# Arrest made in JonBonet Ramsey case



## frapmpd24 (Sep 3, 2004)

Arrest made in JonBenet Ramsey case 
Suspect detained in Thailand in connection with '96 murder, DA source says
*BREAKING NEWS*
NBC News and news services

Updated: 5:22 p.m. ET Aug 16, 2006

BOULDER, Colo. - A man suspected in the slaying of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey nearly a decade ago was arrested Wednesday in Thailand, the district attorney said.

Colorado authorities scheduled a news conference Thursday to discuss the case but declined further comment.

Federal officials familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the man was already being held in Bangkok on unrelated sex charges. CBS reported that the suspect, a 41-year-old second-grade teacher from the U.S., will be brought back to the United States this weekend.

The suspect was detained in Bangkok on Wednesday morning, Denver NBC affiliate KUSA said, and was going to be brought to the U.S. within the next two days by a Boulder County district attorney investigator.

The girl was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder, Colo., on Dec. 26, 1996.

Law enforcement officials from Boulder were flying to Bangkok to present Thai authorities with documents in the slaying of the 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant, officials in Washington said. They asked to remain anonymous pending an announcement in Colorado.

According to KUSA, the suspect in custody knew details about the murder that had not been made available to the general public.
The girl's parents, Patsy and John Ramsey, had been under an "umbrella of suspicion" in JonBenet's death. The Ramseys said an intruder killed their daughter. A grand jury investigation in Boulder ended with no indictments, and no arrests had been made in the case.

Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer in June.

In 2003, U.S. District Judge Julie Carnes 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 Carnes' declaration.


_This breaking news story will be updated._

_NBC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report._

*I'm interested to see more on this case and how this plays out. This could be one of the best pinches in some time. *

*This just goes to show and is a good reminder to the citizens, wait, Lemmings (sorry DCS...I stand corrected) that police work in most cases takes time. **Too many of the citizens out there think life is like CSI and Law and Order. Reality check, crimes (minor, major, high profile, etc..) are not solved in an hour time period. **Cudos to Boulder PD and the other agencies involved on this arrest. *


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## Nachtwächter (Dec 9, 2005)

