.5 million samples.

Testing the tests
Celebrity forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee, who initially participated in the Ramsey case, said even a positive DNA match is not always enough to convict.

“It can never be 100 percent,” he said of the analysis which matches samples and donors by statistical probability.

If it turns out that a DNA sample from Karr matches crime-scene DNA, the first salvo from his attorney — whomever that turns out to be — would be against the testing process. As demonstrated by the O.J. Simpson criminal case, even supposedly ironclad genetic test results can be shaken by lapses in testing protocols or procedural breakdowns in handling evidence.

“Whoever represents this guy will whine about the testing that was done, and not being able to do their own testing,” Grant said. “It’s pretty standard.”

There were also DNA traces found under the child’s fingernails, but they were degraded and tests were inconclusive, Grant said.

Prosecutors need to find out if Karr truly knows anything about the case that isn’t public knowledge, he said. In this sensationalized investigation, he does not think that is possible.

“The whole world knows everything about this case,” Grant said. “I’d be surprised if everything I knew (as an investigator) wasn’t out in the public domain.”

investigators kept certain things from the crime scene

I've heard it reported Karr provided "further" graphic details regarding JBR's body which the coroner and medical examiners etc keep discreet. I assumed all would have to be reported in the autopsy report....maybe not.

Lord, if it was him, that's horrible how they put that family thru such hell.

Well, the media coverage and the relentless tabloids accusing the family of murder, incest, you name it....haven't helped either. If this crackpot is the perp, I'd like to hear what John Ramsey has to say this freak. I'd also like to see Ramsey's attorney sue every tabloid out there.

katie...

Karr is seeking attention with a false confession.

I have an uneasy feeling about this as well, Karr appears to be enjoying business class today. Interesting his ex-wife has not produced any evidence to prove he was with her during Christmas '96.

I also went to my reference books to research the DNA a bit further, the book written by Steve Thomas states the DNA under JBR's fingernails and the DNA found in her blood stained underwear was the same, it belongs to a white male.

I am very curious what Karr said to Michael Tracy, and just what he professes to know about the crime scene which has been kept a secret. For all we know, Michael Tracy gave him a lot info over the last four year period, I think it's obvious both are fascinated by the case. There were so many leaks in the DA's office, under Alex Hunter's regime, I'm not sure that there are any secrets left.

Karr is so weird anything is possible at this juncture.

katie....

Karr seems to be enthralled by these types of sex crimes and would know all details available to the public, but you are correct in saying that if he knew details not revealed that could open a whole new scenario.

could be so but from what I could remember, investigators kept certain things from the crime scene hush hush so if he's able to provide details that haven't yet been disclosed, then that's one way of them being able to identify him.

Lord, if it was him, that's horrible how they put that family thru such hell. I can't imagine losing a child much less being accused of the crime as well.

Did you see the report and a picture of the handwriting....?


That was part of the DATELINE report.

To be continued ... but my gut feeling says Karr is seeking attention with a false confession.

Here's a better link....with a pic of yearbook...

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4929003,00.html

Karr classmate offers theory on ransom-note mystery
She suspects link between yearbook message, 'S.B.T.C'
Special to the News ©

Comments that John Mark Karr wrote in a high school yearbook, top, more than 20 years ago may shed light on the mysterious S.B.T.C. at the end of the JonBenet ransom note, above. In the yearbook, he writes "I shall be the conqueror."

By David Montero, Rocky Mountain News
August 19, 2006
HAMILTON, Ala. - Tara Estes was almost breathless with excitement because she thought one of the more mysterious elements of the JonBenet Ramsey ransom note finally had been revealed.

She climbed the steps to Jeff Brown's rickety porch, brushed aside an orange wasp and sat down on a dirty ice cooler.

"Shall be the conqueror," she said Friday afternoon to a couple of quizzical looks. "S.B.T.C."

Ah, yes. The ransom note that asked John Ramsey to turn over $118,000 for the safe return of 6-year-old JonBenet has been analyzed over and over for nearly a decade.

The long, rambling ransom note ends with the word, "Victory!" and then "S.B.T.C" below it.

