Publish Date: 7/1/2006 Media, system failed public in wake of slaying By Bruce Plasket Special to the Times-Call There’s no such thing as a routine homicide. But there are murder cases, and then there is the JonBenet Ramsey case. Quentin Tarantino couldn’t have written a more bizarre script than the story that unfolded nearly 10 years ago in the upper-middle-class shadow of the Flatirons just off Baseline Road. Had they been fiction, the twists, turns and side stories surrounding the case would have been considered darkly humorous instead of deeply tragic. The Ramsey case was Pulp Non-Fiction from the beginning. In a world where the criminal justice system investigates and prosecutes crimes while the media serve as watchdogs over the system, both components imploded at the same time. The victims of that failure included the public’s right to be informed, the credibility of both police and the media, and, of course, 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey, an innocent child whose murder likely will never be solved. My former Times-Call colleague and close friend Pam Regensberg and I were among the scores of reporters who covered the case. Pam and I are no longer in the business. Neither are many others who got disgusted or fell apart covering a story that consumed them and seemed to destroy everything and everyone it touched. Alcoholics who had been on the wagon for years fell off. Marriages crashed and burned. Careers ended or ended up in convenience stores. I remember racing one day during the 14-month but seemingly interminable term of the Ramsey grand jury probe from Boulder to Aurora during a lunch break to undergo hypnosis to quit smoking. I was smoke-free for two hours. The first few months of the Ramsey investigation offered a glimpse into the madness that would go on for nearly three years. A soon as the story broke, the freak show was on. Each sideshow seemed more bizarre than the last. A man calling himself J.T. Colfax was arrested for stealing the mortuary log-book pages that recorded JonBenet’s death. Colfax was later accused of trying to burn down the Ramsey home. An art student painted a mural on the University of Colorado campus with the words “Daddy’s Little Hooker.” The mural accused John Ramsey of killing his daughter. The police added to the freak show when they inexplicably sent the crime-scene photos to a one-hour photo-processing place and a photo technician — you guessed it — sold copies to a tabloid. That same clerk was later arrested on suspicion of exposing himself to a little girl. Two other men were arrested on suspicion of trying to sell copies of the ransom note to the tabloids. A reporter was arrested on the roof of the Ramsey home. Lawsuits abounded, with a police officer suing the police department, a former housekeeper suing the Ramseys, and New York lawyers suing to force the prosecution of Patsy Ramsey — buried Thursday after succumbing to ovarian cancer — fingered by police and reporters as the prime suspect despite evidence that pointed squarely away from any member of the family. The Times-Call was one of the smaller newspapers providing daily, comprehensive coverage of the investigation. At times, that was a detriment in a media pecking order based on circulation or viewer numbers. But it also was a blessing. Fortunately, Pam and I were allowed to examine all avenues, suspects and sideshows without interference from the preconceptions of some faraway assignment editor. Covering the case was never easy, given that public officials rarely told the truth — at least publicly. It was frustrating to watch then-Boulder Police Chief Tom Koby, whose department was butchering any chance of solving the case, say with a straight face that the case was being investigated “by the book.” Unfortunately, that book turned out to be more like Archie comics. Reporters also shirked their responsibility to let the public know the depth of the infighting between police and the district attorney’s office. Alex Hunter, to his credit, refused to bow to police pressure and charge the Ramseys with a crime they didn’t commit. He failed, however, to take charge of the situation — a failure that ended up as the legacy of his otherwise-commendable 28-year tenure as district attorney. I had always admired Hunter, but he and I clashed almost daily during that period. We fought mightily in spite of, and perhaps because of, his habit of scheduling periodic “sit-downs” with reporters. In those informal sessions, Hunter privately admitted the case was in trouble and spared no words in describing the terrible relationship between police and his office. He would privately refer to the police as “those morons over on 33rd Street,” then publicly claim the departments were getting