* Suspect says Ramsey death 'an accident' *

By SUTIN WANNABOVORN, Associated Press Writer_1 hour, 18 minutes ago_

A former American school teacher said publicly Thursday he was with JonBenet Ramsey when she was killed and called the 6-year-old's death "an accident," a stunning admission that should help answer 10 years of questions in the unsolved murder case.
John Mark Karr, 41, will be taken within the week to Colorado, where he will face charges of first degree murder, kidnapping and child sexual assault, Ann Hurst of the Department of Homeland Security told a news conference in Bangkok.
"I was with JonBenet when she died," John Mark Karr told reporters afterward, visibly nervous and stuttering as he spoke. "Her death was an accident."
Asked if he was innocent of the crime, Karr said: "No."
Karr confessed to the killing after his arrest Wednesday at his downtown Bangkok apartment by Thai and American authorities, said Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul, head of Thailand's immigration police.
He said Karr insisted his crime was not first-degree murder but that she died during a kidnapping attempt that went awry.
"He said it was second-degree murder. He said it was unintentional. He said he was in love with the child, she was a pageant queen," Suwat said.
Karr declined to say what his connection was to the Ramsey family. Dressed in a turquoise polo shirt and khaki trousers, he appeared ashen with an expressionless look on his face.
An attorney for the Ramsey family said Wednesday that Karr once lived near the family in Conyers, Ga.
JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder, Colo., on Dec. 26, 1996.
Wednesday's arrest was a surprise development in one of America's most lurid murder cases, which had left a cloud of suspicion over her family after years went by with no arrests. Some feared the case would never be solved.
Striking video images of the blonde-haired girl in child beauty pageants helped propel the case into one of the highest-profile mysteries in the United States.
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 university 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.
The Ramseys learned that police were investigating Karr at least a month before the June death of JonBenet's mother, Patsy Ramsey, of ovarian cancer, the family said.
In a statement Wednesday, father John Ramsey said that if his wife had lived to see Karr's arrest, she "would no doubt have been as pleased as I am with today's development almost 10 years after our daughter's murder."
Suwat quoted Karr as saying he tried to kidnap JonBenet for a $118,000 ransom but that his plan went awry and he strangled her. Patsy Ramsey reported finding a ransom note in the house demanding $118,000 for her daughter. 
Investigators said at one point that JonBenet's parents were under an "umbrella of suspicion" in the slaying, and some news accounts cast suspicion on JonBenet's older brother, Burke. But the Ramseys insisted an intruder killed their daughter, and no one was ever charged. 
Over the years, some experts suggested that investigators had botched the case so thoroughly that it might never be solved. The Ramseys moved back to Atlanta after their daughter's slaying. 
"It's been a very long 10 years, and I'm just sorry Patsy isn't here for me to hug her neck," said Lin Wood, the family's longtime attorney. 
"John and Patsy lived their lives knowing they were innocent, trying to raise a son despite the furor around them," Wood told MSNBC. 
Suwat said U.S. authorities informed Thai police on Aug. 11 that an arrest warrant had been issued for Karr on charges of premeditated murder. The warrant was sent to Thai police on Wednesday. 
"Through investigation we were able to determine where his residence was and the Thais arrested him," Hurst said. "He did not resist. He did express surprise." 
Hurst said Karr has been "very cooperative" with authorities and that he's shown a "variety of emotions." 
Suwat said Karr arrived in Bangkok on June 6 from Malaysia to look for a teaching job. It was not clear whether he had gotten a job, the police officer said. 
Karr's visa has been revoked as an "undesirable person" given the accusations against him, and U.S. authorities were expected to take him to the United States in the next few days, Suwat said. 
Hurst, with the department's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Bangkok, said that Karr had left the United States several years ago and had not returned. 
The immigration and customs office had assisted the Boulder County District Attorney's Office and the Royal Thai Police in the investigation. 
The suspect, who has been in Thailand five times over the past two years, was being detained by immigration police pending arrival of U.S. officials, Suwat said. 
When asked how he could travel for so many years in Asia, and whether he was independently wealthy, Hurst responded, "We're asking the same questions." 
Police said Karr had been living in a dormitory-style hotel called The Blooms in a neighborhood of massage parlors and travel agents that cater to expatriate residents and sex tourists. The nine-story hotel offers rooms for as short as three-hour rentals. 
The district attorney in Boulder, Mary Lacy, said the arrest followed several months of work. 
She said Karr, who had traveled extensively across the world, may also be connected to a prior case in Santa Rosa County, Calif. She did not provide further details. 
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 Bangkok. State records show Karr lost his teaching credential in 2002.


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## Officer Dunngeon (Aug 16, 2002)

Does anybody else think this confession is suspicious? I mean, after 10 years this guy suddenly admits to one of the most high profile murder cases of the 20th century just recently after it popped back up in the news again? :-k :-s

Ugh... he is creepy looking, nonetheless. Shirt buttoned all the way up, pants pulled up to his chest... plus the fact that he's a single, middle-aged guy hanging out in Thailand... hmmm, what do you think he was doing there??? :uc: P:


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## Irish Wampanoag (Apr 6, 2003)

Suspicious? No not at all this is the kind of profile type guy the feds were looking for. 

He probably moved to Thailand because he like the food.:baby21:


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Ex-wife gives alibi for JonBenet suspect*

_AP - 47 minutes ago_ BANGKOK, Thailand - A former American school teacher said publicly Thursday that he was with JonBenet Ramsey when she died in what he called "an accident," a stunning admission after a decade without answers in the 6-year-old girl's murder. But the suspect's ex-wife said she was with him in Alabama at the time of JonBenet's 1996 death.

 
Enlarge Photo AP

By ALISA TANG, Associated Press Writer

BANGKOK, Thailand - A former American school teacher said publicly Thursday that he was with JonBenet Ramsey when she died in what he called "an accident," a stunning admission after a decade without answers in the 6-year-old girl's murder. But the suspect's ex-wife said she was with him in Alabama at the time of JonBenet's 1996 death.