But no one knows what the initials mean.

Estes had just gotten off the phone with a friend in South Carolina who was a classmate of John Mark Karr, the man who has said he killed JonBenet on Dec. 26, 1996.

The friend had her yearbook from the early 1980s, and in it Karr signed a lengthy missive filled with the usual teenage angst.

Teresa Alligood had been watching the arrest this week of Karr on television in South Carolina and decided to do a little Googling with her yearbook near the computer. She stumbled on the page Karr had signed and stared at the message.

Alligood then tracked down the ransom note on the Internet and saw "S.B.T.C" at the bottom. She looked back at the yearbook and saw one of the last parts Karr had written:

"Sometimes, so blurred by my own eyes, I've seen the best things come and go simultaneously; Though deep in the future, maybe I shall be the conquerer (sic) and live in multiple peace."

Alligood said she called her family immediately. She also called Fox News and the Boulder district attorney's office Wednesday to alert them. The next day, she talked at length with a Boulder investigator. He assured her they were taking it seriously. However, they hadn't requested her yearbook yet.

Boulder County officials could not be reached for comment Friday.

Estes said the revelation was enough to convince her that Karr did what he said he did. But sitting on Brown's porch, childhood friend Gary Spear had a tougher time reconciling that idea.

Spear, nicknamed "Wolfman," leaned back in his chair and said he couldn't imagine Karr doing anything like that. Back then, he said, Karr was interested in his music - even having a sound studio inside the home where he lived with his grandmother.

Spear said that Karr was smart, generous and easy to get along with - especially because he had the only red DeLorean sports car around. He painted it.

"Nobody had a DeLorean," he said. "But he said he was going to get one after seeing Back to the Future. And damn if he didn't."

Brown, also a high school friend, thought it was a stretch to think that Karr could have killed JonBenet. Brown said Karr was friendly, funny and had instant popularity when he got the sports car.

So neither seemed to be enthralled with the "S.B.T.C" explanation - although in deference to Estes, Brown appeared interested in the theory.

For almost 10 years, there have been theories on what those initials meant. Some said it was "Saved by the Cross," a reference to the Ramsey's Christian faith. Others have suggested it references the Subic Bay Training Center where Ramsey served at the U.S. Naval base in the Philippines.

But on the porch, on this hot, muggy Friday, Alligood's theory was new. Fresh. And after two days of speculation - something people here seemed weary of - it was something to talk about.

What about the Teddy-Bear

Well, I got chills when I read the first article regarding Karr's emails to Michael Tracey. Apparently, Karr sent Tracey a picture of him holding a Santa Bear very similar to the one found JBR's room. The Ramsey's do not know where the bear came from, it was later suggested during an interview with Patsy that the bear was given to JBR as a prize in one her pageants. The housekeeper didn't recall it either, Patsy thought JBR was given an Angel Bear. Nonetheless, the acting DA at the time launched a search on the internet for it, because the bear became missing, and it's unknown to my knowledge whether the bear was ever recovered. According to another report in '99, Patsy's sister, Pam Paugh stated there was a note inside the pouch on the Santa Bear, and the notes message was insignificant, it may be significant now.

katie....

THAT's the Info. I was referring to, Katie .... Thanks for that ... !!

Possible link found between Karr, yearbook and Ramsey ransom note

This link DID have a copy of the yearbook page showing Karr's message to the classmate, it has been removed from the site now.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4927208,00.html

By David Montero, Rocky Mountain News
August 18, 2006
HAMILTON, Ala. - Boulder District attorney's officials are in contact with a former classmate of John Mark Karr because she has a yearbook signed by him more than 20 years ago that may reveal the answer to one of the great mysteries of the JonBenet Ramsey ransom note - what does "S.B.T.C" stand for?

In the yearbook, Karr signed the classmate’s page and ended his missive with the line, "Though, deep in the future, maybe I shall be the conqueror and live in multiple peace." The words "shall be the conqueror" do not appear anywhere as an acronym, but they are written in upper case characters.