along just fine. Had Hunter let his true honesty shine through in public, the police may well have had to put a halt to their media-manipulating attempts to pinch Patsy Ramsey. Our coverage of the case took Pam and me from Chautauqua Park to a porn store in Boulder. When she left the paper, I was left to cover the last few months of the grand jury term. By then, it was getting really old. The daily grind was broken by events so absurd that perhaps someday they will be funny. Yellow-tape days — a reference to the tape that reserved parking spaces for grand jury members when they were in session — were crazy, but nothing substantive ever happened. Just more sideshows. Reporters resorted to interviewing other reporters. Hunter’s spokeswoman issued statements like, “We are preparing to be prepared.” By its end, the grand jury circus was truly out of control. Officials announced they were making no special plans for the media crush expected at the end of the term and questioned the need for such a plan. That proved to be a bad idea when a court security officer who also was a sheriff’s deputy decided to solve the problem by banning all reporters from the justice center. The deputy, whom I had privately referred to as Sgt. Pinochet in honor of the Chilean dictator, was heading reporters off at the door and sending them packing. When I told him his actions were illegal, he asked me if I wanted to go to jail. “I’ll get back to you on that,” I said as I retreated back outside. Assistant District Attorney Bill Wise eventually intervened and talked Sgt. Pinochet out of the trees. We were all allowed in — sort of. Several offices in the building were adorned with large signs that read “Media- Free Zone.” I wondered how any public building in America could be made a media-free zone, thinking such places existed only in places like Russia and China. And now Boulder. The Ramsey case faded from view shortly after the grand jury term ended with no indictments. But the lessons learned from watching the government and the media fail at the same time shouldn’t go away. Justice, free speech and effective government, however, were only minor victims in the Ramsey-case meltdown. The real victims were and are the Ramseys — those both living and dead. Bruce Plasket is a former reporter and editor at the Daily Times-Call. He is one of the reporters who covered the JonBenet Ramsey case from its inception. http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=8522

Publish Date: 7/1/2006 DA: Death won’t affect JonBenet case Patsy Ramsey spent years ‘defending her name’ in slaying By Amanda Arthur The Daily Times-Call LONGMONT — Patsy Ramsey’s death will not affect the investigation into the long-unsolved death of her 6-year-old daughter, Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy said this week. Ramsey, 49, died June 24 in Georgia after a years-long battle with ovarian cancer. She was thrust into the national spotlight Dec. 26, 1996, when her daughter JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the family’s Boulder home. Though Patsy Ramsey and her husband, John, became a central focus of investigations into the girl’s death, the couple steadfastly maintained their innocence. Police never officially named them as suspects but said they were “under an umbrella of suspicion.” In 2003, Lacy took a controversial stance when she openly defended a federal judge’s ruling supporting the theory that an intruder — not Patsy Ramsey — was responsible for JonBenet’s murder. That same year, investigators said they were unsure her killer would ever be found. “My honest answer on this is I do not know if it’s solvable,” Tom Bennett, the lead investigator on the Ramsey case for the district attorney’s office, told the Daily Times-Call in 2003. Lacy said this week she has a policy of not speaking to reporters about the case. Bennett also remained mum. Bennett came out of retirement and returned to the district attorney’s office in May to again take over the Ramsey investigation after the man who replaced him, Jim Kolar, left the office to return to Telluride. In a statement released this week, Lacy said: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Patsy Ramsey. The Boulder District Attorney’s Office extends our sincere and heartfelt sympathy to John and (son) Burke Ramsey and to all of Patsy’s family members and friends.” Though some have speculated that Patsy Ramsey’s death will lend further weight to skeptics’ claims that the case will never be solved, others remain optimistic that JonBenet’s killer will be brought to justice. Former Deputy District Attorney Trip DeMuth, who attended Patsy Ramsey’s funeral in Georgia this week, said he was impressed by the outpouring of support for the Ramsey