John Mark Karr, 41, will be taken within the week to Colorado, where he will face charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and child sexual assault, Ann Hurst of the Department of Homeland Security told a news conference in Bangkok.
"I was with JonBenet when she died," Karr told reporters afterward, visibly nervous and stuttering. "Her death was an accident."
Asked if he was innocent of the crime, Karr said: "No."
As he was escorted to his guesthouse to pick up his belongings, Karr told The Associated Press: "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."
Asked what happened when JonBenet died, he 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 it."
He told the AP he made "several efforts to communicate with Patricia before she passed away," referring to JonBenet's mother, who died in June, "and it is my understanding that she did read my letters."
No evidence against Karr has been made public beyond his own admission. U.S. and Thai officials did not directly answer a question at the news conference Thursday about whether there was DNA evidence connecting him to the crime.
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 her former husband was involved in the homicide.
She 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.
Karr on Thursday refused to say what his connection was to the Ramsey family. An attorney for the Ramsey family said Wednesday that Karr once lived near the family in Conyers, Ga.
Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul, head of Thailand's immigration police, said Karr confessed to the killing after his arrest by Thai and U.S. authorities Wednesday at his downtown Bangkok guesthouse.
Suwat said Karr insisted that JonBenet died during a kidnapping attempt that went awry.
"He said it was second-degree murder. He said it was unintentional," Suwat said. "He said he loved this child, that he was in love with her. He said she was very pretty, a pageant queen. She was the school star, she was very cute and sweet."
Suwat quoted Karr as saying he tried to kidnap JonBenet for a $118,000 ransom but that his plan went awry and he strangled her.
JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder, Colo., on Dec. 26, 1996.
Patsy Ramsey reported finding a ransom note in the house demanding $118,000 for her daughter.
Images of the blonde girl competing in child beauty pageants helped propel the case into one of the highest-profile mysteries in the United States. 
DNA was found beneath JonBenet's fingernails and inside her underwear, but Lin Wood, the family's longtime attorney, said two years ago that detectives were unable to match it to anyone in an FBI database. 
A law-enforcement source told the AP on condition of anonymity 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 university 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. 
Investigators said at one point that JonBenet's parents were under an "umbrella of suspicion" in the slaying, and some news accounts cast suspicion on JonBenet's older brother, Burke. But the Ramseys insisted an intruder killed their daughter, and no one was ever charged. 
Over the years, some experts suggested that investigators had botched the case so thoroughly that it might never be solved. The Ramseys moved back to Atlanta after their daughter's slaying. 
"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. 
"John and Patsy lived their lives knowing they were innocent, trying to raise a son despite the furor around them," he told MSNBC. 
The Ramseys learned that police were investigating Karr at least a month before Patsy Ramsey's death from ovarian cancer, the family said. 
In a statement Wednesday, John Ramsey said that if his wife had lived to see Karr's arrest, she "would no doubt have been as pleased as I am with today's development almost 10 years after our daughter's murder." 
Bob Raines, principal at Wilson Elementary School outside Petaluma, said he twice hired Karr as a substitute in second- and fourth-grade classes in 2001. After observing him, Raines said he concluded Karr hadn't been trained, had poor skills keeping classes focused and was ineffective. 
A couple months later, Sonoma County sheriff's officials sent a letter to school officials saying Karr had been arrested, said Carl Wong, the Sonoma County superintendent of schools. 
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 Bangkok. State records show Karr lost his teaching credential in 2002. 
Police said Karr had been living in a dormitory-style guesthouse called The Blooms in a neighborhood of massage parlors and travel agents that cater to expatriate residents and sex tourists. 
Suwat said U.S. authorities informed Thai police on Aug. 11 that an arrest warrant had been issued for Karr on charges of premeditated murder. The warrant was sent to Thai police on Wednesday. 
"Through investigation we were able to determine where his residence was and the Thais arrested him," Hurst said. "He did not resist. He did express surprise." 
Hurst said Karr has been "very cooperative" with authorities and that he's shown a "variety of emotions." 
Suwat said Karr arrived in Bangkok on June 6 from Malaysia to look for a teaching job. It was not clear whether he had gotten a job, the police officer said. 
Karr's visa has been revoked for being an "undesirable person" after the accusations against him, and U.S. authorities were expected to take him to the United States in the next few days, Suwat said. 
Hurst, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Bangkok, said that Karr had left the United States several years ago and had not returned.