The two and a half-page ransom note was left with the Ramseys the day JonBenet was killed. The note ended, "Victory! S.B.T.C."

Through an email and phone conversations, Boulder investigators have been in touch with the classmate for the past couple of days on the matter.

The first is that Karr's second wife claims he was in Alabama on that Christmas day 1500 miles away.

I agree, even if there isn't a DNA match, the prosecutor will still need to prove he was in the area or in the house. The DNA under her fingernails may be 'old', however there are other sources of DNA besides that....regarding Karr's family, apparently they don't keep track of him very well.

I am even more curious about the ransom note, and the handwriting analysis from a yearbook entry he wrote over twenty years ago. Did you see the report and a picture of the handwriting....?


katie...

I will look into the teddy bear link on this case now that you have me totally intrigued by it!

OT:

I am pretty good thanks, I am working full time and I only dabble occasionally in some stock trading. Did great in January but lost most gains a few months later on some bad buys. This week was great on the CDN side. I sense that stocks are picking up -- must be the summer season ending.

Anyway, thanks for asking and I hope you are well.

Sincerely
ou

Tnx, for that .... How ya been btw .... ???

I am not familiar with the Teddy Bear evidence, but the ransom note was thought to be written by JonBenet's mother. One investigator thinks there are similarities in handwriting but the match is not confirmed beyond any doubt.

What about the Teddy-Bear & the Signed Ransom-Note, OU .... ?? . Has that evidence been proven wrong ... ?? .

Just asking ....

Two things may prove that this confession is a hoax.

The first is that Karr's second wife claims he was in Alabama on that Christmas day 1500 miles away.

The second even more conclusive is if the unifetified DNA found on the scene of the crime does not match Karr's.

BTW, Dateline had a special on last night about the JonBenet case but brought very little light to the case.

E-mails a portrait of 'my darkness'
Messages to CU prof paint a disturbing picture of Karr

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4926302,00.html

Text of an ode to JonBenet Ramsey in a 2005 e-mail believed to be from John Mark Karr to CU professor Michael Tracey.

By Todd Hartman and Kevin Vaughan, © 2006 Rocky Mountain News
August 18, 2006
It was the day before Christmas Eve 2005 when John Mark Karr sent an e-mail to University of Colorado professor Michael Tracey, seeking a strange favor.

He asked Tracey to visit JonBenet Ramsey's old house in Boulder and read aloud an ode he called JonBenet, My Love.

"JonBenet, my love, my life. I love you and shall forever love you. I pray that you can hear my voice calling out to you from my darkness - this darkness that now separates us," it read, in part.

The e-mail was part of a small sample of the often lurid and disturbing correspondence between a person that investigators believe to be Karr and Tracey. The e-mails were obtained Thursday by the Rocky Mountain News from a source close to the investigation.

None includes any statements from Karr about his possible role in JonBenet's death. They do, however, include several interesting - and sometimes bizarre - exchanges between the two, including one in which Karr expresses concern that Tracey has obtained a photograph of him; another in which Karr said he was under federal investigation for "child murder and child molestation" in four states; and one in which the two traded views on the Peter Pan-related film Finding Neverland.

Karr was arrested in Thailand early Wednesday on a warrant naming him as the suspect in the unsolved murder of 6-year-old JonBenet in 1996. He is expected to be extradited to the United States next week.

In one of the e-mails obtained by the News, Karr brought up the legal travails of pop singer Michael Jackson, long under scrutiny for what seemed by his critics to be unusually close relationships with young boys.

"I will tell you that I can understand people like Michael Jackson and feel sympathy when he suffers as he has," Karr wrote. He added that he, himself, "is trapped in a world that does not understand."

The News reported exclusively Wednesday that Tracey and Karr have swapped hundreds of e-mails during a four-year span, and that it was the content of those e-mails that gave rise to Tracey's suspicions about Karr's potential involvement in JonBenet's killing.

Tracey, in turn, passed his concerns on to investigators working the case privately. They, in turn, would later take it to prosecutors at the Boulder District Attorney's Office.

