The big news this morning is about John Mark Karr, a 41 year-old man who has reportedly confessed to the murder of JonBenet Ramsey nearly 10 years ago.
An American primary school teacher accused of the grisly Christmas 1996 murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey said on Thursday he loved the child beauty queen and her death was an accident.
John Mark Karr, 41, arrested in Thailand on Wednesday in a dramatic twist in the case that has gripped the U.S. media, was charged with murder, kidnapping and sexual abuse of a child.
“I loved JonBenet,” Karr told reporters Bangkok in his first public comment since his arrest. “She died accidentally.” When asked if he had killed the girl, he appeared to shake his head.
While the celebrations have begun within some of the parties involved in the case, a plethora of questions remain unanswered. For instance, Thai police have said that Karr told them he drugged and raped JonBenet, yet investigations have shown that no drugs were found in the little girl’s system. Additionally, Karr’s ex-wife claims that he was with her on the night in question, and even has pictures of him with her in Atlanta at the time the murder occurred.
Is John Mark Karr for real? Personally, I’m waiting for a DNA match.
Minutes from now (9:05 AM PDT), a news conference will get underway in Boulder, Colorado, led by the District Attorney and law enforcement officials. Hopefully, more will become known as the day progresses.
UPDATE: From the news conference…
The district attorney handling the JonBenet Ramsey murder case said Thursday there is “much more work” to be done and warned the public not to “jump to conclusions” when it comes to the suspect sitting in a Thai jail.
Mary Lacy, who has spearheaded the investigation for Boulder County, did not immediately disclose any details about the case involving former schoolteacher John Mark Karr, 41, who was arrested a day earlier at an apartment in Bangkok.
But she suggested that the arrest may have been forced by exigent circumstances, including the need for public safety and fear the suspect might flee.
She refused to answer whether authorities were worried Karr was lying about killing the little girl. Lacy said Karr has not been formally charged, and declined to speculate what counts he might face.
More: Man Says He Drugged, Had Sex With Ramsey | Ex-wife gives alibi for suspect | Told Dad he was behind bars in connection with Ramsey case — in 2001 | Suspects brother: ‘He was researching a book’ | New Audio: Karr Says He Contacted Patsy Ramsey | “It was an accident” | Charged with murder, kidnapping and sexual assault | Suspect obsessed by child slayings | Big break in the case |