family. DeMuth was a lead investigator on the Ramsey case until 1998. He left the district attorney’s office in 2000, after an unsuccessful bid for the top job against Lacy. In a telephone interview from Georgia, DeMuth said, “Unfortunately, the evidence suggests that an innocent woman had her daughter tragically murdered, was targeted by the police and spent the last years of her life defending her name.” DeMuth, who now works for an international civil law firm, said he believes JonBenet’s case is solvable but that the chances that will happen become slimmer as time passes. “If (the case) is being investigated, it’s not being investigated very aggressively,” he said. “And if that’s the case, her death isn’t going to affect the investigation at all.” DeMuth said he believes the case might have been solved already had the Boulder Police Department “taken a more broad investigative approach than simply focusing on the Ramseys.” “Everything about this case is tragic,” he said. “It’s tragic that it hasn’t been solved.” Amanda Arthur can be reached at 303-684-5215, or by e-mail at aarthur@times-call.com. http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=8521

Retired detective isn't giving up Smit, 71, believes JonBenet was killed by intruder July 19, 2006 A handful of people who believe the work of Lou Smit represents the best chance to solve the JonBenet Ramsey killing are sending money to the retired homicide investigator to fund his ongoing efforts. Smit, 71, didn't request that they do so and is not asking others to follow suit. But he is accepting the money and pledges it will be put to good use. "I've never made a nickel on this since the beginning, other than working for the (Boulder) D.A.," said Smit, who lives in Colorado Springs. "I'm even hesitant on taking the money, because I'm not sure how I'm going to use it." Nevertheless, Smit is opening a bank account for the money, and he continues to work every lead he turns up in the Christmas night 1996 beating and strangling death of 6-year-old JonBenet. The handful of donors have contributed less than $1,000 so far. Since September 1998, when Smit quit the staff of then-Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter, he has been a proponent of the theory that an intruder entered the Ramsey home to kill the child beauty queen. He has criticized those who focused their suspicion on any member of the Ramsey family. Patsy Ramsey, who, along with her husband, John, was once labeled as being under an "umbrella of suspicion" in JonBenet's death by Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner, died June 24 after a 13-year battle with ovarian cancer. Smit attended Patsy Ramsey's June 29 funeral in Roswell, Ga., and left flowers at her Marietta, Ga., gravesite. Attached was a card that read, "To a beautiful lady who had a beautiful heart." In an interview Tuesday, Smit said, "I see a real dangerous guy out there, and the case tells me that the killer lies at the end of the intruder path. "We have to keep that path open because there's a danger out there. The person who killed JonBenet is a very, very vicious killer." One of Smit's donors is Hickory, N.C., resident Susan Bennett, known to many who follow the case by her Internet handle of "Jameson." Under that name, Bennett has hosted one of the most frequently consulted Web sites devoted to the Ramsey saga. Like Smit, she believes in the Ramseys' innocence. She said it is partly out of a belief that current Boulder D.A. Mary Lacy is not devoting significant resources to the case that she and others are now turning to Smit. Bennett said in a recent interview that she hopes Smit can use funds sent to him for such expenses as travel, taking a potential witness to lunch, laboratory analysis or "whatever he wants." "We know it won't be a lot," Bennett said. "But with the D.A. budgeting zero for this case, we hope our little bit might make a difference." Bennett, as Smit and Lacy did, attended Patsy Ramsey's funeral. Smit no longer goes regularly to Lacy's office in Boulder. But he said he continues to share with her what he learns. He also disagrees with the premise that little is being done by Lacy's staff, where the case is assigned to chief investigator Tom Bennett (no relation to Susan Bennett). Speaking of Tom Bennett specifically, Smit said, "I can't say enough about this man's credentials. They are just an excellent group of people, and they are definitely interested in this case. No doubt about it." Smit said that while he firmly believes in the intruder theory, if his investigation turns up evidence pointing toward a family member, he won't hesitate to pursue it. "If the evidence leads that way, I'd definitely go that way," Smit said. "But so far, it hasn't. I'm not in