Tracey declined to comment on the e-mails obtained by the News Thursday, and a statement provided by a CU spokesman said Tracey would continue to decline interview requests "until he feels the time is right."

"Tracey said it is important now that people respect the judicial process and make no judgments about the guilt or innocence of the suspect until more information is available," the CU statement said.

It also said that Tracey wants to resume writing a book about the 10-year-old investigation and is planning to produce additional documentaries on the case, beyond the three he has already completed.

In a related development Thursday, the Daily Camera reported that Tracey shared details of his research into the Ramsey case with students months before he alerted authorities.

The paper reported former students as saying that someone sent Tracey a childhood picture of himself holding a white Santa Claus teddy bear and purportedly taken on a Christmas morning. The stuffed animal was apparently just like the one that mysteriously showed up in JonBenet's bedroom and stumped the family and investigators.

One of e-mails obtained by the News began with Karr chiding Tracey for failing to respond to an earlier message entitled, "Pretty Little Boy."

That e-mail included what appears to be a back-and-forth exchange - a passage from Tracey and an answer from Karr. However, it appears that Karr took a Tracey e-mail and then inserted his answers after each paragraph.

At one point, Tracey wrote to Karr, "I'm also curious as to why you feel that talking to me is dangerous and that you have shared too much."

Karr wrote back: "I was the subject of at lease (sic) a four-state federal investigation for child murder and child molestation. These people were not finished with me when I left the U.S. I cannot return. Since you have never been through something like this in your own life, you cannot know the paranoia it causes. You mentioned you have access to my photograph after talking to you for at least two years. I have reason to be concerned. Consider, if you will, post-traumatic stress."

A later e-mail included "Resend of Pretty Little Boy" in its subject line.

Again, it appeared to include a back-and-forth exchange.

"This is a letter that was sent on October 10th," Karr wrote. "I have found that you are easily overwhelmed and, when so, you seem to stop responding altogether. That being said, I am also responding to your last mail and will prepare a short message for JonBenet for Christmas night. Please check your mail each day prior to Christmas. Don't stop responding now."

Karr then wrote about his anger that a third person had provided Tracey with a photograph of him. "You NEVER said he HAD a photo of me," Karr wrote. "This changes everything. You have everything but my name and fingerprints. This comes as a major blow. Why did you not tell me this in the past?"

At another point, Karr responded to Tracey's challenge to follow through on his pledge to be "intense and thorough."

"Oh, Michael," Karr wrote, "I was referring to you - not me. I AM intense and thorough. I wanted you to be more intense and thorough in your responses to me. Your desire from me is that I cut to the chase and be specific about locations, names and all the other elements that journalist (sic) look for in a story. I am sorry that this is not the way I express myself about this matter."

Karr wrote later that his father was a "strong influence but rarely around," and then responded to Tracey's question about whether his "fascination with little girls - which clearly has a strong erotic component - is a way of going back."

"Maybe I am not going back but have simply stayed consistent," Karr wrote. "My peer group has not changed since I was a little boy, and girls were the people I was with always. Referring to them as a peer group is somewhat incorrect, but might also be the very definition of what they continue to be in my life."

At another point, Tracey wrote, "You told me once that your mother tended to raise you as a girl. This must have had a powerful effect on your developing sexuality - confusion maybe?"

Karr responded: "Michael, I will not discuss my sexuality as if it is a psychological disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In my case, I disagree with that totally, and if this is to be the way we progress in discussing it, I might as well stop while I am ahead.

"On the other hand, if you would like to learn something about my sexuality on an intellectual, nonjudgmental, nontraditional and nonpsychological way, I would love to share. It would help you understand a lot about my connection with JonBenet and possibly about the case. Shall we?"

Tracey also wrote to Karr about the movie Finding Neverland, which was about the author of Peter Pan.
"I can only say," Karr wrote, "that I can relate very well to children and the way they think and feel. I think you are asking if I am much a 'Peter Pan.' In many ways, the answer is yes. In other ways, I suppose it is no because I am trapped in a world that does not understand."

