Suspect Arrested in JonBenet Ramsey Murder

Wednesday, August 16, 2006



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

Federal officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the suspect as John Mark Karr, a 42-year-old American, and one law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Boulder police had tracked him down online.

The Ramsey family's attorney in Atlanta pronounced the arrest vindication for JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey. Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer on June 24.

• Raw Data: Statement by John Ramsey and Attorney

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

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

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

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

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

• CountryWatch: Thailand

A source close to the investigation said Karr confessed to elements of the crime. Also, a law enforcement source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the AP that Karr had been communicating periodically with somebody in Boulder who had been following the case and cooperating with law enforcement officials.

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


Raw Data: Statement by John Ramsey and Attorney
Wednesday, August 16, 2006

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

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

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

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

I heard about this, such a sad story.

I remembered when she was killed poor thing. Glad they finally have a suspect.

finally... seems like shes on the news once a week here

I heard this on the radio this morning! Such a tragic story.

I'm not totally convinced he did it just yet. I hope he's the one so this family can maybe find some kind of peace. I'm gonna have to wait and see what the evidence shows. I hope his dna matches the unknown dna they found at the scene. He's DEFINITELY a lunitic, that much I have seen!!!

It's beginning to look like he may not have done it. Possibly he confessed out of guilt from abusing other young girls.

YEP, THE TEDDY BEAR, AND THE 4 LETTERS IN HIS RANSOM NOTE ARE HARD TO IGNORE.

hopefully he is the right guy and can be brought to justice and then the family can get closure on this ordeal and that little girl can finally rest in peace.

amen

This dude is a nut case!! Guess he got his 15 minutes of fame! It's sad the crime remains unresolved.

Mr. Ramsey told everyone to not judge until the DNA tests came back... guess his suspitions were right...

I say fry him anyways.. he is a loose cannon.

I just can't believe that they let the dude go...

So what if he didn't kill Ramsey....It doesn't mean that he wont molest or kill somebody else....

I wish our justice system were more proactive....Now the b a s t a r d is free to molest more children....Gawd....