this to protect the Ramseys." Former Boulder Assistant District Attorney Bill Wise, second in command to Hunter during the first years of the case and now retired, approves of people's desire to aid Smit's probe. "I am delighted to hear that people are sending money to Lou Smit," Wise said. "I have always thought that Lou Smit is one of the foremost homicide investigators in at least this state, if not the nation. "He solved or was involved in solving over 200 homicides during his career. And if anyone can turn up anything new on this case, it'll be Lou Smit." Lacy is out of her office this week and could not be reached for comment. Smit vowed he will never forget the Ramsey case and said he'll press on with his investigation for as long as he's able. "I see evidence of an intruder," he said again. "I see a very sick individual. "I think this person has to be caught. And if people still want to downgrade the Ramseys and degrade them and add to their misery, that's up to them." Intruder theory Retired El Paso County homicide investigator Lou Smit has long believed an intruder, not any family member, killed JonBenet Ramsey. Here's a thumbnail review of some reasons Smit holds this belief: • The killer brought something in: JonBenet's killer put duct tape over her mouth and used cord to form a garrote and to bind her wrists. Police investigators found no source for either the cord or the tape in the Ramseys' Boulder home. Smit also said he believes a stun gun was used, and there's no evidence that the Ramseys ever owned one. • The killer left something behind: Smit said two footprints found in mold on the floor of the small basement room where JonBenet's body was recovered remain unidentified and that a still-unidentified male DNA sample from JonBenet's underwear is a pivotal clue. Also left behind, Smit believes, was forensic evidence of the killer's entry through a basement window well. • The killer took something away: Because none of the cord or tape was found in the home, and no stun gun was ever recovered, Smit said, he thinks the killer must have taken any unused cord and tape, plus the stun gun, back out of the house when he left. brennanc@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2742 http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4854013,00.html

Investigator continues to try and solve Ramsey murder written by: Jeffrey Wolf Web Producer reported by: Chris Vanderveen 9NEWS Reporter Created: 7/31/2006 6:26 PM MST - Updated: 7/31/2006 10:36 PM MST COLORADO SPRINGS - The man who first theorized an intruder killed JonBenet Ramsey is at the center of another case getting national headlines. Lou Smit has been investigating the Ramsey case since 1997. Last week, he and three other cold case investigators in Colorado Springs announced they believed Robert Charles Browne was a serial killer. Smit is a retired detective and has a reputation of an investigator who can solve the old cases. Smit says even though the Browne case has progressed, he has not forgotten the Ramsey murder. "If others want to look at the parents - that's fine, but if there's a killer out there, somebody's got to be out there looking for him," said Smit. Smit says the Ramsey killer could be very similar to Browne. ""I think it's someone a little like Robert Browne in a way. I think this is a very sadistic person and someone who's into fantasy." Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet's mother, died last month from ovarian cancer. She was 49 years old. Smit went to the funeral. "I had known that Patsy was very ill, and I had visited them not too long before Patsy passed away," he said. Smit says he feels sorry for the Ramsey family. "They've been devastated and they've lost the American dream, and they're still working through it." However, Smit remains optimistic the case can be solved. "I just hope that someday something will work in the system whereby we will catch a killer." Both the Boulder Police Department and the Boulder District Attorney's Office declined to comment to 9NEWS on this story. DNA taken from the Ramsey crime scene has not matched with anyone in the database, but Smit hopes one day it will. http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=c7203b07-0abe-421a-00ea-337e5adf78c2&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf

Arrest Made in JonBenet Ramsey Case Man Reportedly Being Held in Thailand in Connection With the Killing JonBenet Ramsey, a 6-year-old child beauty pageant winner, was found murdered in her family's Colorado home on Dec. 26, 1996. (Reuters/ Landov) Aug. 16, 2006 — An arrest has been made in connection with JonBenet Ramsey murder case, Ramsey family attorney Hal Haddon told ABC News. The arrest comes nearly 10 years after the 6-year-old girl was found strangled and beaten to death in the basement of her home on the day after Christmas, in a case that shocked the country and that has remained unsolved. The Associated Press, citing U.S. law enforcement officials, reported that a man was arrested in Thailand in connection with the slaying. Federal officials familiar with the case told the AP on condition of anonymity that the man was being held in Bangkok on unrelated sex charges. JonBenet Ramsey, a child beauty queen, was found murdered in the basement of her family's upscale Boulder, Colo., home the day after Christmas, 1996. Her mother, Patsy Ramsey, first found a handwritten ransom note on the back staircase of the home. It demanded $118,000 — the exact amount the little girl's father, John Ramsey had received as a corporate bonus — if the family wanted to see JonBenet again. Eight hours later, Patsy Ramsey found her badly beaten daughter's body in the basement. From the beginning, the focus of suspicion was directed squarely at her father, a software millionaire, and his wife, a former beauty queen. The Ramseys refused to take a lie-detector test and would only agree to be interviewed by police together. Yet the Ramseys were steadfast in defending their innocence. "Let me assure you, I did not kill JonBenet," Patsy Ramsey said then. The Ramseys offered a reward of $100,000 to the person who captured their daughter's killer. They also wrote a memoir, "The Death of Innocence" and filed libel suits against several news outlets. Three years after the murder, investigators officially cleared the Ramseys. "Our family name has been destroyed," John Ramsey said. "We want the killer of our daughter found." But never-ending speculation in the tabloid press, and numerous books, continued to feed the nation's interest. "It is our hope that this arrest will bring some closure to the Ramsey family after a 10-year ordeal," Haddon said today. "We respect the legal process and will have no further comment about the case or the evidence until that process is concluded." http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2320953

Statement from father of JonBenet Ramsey By The Associated Press 19 minutes ago Text of a statement from John Ramsey, the father of JonBenet Ramsey, released Wednesday after authorities confirmed the arrest of a suspect in the girl's slaying: "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. "I do want to say, however, that the investigation of the individual arrested today in connection with JonBenet'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." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060816/ap_on_re_us/jonbenet_ramsey_statement_1

Man Arrested in Death of JonBenet Ramsey from The Associated Press BOULDER, Colo. August 16, 2006, 5:55 p.m. ET · 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. District Attorney Mary Lacey said the arrest followed several months of work. She disclosed no details about the suspect before a news conference scheduled for Thursday. 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 he is 41-year-old second-grade teacher and will be brought back to the United States this weekend. Ramsey family attorney Lin Wood said in Atlanta that he has been told that the suspect once lived in Conyers, Ga., outside of Atlanta. He would not comment on whether the Ramseys knew him, and he said he knew nothing else about the man. Lin said the Ramseys learned about the suspect a least a month before JonBenet's mother, Patsy Ramsey, died on June 24 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. "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. JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder on Dec. 26, 1996. Investigators said at one point that Patsy Ramsey and her husband, John Ramsey, were under an "umbrella of suspicion" in the slaying, but they were never charged. The Ramseys said an intruder killed their daughter. A grand jury investigation in Boulder ended with no charges. 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." 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. Over the Ramseys accused Boulder police of botching the case. Law enforcement officials from Boulder were flying to Bangkok to present Thai authorities with documents in the slaying, officials in Washington said. They asked to remain anonymous pending an announcement in Colorado. KUSA-TV of Denver, citing no sources, reported that the suspect has confessed to certain elements of the crime. 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. ___ Associated Press Writer Suzanne Gamboa in Washington contributed to this report. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5659359&ft=1&f=1001 He is not only a teacher but a Sex Offender, Imagine that....