In his words

• Excerpts from e-mails written by John Mark Karr to University of Colorado journalism professor Michael Tracey:

"I am tortured mostly because of my present situation. I appreciate that you would refer to my childhood. It was unique . . . "

"I will tell you that I can understand people like Michael Jackson and feel sympathy when he suffers as he has. I do think that he is sexually attracted to certain children but could never divulge this. He made an attempt when he talked of sleeping with little boys but was completely misunderstood. I think he made an assertion and quickly had to back down. On the other hand, his comments might have had nothing to do with having the type of sex one might equate with the sense of the term, sex."

"Again, I was talking about you in reference to more intensity. The investigation was Federal. It involved four states. Knowing now that you have my photo, I am not keen on telling you of the specific states. I lost every friend, contact and family member as a result of this investigation. Some of my closest little girls were questioned by the authorities which broke my heart into pieces. I will never have contact with anyone in my past ever again. I lost my identity when this happened. This was the easy part. The worst was yet to come."

"I 'want' to tell you much though I cannot due to the fact that it has been revealed to me that you now know what I look like. This is a blow to our conversations and to my sharing. Had I known this earlier, I would have shared less - I am sure of it. With that said, I still responded to your mail in full . . .

"Sometimes little girls are closer to me than with their parents or any other person in their lives. When I refer to myself as JonBenet's Closest, maybe now you understand."

"I am interested in telling you anything that does not cost me everything as it did in the past."


Extradition policy

• The process for getting back an American citizen suspected of a crime, such as John Mark Karr, from a foreign country depends on the terms of the extradition treaty the United States has with it. "If we have a treaty with the country, it lays out the protocol in which you seek the return," said Bryan Sierra, spokesman for the Department of Justice.

• The United States does have an extradition treaty with Thailand, but it was not clear Thursday what the terms are.A formal request, either by the Department of Justice or the State Department, or sometimes both, would be made to the foreign country under the terms of the treaty.

• There had been no response Thursday to the Department of Justice's request to have Karr extradited. The decision on when the suspect is extradited is up to Thailand. "We're not the ones who have the control of the system," Sierra said.

District Attorney's Statement in JonBenet Ramsey Murder Case
Thursday, August 17, 2006



Transcript of the statement from Mary Lacy, the Boulder County district attorney leading the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation:

Good morning.

As you are now aware, John Mark Karr, 41 years old, was arrested for the murder of JonBenet Ramsey yesterday morning at approximately 6 a.m. in Bangkok, Thailand. Mr. Karr was living in Bangkok. He began his employment as a second grade teacher in a Bangkok international school on Tuesday of this week.

Mr. Karr has traveled extensively since leaving the United States several years ago. The District Attorneys' Office in conjunction with many other law enforcement agencies have spent the past few months locating, identifying and yesterday, arresting Mr. Karr. Much work has been done in those efforts. There is much more work that needs to be done now that the suspect is in custody.Our preference would have been to complete that work out of the public eye. That is obviously not possible this morning.

You all have many questions that you are anxious to have answered.John Karr is presumed innocent. We are rightfully constrained by the code of professional conduct and the presumption of innocence from answering those questions today.



What I can tell you in a generic sense is that in all serious cases, we work hard with law enforcement not to make an arrest until the investigation is substantially complete. That optimal situation best protects the rights of the suspect. There are circumstances that may exist in any case which mandate an arrest before an investigation is complete. The primary reason is public safety. A secondary reason is fear of flight.In short, exigent circumstances can drive the timing of an arrest. I am not commenting on the particular nature of this investigation or arrest.

There is a great deal of speculation and a desire for quick answer. We should all heed the poignant advice John Ramsey gave yesterday.Do not jump to judgment. Do not speculate.Let the justice system take its course.

Let us continue to do our job thoroughly. The analysis of the evidence in this case continues on a day-by-day basis.

What I can and very much want to share with you is a deep appreciation for the hard work, total cooperation and dedication of many individuals and agencies across this country and in Thailand. You can surely imagine the logistical difficulty of conducting an international investigation of this nature, particularly when their day is our night and our night is their day.

