Suspect Arrested in Decade-Old Murder of JonBenet Ramsey

A 41-year-old American man was arrested in Thailand Wednesday (August 16th) as a suspect in the murder of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey nearly a decade ago in Boulder, Colorado. John Mark Karr, a former elementary school teacher, was taken into custody in his Bangkok apartment, and the Associated Press cited a source as saying that he'd confessed to elements of the crime. Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy said that the surprise arrest came after several months of work, and AP cited a law enforcement source as saying Karr had been communicating online periodically with somebody in Boulder who'd been following the case and cooperating with law enforcement. U.S. officials are expected to bring Karr back to the U.S. in the next few days, and more details are expected to be released in a press conference today.

Ramsey family attorney Lin Wood said that the arrest vindicated JonBenet's parents, who investigators at one point had famously said were under a, quote, "umbrella of suspicion." Although a grand jury failed to indict them, and a federal judge in 2003 said that the evidence showed an intruder had killed the little girl, many people across the country still believed the Ramseys were guilty. Wood yesterday accused the media of putting out, quote, "the most obscene false accusations," and called it a, quote, "story of an American injustice and tragedy that ultimately people will have to look back on and hopefully learn from." JonBenet's mother, Patsy Ramsey, died this past June of ovarian cancer, but had apparently been told about the suspect and that police were close to making an arrest before she died.

Wood said the Ramseys had given police information about Karr before he was identified as a suspect, but wouldn't say how the Ramseys knew him. MSNBC reported that Karr had lived in Boulder at the time of JonBenet's murder in December 1996. Lawrence Schiller, who wrote a 1999 book about the case called Perfect Murder, Perfect Town, said yesterday that he understood Karr had been on a list of sexual offenders who were suspects for a long time.

My gut reaction is this guy didn't do it, he's a wanna-be. I laid out my case on-air.

Man Says He Drugged Child, Had Sex...BUT autopsy said no drugs found in JonBenet! Confession Could Be Hoax...
Experts Skeptical of Karr's Claims...
Ex-wife gives alibi...Suspect told dad he was behind bars in connection with Ramsey case -- in 2001...Brother: 'He was researching a book'...New Audio: Karr Says He Contacted Patsy...QUESTION: 'ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT A FALSE CONFESSION?'BOULDER D.A.: 'WE REALLY CAN NOT COMMENT ON THE EVIDENCE AT THIS TIME'