*Who is Karr:*
http://p33.news.re2.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060817/ap_on_re_as/jonbenet_suspect_resumes


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## NewEngland2007 (Dec 31, 2005)

Officer Dunngeon said:


> Does anybody else think this confession is suspicious? I mean, after 10 years this guy suddenly admits to one of the most high profile murder cases of the 20th century just recently after it popped back up in the news again? :-k :-s
> 
> Definitely a diddler but something doesn't seem quite right about his confession. Sounds like he's been obsessed with the case.


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## hubble (Aug 6, 2006)

sounds like a nut looking for his fifteen minutes.


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## Officer Dunngeon (Aug 16, 2002)

Yeeeeah... I'm going to lean in the direction of attention seeker. Until I hear in the news of some concrete proof that this skinny little twerp killed her, I'm going to have my doubts!


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## Tango (Nov 28, 2004)

Officer Dunngeon said:


> Yeeeeah... I'm going to lean in the direction of attention seeker. Until I hear in the news of some concrete proof that this skinny little twerp killed her, I'm going to have my doubts!


I thought the exact same thing...diddler, very obsessed about the case...probably convinced himself that he did it....I agree Dunngeon, gonna wait and see with this one


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## lofu (Feb 25, 2006)

Throw me in there with all the people who think something is not quite right with this confession. Sure he looks creepy, and probably is a diddler but something doesn't seem right to me. First of all, from the little that I've seen of this creep he doesn't come across as the kind of person with the mental capacity to pull this off and get away with it for so long. 

Of course you won't see the Boulder PD denying his confession. They have been trying desperately to arrest someone other than her parents for so long this has come as a relief. 

To me something still seems fishy about the family members themselves.


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## SOT (Jul 30, 2004)

I'm betting nut job, going to do some REALLY hard time in a Thailand and figured this was his "out".

The dude looks sick, like he's goign to die type of sick.


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## jasonbr (Feb 9, 2006)

If he was going to do time in Thailand - as soon as he got back to the U.S. he wouldn't/shouldn't admit guilt - it's not like we'd extradite him back to Thailand.... Also: What's up with his former wife (she looked kinda hot from what i could tell) saying she was with him that night. After all they got divorced many many years ago after he got cought/ was arrested (not sure) with child pornography. I don't see why she'd lie and throw herself into the spotlight with her kids. Anyways, this guy was thoroughly obsessed they say in the case and the opportunity to associate his name with it, for the rest of history, was the way he took it seems.....


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## Officer Dunngeon (Aug 16, 2002)

*Suspect Wrote term paper on case*

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14388811/

Lara Karr of Petaluma, who divorced Karr in 2001, told KGO-TV in San Francisco that he often spent time reading up on the cases of Ramsey and Petaluma resident Polly Klaas, who was abducted and slain in another high-profile case.

The Ramseys lived in the Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody for several years before moving to Colorado in 1991.

Patsy Ramsey, who was crowned Miss West Virginia in 1977, died of ovarian cancer June 24.

Karr's father told The Denver Post that while Karr was in college, which he attended as an adult, a professor encouraged him to write a book about the Ramsey case after being impressed with a school paper.

"He researched everything he could about her," Wexford Karr said.

John Karr spoke with JonBenet's grandparents, but the Ramseys refused an interview, Wexford Karr said.

He said he feared his son may have been dead before Wednesday's arrest because he hadn't heard from him in several years.


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*JonBenet suspect lived in sex-tourist area of Bangkok
By JOCELYN GECKER
Associated Press Writer
*

*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.

Karr said it was his understanding that Patsy Ramsey read letters that he sent to her. He said JonBenet's death was "an accident."

"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.

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

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.

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."








_Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed._


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*JonBenet Suspect Known For Marriages To Teens*

*People Doubting Man's Confession*

John Mark Karr remained in a Thai jail Friday, ready to leave for the United States at any time to face accusations in the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey.

It's nothing like Thursday, when he answered questions from reporters and stunned them by declaring he was with JonBenet in her Boulder, Colo., home when she died on Dec. 26, 1996. He claimed it was an accident. Friday, a sign was posted at the jail telling reporters that Karr is not allowed visitors.