Our role in the investigation of JonBenet Ramsey's murder has been to follow up on all legitimate leads that we have received from law enforcement and concerned citizens. There have been many, particularly around dates of interest such as anniversaries. John and Patsy Ramsey have cooperated fully with each and every request that we have forwarded to them.

I would like to briefly introduce to you my chief investigator Tom Bennett, who continues to lead our investigative efforts. Also my top assistants Peter Maguire and Bill Nagel who have worked closely with Tom and his unit. Each of them join me today in extending our most sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the many individuals and agencies that have assisted us ...

At every level in Thailand, law enforcement joined forces to provide 24 hour assistance to our investigators here and in Bangkok seven days a week. We are overwhelmed by the selfless dedication and hard work of these individuals and agencies. We cannot adequately express our thanks.

JonBenet Murder Suspect Says He Loved Victim, Is 'Very Sorry'
Thursday, August 17, 2006


BANGKOK, Thailand — The suspect in the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey said he loved the 6-year-old beauty queen "very much" and is "very sorry for what happened."

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, John Mark Karr said that he contacted JonBenet's mother, Patsy, before she died of cancer in June to express his remorse for the killing.

"I conveyed to her many things, among them that I am so very sorry for what happened to JonBenet," Karr said as U.S. and Thai authorities escorted him from his Bangkok hotel, where he spent over an hour packing his belongings.

"It's very important for me that everyone knows that I love her very much and that her death was unintentional," said Karr, who sweated and stuttered occasionally as he spoke in a quiet voice.

Karr, 41, was arrested Wednesday, halfway around the world from Boulder, Colo., where JonBenet's body was found beaten and strangled in her parent's basement on Dec. 26, 1996.

The district attorney in the JonBenet Ramsey slaying said Thursday there is "much more work" to be done in the case against the suspect, and she warned the public not to "jump to conclusions."

Mary Lacy, who has spearheaded the investigation for Boulder County, did not immediately disclose any details about the case involving former schoolteacher John Mark Karr, 41, who was arrested a day earlier at an apartment in Bangkok.

But Lacy suggested that the arrest may have been forced by other circumstances, including the need for public safety and fear the suspect might flee.

Karr has declined to disclose the nature of his supposed relationship to the Ramsey family, or how he may have known JonBenet.

• More coverage available in FOXNews.com's Crime Center.

Asked for details of how she died, Karr replied: "It would take several hours to describe — to describe that."

"There's no way I could be brief about it. It's a very involved series of events," said Karr, who speaks with a thick Southern accent. "It's very painful for me to talk about."

Earlier in the day, Karr spoke briefly to reporters after a news conference by American and Thai authorities.

"I was with JonBenet when she died," he told reporters. Asked if he was innocent, he said: "No."

Karr will be taken within the week to Colorado, where he will face charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and child sexual assault, said Ann Hurst of the Department of Homeland Security, one of several officials who accompanied the suspect back to his hotel.

Karr's ex-wife, Lara Karr, told KGO-TV in California that she was with her former husband in Alabama at the time of JonBenet's killing and she does not believe he was involved in the homicide.
Lara Karr said her ex-husband spent a lot of time studying the cases of Ramsey and Polly Klaas, who was abducted from her Petaluma, Calif., home and slain in 1993.

In the run-up to Karr's arrest, U.S. authorities had rented rooms at The Blooms, the budget hotel where Karr was staying in a central Bangkok neighborhood of massage parlors and travel agencies catering to expatriates and sex tourists.

The hotel offers rooms for as little as three hours — for $8 — and monthly stays starting at $170.

Karr was staying on the top floor of the nine-story hotel in a small single room.

U.S. and Thai authorities wearing plastic gloves sorted through his possessions, which were wheeled away on a luggage rack, and included a laptop computer and two suitcases.

Dressed in a baggy turquoise polo shirt and khaki pants, Karr said that JonBenet's death was "not what it seems to be," though he declined to elaborate.

"In every way," he added, as authorities bundled him into a waiting vehicle. "It's not at all what it seems to be."