Suspect arrested in JonBenet Ramsey murder August 16, 2006 - A middle-aged American male is being held in Bankok, Thailand until law officials from Boulder arrive. BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - 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. District Attorney Mary Lacey said the arrest followed several months of work. She disclosed no details about the suspect before a news conference scheduled for Thursday. 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 he is 41-year-old second-grade teacher and will be brought back to the United States this weekend. Ramsey family attorney Lin Wood said in Atlanta that he has been told that the suspect once lived in Conyers, Ga., outside of Atlanta. He would not comment on whether the Ramseys knew him, and he said he knew nothing else about the man. Lin said the Ramseys learned about the suspect a least a month before JonBenet's mother, Patsy Ramsey, died on June 24 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. "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. JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder on December 26, 1996. Investigators said at one point that Patsy Ramsey and her husband, John Ramsey, were under an "umbrella of suspicion" in the slaying, but they were never charged. The Ramseys said an intruder killed their daughter. A grand jury investigation in Boulder ended with no charges. 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." 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, after the Ramseys accused Boulder police of botching the case. Law enforcement officials from Boulder were flying to Bangkok to present Thai authorities with documents in the slaying, officials in Washington said. They asked to remain anonymous pending an announcement in Colorado. KUSA-TV of Denver, citing no sources, reported that the suspect has confessed to certain elements of the crime. 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. Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=local&id=4468375

Suspect arrested in JonBenet Ramsey slaying Sources say John Mark Karr confessed to elements of her death Eyewitness News' Jim Dolan (New York - WABC, August 16, 2006) - Authorities say 41-year-old John Mark Karr, a former schoolteacher, was arrested in Thailand and charged in the slaying of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey. Her killing a decade ago shocked the nation and became one of the most notorious unsolved murder cases. Sources say Karr confessed to elements of the killing of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey when he was arrested at his home in Thailand. He will be brought back to the U.S. and charged in connection with the bizarre and troubling murder and sexual assault -- and it won't be the first time he is charged with a sex crime against a child. Sources tell ABC News that Karr wrote e-mails to a journalist in Colorado that contained accurage information about the case that only the killer could have known. At just six-years-old, her rich, Boulder, Colorado parents had her compete in pre-adolescent beauty pageants. But on Christmas Day in 1996, after returning from a party at a family friends home, she was murdered and possibly sexually assaulted. Her body found days later inside the home, bound and gagged with duct tape and strangled with a thin wire rope. No one was arrested, and the Boulder Police were accused of botching the investigation. In the tabloids and elsewhere, attention focused on the parents, who many believed were not appropriately emotional after the murder of their only daughter. Ramsey family attorney Lin Wood said the Ramseys learned about the suspect a least a month before Patsy Ramsey died. "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 arrested in 2001 in Sonoma County, California for possession of child pornography. He's still wanted there because he didn't show up for court. And, he was suspended from his job as a second grade teacher in California because he'd been charged with the commission of a sex offense and was suspected of an act of moral turpitude. On Wednesday night, a family spokesperson reacted to the arrest: "The diligent investigation of JonBenet Ramsey's murder by Boulder District Attorney and detectives that have been working with her have been extraordinary. It is our hope that this arrest will bring some closure to the Ramsey family after a ten year ordeal. We respect the legal process and will no have further comment about the case until the process is concluded." (Copyright 2006 WABC-TV) http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=nation_world&id=4469292

Aug 17, 3:25 AM EDT Officials: Suspect admits killing Ramsey By SUTIN WANNABOVORN Associated Press Writer BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- A former schoolteacher has admitted to killing 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey and has been charged with murder, kidnapping and child sexual assault in Colorado, officials said Thursday. John Mark Karr, 41, admitted to the killing after he was arrested at his downtown Bangkok apartment Wednesday night, Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul told The Associated Press. Karr will be taken to Boulder, Colo., within the next week, where he has been charged with murder, kidnapping and child sexual assault, Ann Hurst, Department of Homeland Security attache at the American Embassy in Bangkok, said at a news conference in Bangkok. Karr also appeared at the news conference but did not say anything. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/THAILAND_JONBENET_RAMSEY?SITE=CADIU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Suspect says Ramsey death 'an accident' By SUTIN WANNABOVORN, Associated Press Writer 20 minutes ago BANGKOK, Thailand - 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. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060817/ap_on_re_as/thailand_jonbenet_ramsey