Karr did get a visit Friday from a U.S. consular official, who had no comment on the Ramsey case. 
A Thai police official said Karr is ready to return to the United States, but now wants to fight the case. He said U.S. officials are preparing documents and plane tickets. 
For now, the only public evidence against John Mark Karr is his own words. And questions have already been raised about the details of his story. 
The district attorney in Boulder said Karr was arrested a day after he began teaching second grade in Bangkok. Karr had been fired from a job teaching first-graders at another Thai school in June because officials said he didn't seem to work well with young children. Another American teacher who works at the school said he found Karr to be an "oddball." 
Karr was known in his Alabama hometown for his flashy red sports car. 
But he was also dogged by questions about his marriages to teenage girls and behavior in elementary classrooms where he worked as a substitute teacher. 
Karr, who lived in northwest Alabama from his preteen years until after the brutal slaying in Colorado, stood out in this rural town both for his gull-winged red DeLorean and his intelligence. 
Marion County School Superintendent Bravell Jackson said people couldn't help but like Karr. Jackson taught Karr and later had to fire him as a substitute teacher amid parent complaints. 
Sandra Ford, a retired fifth-grade teacher at Kilby School in Florence supervised Karr's internship, said she was concerned by the way he related to female students. 
Karr's marriages to teen girls also generated talk in the area. 
Court records show a 14-year-old girl sought an annulment of their "ceremonial marriage" in 1985. She claimed she feared for her life when she agreed to wed him in 1984, when she was just 13 and he was 19. Karr admitted she was a minor, but denied she was 13. A judge granted the annulment. 
Karr later married Lara Karr, who was 16 when their twin daughters died the day they were born on Sept. 1, 1989. The girls, Angel and Innocence Karr, are buried in the cemetery of a rural church in a family plot. 
Former Sheriff A.C. Tice said the twins were born at home. 
Probate Judge Annette Bozeman said Karr apparently delivered his children. 
Karr was described as "a nice man" with good credentials by the school official in Thailand who hired him to teach first grade. 
But Karr was dismissed in June after just two weeks at the prestigious Bangkok school for being too strict. The official said Karr came across in his interview as clean-cut, polite and experienced. But parents complained about his use of "time outs" for children who didn't behave. 
Although Karr confessed to JonBenet's slaying, experts are questioning details of his confession, and the district attorney in Boulder cautions against any rush to judgment.

*Doubts Arise About Story* 
Any previous relationship between the family of JonBenet Ramsey and the Alabama man who has confessed to killing her remains a mystery -- though both once lived in suburban Atlanta. 
District Attorney Mary Lacy refused to say whether authorities have evidence linking to JonBenet's death. 
Hours after Karr told reporters in Thailand he was with the child beauty queen when she died, questions arose about his claims. That includes whether he drugged the 6-year-old girl, sexually assaulted her or was even in Colorado at the time she was killed. 
Author Carlton Smith wrote 1997's "Death of a Little Princess: The Tragic Story of the Murder of JonBenet Ramsey." 
He said of Karr, "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." 
Karr told investigators he drugged and sexually assaulted the girl before accidentally killing her. Yet JonBenet's autopsy report found no evidence of drugs, saying her death was caused by strangulation after a beating that included a fractured skull. 
Thai police said Karr told them he picked JonBenet up at school and took her to her home. But the slaying occurred during Christmas break. 
Karr's ex-wife, Lara Knutson, told reporters she cannot defend him, then insisted he was with her in Alabama that Christmas.

*Jailed For Child Porn*

Karr was once jailed briefly in Sonoma County, Calif., for investigation of possessing child pornography, but skipped town before going to trial. 
Karr's wife filed for divorce a few days after his 2001 arrest in Petaluma, where Karr had done some substitute teaching at elementary schools. 
Lara Karr won custody of their three children and got a restraining order against Karr about six months later, after he was released from jail pending trial. Soon after that, he disappeared. 
Karr had told detectives he was researching a book on convicted child killer Richard Allen Davis, who's on death row for murdering Polly Klaas. He said he had a letter from Davis and a copy of Polly Klaas' death certificate. 
*E-Mail Helps Track Karr*

A Colorado university professor said he swapped e-mails about the JonBenet Ramsey case with a man for four years before contacting authorities. 
Michael Tracey said something about the messages changed in May, prompting him to give the correspondence to prosecutors. He won't reveal what changed, but he said it led to this week's arrest of Karr. 
The University of Colorado journalism professor has produced three documentaries about the Ramsey case and said he has received thousands of e-mail messages in response. Tracey said most come from people with their own wild theories. But Tracey said one he received in 2002 stood out and led to the extended correspondence. Again, he won't say why. 
Tracey has criticized investigators who publicly identified the child beauty queen's parents as suspects. He has praised the current district attorney's handling of the case.