Statement by John Ramsey and Attorney
Wednesday, August 16, 2006

The following is a statement by John Ramsey on today's arrest of a suspect in connection with the murder of his daughter, JonBenét Ramsey:

"I want to have only very limited comment on today's arrest because I feel it is extremely important to not only let the justice system operate to its conclusion in an orderly manner, but also to avoid feeding the type of media speculation that my wife and I were subjected to for so many years," said John Ramsey. "I do want to say, however, that the investigation of the individual arrested today in connection with JonBenét's death was discussed with Patsy and me by the Boulder District Attorney's office prior to Patsy's death in June. So Patsy was aware that authorities were close to making an arrest in the case and had she lived to see this day, would no doubt have been as pleased as I am with today's development almost 10 years after our daughter's murder. Words cannot adequately express my gratitude for the efforts of Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy and the members of her investigative team."

Patsy Ramsey lost a 13-year battle with ovarian cancer and passed away on June 24.

"The Ramseys and I have been totally amazed and impressed with the professionalism of law enforcement under the direction of Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy. This was obviously an incredibly complex task but one that has been carried out in almost textbook fashion with the investigation of this individual going on for several months, without any leaks in the case," said L. Lin Wood, attorney for the Ramsey family and a partner at Powell Goldstein in Atlanta. "I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the many people who have stood by the Ramseys, believing in them and their innocence throughout these long and difficult years."

Suspect Arrested in JonBenet Ramsey Murder
Thursday, August 17, 2006


BOULDER, Colo. — A former schoolteacher was arrested Wednesday in Thailand in the slaying of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey — a surprise breakthrough in a lurid, decade-old murder mystery that had cast a cloud of suspicion over her parents.

Ramsey family attorney Lin Wood identified the suspect as John Mark Karr, 41. Federal officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the name, and one law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Boulder police had tracked him down online.

Wood said the arrest vindicated JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey. Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer June 24.

"John and Patsy lived their lives knowing they were innocent, trying to raise a son despite the furor around them," Wood said. "The story of this family is a story of courage, and story of an American injustice and tragedy that ultimately people will have to look back on and hopefully learn from."

The attorney said the Ramseys learned about the suspect at least a month before Patsy Ramsey's death. "It's been a very long 10 years, and I'm just sorry Patsy isn't here for me to hug her neck," Wood said.

Karr was a teacher who once lived in Conyers, Ga., according to Wood. The attorney said the Ramseys gave police information about Karr before he was identified as a suspect.

Wood would not say how the Ramseys knew Karr. But JonBenet was born in Atlanta in 1990, and the Ramseys lived in the Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody, about 30 miles northeast of Conyers, for several years before moving to Colorado in 1991.

Thai police said that when Karr was arrested, he denied any involvement in JonBenet's slaying. But a source close to the investigation in the U.S. said Karr confessed to certain elements of the crime. Also, a law enforcement source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the AP that Karr had been communicating periodically with somebody in Boulder who had been following the case and cooperating with law enforcement officials.


A University of Colorado spokesman, Barrie Hartman, said journalism professor Michael Tracey communicated with Karr over several months and contacted police. The CU spokesman said he didn't know what prompted Tracey to become suspicious of Karr.

Tracey produced a documentary in 2004 called "Who Killed JonBenet?" A woman who answered the phone at a number under his name said he didn't live there anymore; his office phone mailbox was full.

It was widely reported, but not confirmed by authorities, that Karr taught in California until he was stripped of his teaching credentials following an arrest on child pornography charges.


Sonoma County Chief Deputy District Attorney Joan Risse confirmed the child pornography charges and arrest warrant against a John Mark Karr, though she cautioned that she didn't know if he was the same person held in the Ramsey case. State records show Karr lost his teaching credential in 2002.

A woman who said she was the ex-wife of former Petaluma teacher John Karr told KGO-TV in San Francisco that they got divorced after his arrest. The woman, who the station identified as Laura Karr, said her ex-husband spent a lot of time reading up on the cases of Ramsey and Petaluma resident Polly Klaas, who was abducted and slain in 1993.

She said she does not believe her former husband was involved in JonBenet's killing and said she was with him in Alabama at the time of the homicide.