Ex-wife gives alibi for JonBenet suspect By ALISA TANG, Associated Press Writer 32 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. 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." 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. Lin Wood, the Ramsey family's longtime attorney in Atlanta, said that Karr had sent numerous e-mails in recent months making statements about the murder to a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Wood said those e-mails were key in linking Karr to the slaying. When asked if authorities could tell whether Karr had firsthand knowledge of the murder or had just picked up information from news accounts, Wood said; "There is information about the murder that has never been publicly disclosed." 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 that 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. As he was escorted to his guesthouse to pick up his belongings, John Mark Karr told the AP: "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, "and it is my understanding that she did read my letters." Wood said that Karr had tried to correspond with Patsy Ramsey in the months before the woman's death from ovarian cancer. Wood said Ramsey did not reply, but handed that information over to investigators who used it to link Karr to the case. Wood said he did not know the contents of the correspondence, which he said was in the form of e-mails or letters. 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 Wood said two years ago that detectives were unable to match it to anyone in an FBI database. Wood said Karr went to elaborate attempts to conceal his identity in e-mails to the university professor, going so far as to use a computer server in Canada. 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, 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. In Bangkok, 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. Karr lost any legal protection in Thailand after the revocation, leaving Thai authorities free to hand him over to the U.S. 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. ____ Associated Press Writer Harry R. Weber in Atlanta contributed to this report. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060817/ap_on_re_as/jonbenet_ramsey

Who is John Mark Karr? August 17, 2006 Born Dec. 11, 1964. Married Lara Knutson 1989, in Alabama. They were divorced in 2001. Four children: two teens, who live in Petaluma, Calif., and twins named Angel and Innocence who died at birth on Sept. 1, 1989 Elementary substitute teacher for Petaluma City, Calif., Elementary School District from Dec. 8, 2000, to April 2, 2001. Arrested in April 2001 in Sonoma County, Calif., and charged with five counts of possession of child pornography. Arrest warrant issued after he failed to appear for a court hearing. Teacher's license suspended by California Commission on Teacher Credentialing on April 11, 2002, for allegedly committing an offense "involving aiding and abetting the unlawful sale, use or exchange to minors of controlled substances." Teacher's license revoked in 2003. Colorado Department of Education has a file on Karr, but there's nothing to indicate he was ever licensed as a teacher in Colorado. Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley School District officials do not have any record of Karr teaching in their schools. Lived in Alabama and California before moving to Thailand, where he was seeking work as a teacher. He wanted to write a book about the JonBenet Ramsey homicide, his brother said. http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/county_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2423_4923407,00.html

Man says he drugged, had sex with Ramsey 20 minutes ago BANGKOK, Thailand - The American suspect in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey told investigators that he drugged and had sex with the 6-year-old beauty queen before accidentally killing her, a senior Thai police officer said Thursday. An autopsy on Ramsey said a blood screening showed no drugs or alcohol in her body but said she had vaginal abrasions. Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul, head of Thailand's immigration police, said by telephone that he was not present for the questioning, which was conducted by U.S. law enforcement officials. But, according to what the general said he was told of the questioning, the suspect, John Mark Karr, "said he drugged the child." Suwat did not say who briefed him on the questioning. Karr claimed he had sex with Ramsey, who was still alive, Suwat said. Karr said he then realized he had "accidentally" killed her, according to the general. A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy said it had no information about Karr's alleged actions or what he said to questioners. U.S. and Colorado law enforcement officials were unavailable for comment. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060817/ap_on_re_as/jonbenet_ramsey