*Previous Stories:* 
August 17, 2006: Ramsey Suspect Previously Jailed For Child Porn
August 17, 2006: Dead Psychic's Sketch Of JonBenet Killer Revisited
August 17, 2006: Suspect Admits Killing JonBenet, Says He Loves Her
August 17, 2006: Suspect: JonBenet Ramsey's Death 'An Accident'
August 16, 2006: Police Test New DNA In JonBenet Case
June 24, 2006: Patsy Ramsey To Be Buried Next To JonBenet
August 17, 2001: Police Test New DNA In JonBenet Case
February 20, 2001: John Ramsey Locked Up During Botched Robbery
August 29, 2000: Police Say Ramsey Talks Didn't Go Well
August 29, 2000: Interview With Ramseys Heats Up
November 6, 1999: John And Patsy Break The Silence
October 13, 1999: No Indictment In JonBenet Case 
_Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. _

_The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed._​


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## SOT (Jul 30, 2004)

I'm thinking he was going to do time in Thailand, for good...forever etc and so on so the US having pretty good relations for extradition bascially got this guy out of Thailand...for a prior case. I would much rather go to jail in the US than in Thailand.
Since this murder predates the case in Thailand, it's the perfect get out of jail card for him....we will see what happens. 
I also consider that this is the ultimate way for this nutjob to get attention.



jasonbr said:


> If he was going to do time in Thailand - as soon as he got back to the U.S. he wouldn't/shouldn't admit guilt - it's not like we'd extradite him back to Thailand.... Also: What's up with his former wife (she looked kinda hot from what i could tell) saying she was with him that night. After all they got divorced many many years ago after he got cought/ was arrested (not sure) with child pornography. I don't see why she'd lie and throw herself into the spotlight with her kids. Anyways, this guy was thoroughly obsessed they say in the case and the opportunity to associate his name with it, for the rest of history, was the way he took it seems.....


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

My only thought is when they find out this idiot did not kill her that we extradite him back to Thailand post haste.


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## jasonbr (Feb 9, 2006)

I think i missed something..... why was he going to go to jail in Thailand? I thought that he just got arrested for the first time to get sent back here...


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## Mitpo62 (Jan 13, 2004)

This guy's an attention seeking wingnut. I still believe the parents had something to do with that little girl's death. Prove it? Probably not ever.


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## Channy1984 (Jul 24, 2004)

This guy looks like a cross between a heroin addict, the T-1000 from terminator 2, and ET as if he was stretched up a little taller! :-D


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*DUNLEAVY: IT SOUNDS LIKE DA'S BEEN HAD...**










**'John Mark Karr as much killed JonBenet Ramsey as Mickey Mouse did'...**

**Woman Reportedly Taped Talks...**

**Suspect's Writings Offer Clues...**

**Toy-bear mystery...**

**'Karr' postings point to Web site for kids...*


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*What an A-Hole this guy is !!!!!!!!*

*JonBenet Suspect Upset About Outfit Worn To Court*

*LOS ANGELES -- *John Mark Karr is said to be upset over having to appear in public wearing an orange jail jumpsuit.

He's the 41-year-old suspect in the high-profile, JonBenet Ramsey murder case. From his police custody appearances last week in Thailand, to his media-swarm return to the United States over the weekend, he wore street clothes and wasn't even handcuffed. But now back in the United States, it's been jail attire.

A public defender who represented Karr during the extradition hearing, Haydeh Takasugi , said she met with Karr for more than two hours at the jail. She said he reported being "treated very well in Thailand," but that he was upset when he was denied the right to wear civilian clothes in court.

She said, "It's going to taint any potential jury pool out there."