A search of public records indicates that a John M. Karr and a Lara Karr shared a Petaluma address as recently as 2001, but The AP could not independently confirm that they are the suspect and the woman identified by the television station.


Karr's brother, Nate Karr, said his brother's alleged involvement was a misunderstanding. He told Fox News his brother may have been implicated because of research he has done for a book about men who commit crimes against children.

"That is the only possible way we think he could have been brought into this," Nate Karr told Fox News. He said his brother lived in Alabama until around five years ago before moving to California and since then they haven't talked as much. Nate Karr said his brother was married about 13 years ago and has three children but he wasn't sure if he was still married.

District Attorney Mary Lacy said the arrest followed several months of work, but she said no details would be released until Thursday.

U.S. authorities said Karr was initially taken into custody in Bangkok on unrelated sex charges. But Thai police Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul said he was unaware of any criminal charges the suspect faced in Thailand.


Karr was arrested at his apartment in downtown Bangkok at the request of U.S. officials, and was being held until they arrived, Thai police said. Suwat said he expected U.S. officials to take Karr back to America in the next few days.

Karr's brother in an interview with WAGA-TV in Atlanta called the accusations "ridiculous, without a doubt."

Nate Karr added that suspicious e-mails cited by authorities related to a book his brother was writing. He declined to comment further, saying the family would have more to say on Thursday.

JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder on Dec. 26, 1996. Patsy Ramsey reported finding a ransom note in the house demanding $118,000 for her daughter.

The image of blonde-haired little JonBenet in a cowgirl costume and other beauty pageant outfits has haunted TV talk shows ever since, helping feed myriad theories about her killer, and the case became one of the most sensational unsolved murder cases in the nation.

Over the years, some experts suggested that investigators had botched the case so thoroughly that it might never be solved.

Investigators at one point said JonBenet's parents were under an "umbrella of suspicion" in the slaying. And some news accounts cast suspicion on JonBenet's older brother. But the Ramseys insisted an intruder killed their daughter, and no one was ever charged.

In the months after the slaying, Patsy Ramsey went before the cameras, vigorously defending herself and her husband, chastising the media and blasting local law enforcement as incompetent.

In a statement Wednesday, John Ramsey said: "Patsy was aware that authorities were close to making an arrest in the case, and had she lived to see this day, would no doubt have been as pleased as I am with today's development almost 10 years after our daughter's murder."

The Ramseys moved back to Atlanta after their daughter's slaying.

Wood lashed out at the frenzy that long surrounded the case, and he accused the media of "the most obscene false accusations." "I think the public's mind was so poisoned against this family that no one was able for too many years to look at the evidence," he said.

Patsy Ramsey's sister, Pam Paugh, of Roswell, Ga., said the family was celebrating the news of the arrest. "We are elated. We are elated. If this is, in fact, the killer, then we have a very heinous killer off the streets to never harm another child," Paugh said.

Lib Waters of Marietta, Ga., visited the gravesites of Patsy and JonBenet Ramsey in the Atlanta suburb immediately after hearing news reports about the arrest.

Waters, who described herself as a longtime friend of the Ramsey family, taped a piece of notebook paper to JonBenet Ramsey's headstone that read: "Dearest Patsy, Justice has come for you and Jon. Rest in peace."

In 2003, a federal judge in Atlanta concluded that the evidence she reviewed suggested an intruder killed JonBenet. That opinion came with the judge's decision to dismiss a libel and slander lawsuit against the Ramseys by a freelance journalist, whom the Ramseys had named as a suspect in their daughter's murder. The Boulder district attorney at the time said she agreed with the judge's declaration.

"Today is additional vindication of the family," Wood said.

Wood said he and the Ramseys "have been totally amazed and impressed with the professionalism of law enforcement" under Lacy's direction. Lacy became district attorney in 2001.

DNA was found beneath JonBenet's fingernails and inside her underwear, but Wood said two years ago that detectives were unable to match it to anyone in an FBI database. It was not immediately known Wednesday whether investigators had any DNA evidence against Karr.