Suspect in JonBenet Ramsey Case: "Her Death Was an Accident"

Authorities confirmed Wednesday that a man had been arrested as a suspect in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey. Officials said that 41-year old John Mark Karr, a second-grade teacher, was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, where he was being held on unrelated sex charges. Karr, an American, had arrived in Bangkok on June 6 from Malaysia to look for a teaching job. Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul told the Associated Press that given the accusations against him, Karr’s visa has been revoked as an "undesirable person," and U.S. authorities will be bringing him back to the United States within the next several days.

JonBenet’s battered body was found in the basement of her parents’ home in Boulder, CO, the day after Christmas in 1996. Her mother, Patsy Ramsey, said that she had found a ransom note on a back stairway demanding $118,000 for her daughter’s return. Her husband, John, said that he discovered his daughter’s body in the basement eight hours later. Her death and the subsequent investigation riveted the American public because of many unanswered questions and intense scrutiny and criticism of the Ramsey’s parenting of their 6-year old beauty queen.

The Ramseys were originally the focus of the Boulder Police Department’s criminal investigation, but an independent polygraph test eventually cleared them. However, the public speculation and media attention continued, causing the Ramseys to leave the Denver area and move to Atlanta. Patsy Ramsey died in June of ovarian cancer and was buried next to her daughter in Cobb County, GA. A statement released by John Ramsey following Karr’s arrest Wednesday said that Patsy Ramsey had been aware of the investigation of Karr and knew prior to her death that authorities were close to making an arrest.

Police said that Karr admitted to the killing after his arrest late Wednesday at his downtown Bangkok apartment by American and Thai authorities. Thursday Karr spoke nervously with reporters in Bangkok, stuttering as he said, "I was with JonBenet when she died. Her death was an accident." Karr will be transported to Colorado, where he will face charges of murder, kidnapping, and child sexual assault.

According to law enforcement officials, Karr had been communicating online with someone in Boulder, who was cooperating with police in the investigation. Members of Karr’s family told reporters that he was deeply fascinated by the JonBenet Ramsey case, often spending time reading up on the cases of JonBenet and Polly Klass, the California girl who was abducted and killed in 1993. Karr’s father said that while his son was in college, a professor suggested that he write a book about the Ramsey case. Until Wednesday’s arrest, Karr’s father, who had fallen out of touch with his son, wondered if his son might have died.

Karr spoke with the Associated Press after his arrest, saying, "I am so very sorry for what happened to JonBenet." When asked if he was innocent, Karr replied, "No." As he was being taken by U.S. and Thai authorities to gather his belongings before being brought back to the United States, Karr told the AP, "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 about what took place the night JonBenet died, Karr 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."