In a Los Angeles court Tuesday, Karr also wore handcuffs attached to a chain around his waist. Karr agreed to be sent to Colorado to face a murder warrant in the long-unsolved killing of the 6-year-old child, but officials gave no hint at all on when he'll be transferred.

The counts in the sealed probable-cause warrant issued Aug. 15 in Boulder County, Colo., include first-degree murder after deliberation, felony murder, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree kidnapping and sexual assault on a child.

Karr slowly closed his eyes when the first of the murder counts was read.

But those might not be the actual charges he faces. The district attorney stressed that, even though the arrest warrant lists crimes ranging from kidnap to murder, those are only possible charges. For now, Karr hasn't been charged with anything.

Karr quietly affirmed his decision to waive an extradition hearing in a brief appearance Tuesday morning before a Los Angeles judge. He's been held in Los Angeles following his return from Thailand Sunday night.

Takasugi said Karr wants to go to Colorado as soon as possible, and "get the whole thing started."

Takasugi said it could be a few days before Colorado officials pick Karr up to take him to Boulder. The court said that has to happen by Sept. 6.

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office had charged him with being a fugitive from justice. The complaint notes that Karr was charged with murder in a warrant issued last week in Boulder, Colo.

*Family Says Photo Proves He Wasn't In Colorado*

Karr's family said he couldn't have been at the scene of the crime when JonBenet was killed in Colorado nearly a decade ago.

His father said Karr was with the family in Georgia during Christmas of 1996 -- and thousands of miles away from where the 6-year-old beauty queen was killed the day after Christmas.

A lawyer for Karr's relatives told reporters a photo shows Karr's young sons during the family's Christmas dinner in Atlanta. He said the family is sure that if the three boys were there, Karr would have been with them. Karr, however, is not pictured.

Karr's second wife has already told authorities that she and Karr were together for the holidays that year, though her attorney admits she can't be "absolutely certain."

Karr has agreed not to fight extradition to Colorado.

*Public Defender Could Do Right*

O.J. Simpson had his "dream team" of lawyers. And while it's still early, there's a chance Karr might well wind up with some big names defending him. But even if he case gets a public defender, Karr could be in good shape.

The public defender system in Colorado is different from a lot of places. For one thing, it's well funded. It's also well respected for its work on tough cases using DNA evidence. And it attracts some of the best law school graduates.

*Previous Stories:* 

August 22, 2006: Karr Relatives: Suspect Not At Killing
August 21, 2006: Media Ask Judge To Unseal JonBenet Documents
August 20, 2006: Karr Dines On Prawns En Route To U.S.
August 18, 2006: Ramsey Family Lawyer: Karr Might Be Killer
August 18, 2006: Ramsey Suspect Previously Jailed For Child Porn
August 17, 2006: Dead Psychic's Sketch Of JonBenet Killer Revisited
August 17, 2006: Suspect Admits Killing JonBenet, Says He Loves Her
August 17, 2006: Suspect: JonBenet Ramsey's Death 'An Accident'
August 16, 2006: Police Test New DNA In JonBenet Case
August 16, 2006: Patsy Ramsey To Be Buried Next To JonBenet
October 3, 2001: Online Ramsey Confession Was Hoax
March 4, 2001: Former Housekeeper Sues Ramseys
February 20, 2001: John Ramsey Locked Up During Botched Robbery
January 10, 2001: Ramseys Claim They Were Set Up
June 3, 2000: Ramseys Post Suspect Sketch Online
April 10, 2000: Patsy Ramsey Fingered As JonBenet's Killer 
Story

​​


​AP Image​
John Mark Karr stands behind a protective glass barrier during his extradition hearing in Los Angeles.​
*John Mark Karr*​









*Video:* Karr Waives Extradition








*Video:* Karr Locked Up In L.A.
*Images:* Karr En Route To U.S.
*Images: *JonBenet Ramsey
*Read:* Felony Charges
*Timeline: *Review The Case History
*Statement:* John Ramsey Speaks
*More:* Copy Of Alleged Ransom Note
*Background:* Karr's Teaching Resume (.pdf)
*Survey:* Think Karr Was Involved?
*Story:* Dead Psychic's Sketch Revisited

_Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed._​


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