US child murder suspect arrested in Thailand
Taken from yahoo.com.au
BANGKOK (AFP) - An American arrested in Thailand over the murder of child "beauty queen" JonBenet Ramsey has said her death was accidental and told police he loved the six-year-old girl.
The arrest of John Mark Karr in Bangkok on Wednesday was a surprise breakthrough in the lurid case of JonBenet, who was found beaten and strangled to death in her family's Colorado house the day after Christmas in 1996.
The case captivated the United States and put the spotlight on the phenomenon of child beauty pageants, where the young blonde was videotaped in lipstick, jewelry and gowns, pouting seductively for the cameras.
The head of Thai immigration police, Lieutenant General Suwat Thamrongsrisakul, said that Karr had confessed to the killing but indicated that it was unintentional.
"He said he was in love with the girl, and on the day the incident happened, he went to see the girl at her house. The two of them went into the basement, which is where he said he accidentally killed her," Suwat told reporters.
In a brief appearance before reporters, the 41-year-old Karr was asked if he killed the child and said: "No, I did not. It was an accident."
Thai police working with US law enforcement officials arrested Mark after an arrest warrant was issued in the United States on charges of murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault on a child.
Ann Hurst, an attache for the US Department of Homeland Security, told a press conference here that Karr would be returned to the United States within the week.
US authorities have been working with Thai police for about two months to track down Karr, she said, adding that he could be linked to another crime in California.
The murder, unsolved for nearly a decade, became the subject of books and a television movie, and drew attention to the phenomenon of child beauty pageants.
For months, newscasts broadcast footage of the cherubic blonde prancing about in a revealing Las Vegas showgirl outfit or pouting at the camera mimicking a seductive adult.
Critics of the pageants said some of the pictures risked crossing the line into child pornography -- which has been a regular problem in Thailand, where Karr was taken into custody.
At the time of the killing, suspicion fell on her wealthy parents, who resisted police attempts to interview them for months and hired an army of publicists and private detectives to defend themselves in the media.
Her father John Ramsey told US television network ABC that he was relieved at news of the arrest but that he had never heard of Karr.
"Well, it's certainly a day we have been waiting for for 10 years. I hope this is a first major step in really drawing this to a conclusion, but it also opens up old wounds, and that's painful," he said.
Ramsey said he had been made aware in the past two weeks that Karr was a suspect under surveillance, but that he was not sure he had ever met him before.
"We don't know certainly that with 100 percent certainty that this is the guy," he said.
JonBenet's parents always maintained that an intruder had broken into their home and killed her. Her mother Patsy Ramsey died of cancer in June.
She had called the police on December 26, 1996, to report her daughter missing and said that she had found a ransom note demanding 118,000 dollars.
Police searched the house inconclusively, then asked the father to check it again.
Ramsey and a neighbor found JonBenet's body in the basement storeroom.
Developments in the case unfolded in the public eye, and left Americans sharply divided as to who was to blame.
Some believed one of her parents was guilty but that police had given them special treatment because of their wealth. Others sided with the family, who always argued that the police failed to consider other scenarios.
I sooo remember when this happened. I remember reading the book, watching the movie, reading the newspapers. It was such a eerie feeling when I read about this case. And now 10 years later, the case has been solved..or at least someone has been arrested.
I've been facinated with true crime and forensics..and to have a case go unsolved for 10 years, and then have this come up, I can't imagine how much work has gone into this case. You'd think that after 10 years, or even less, that people wouldn't still be investigating the case. I know it's a cold case, and people still do investigate them, but makes me wonder what motivated people to end up with the leads they did get. And then of course, which ultimately led them to Thailand. Hmm, makes me wonder what the guy was charged for in Thailand.
BANGKOK (AFP) - An American arrested in Thailand over the murder of child "beauty queen" JonBenet Ramsey has said her death was accidental and told police he loved the six-year-old girl.
The arrest of John Mark Karr in Bangkok on Wednesday was a surprise breakthrough in the lurid case of JonBenet, who was found beaten and strangled to death in her family's Colorado house the day after Christmas in 1996.
The case captivated the United States and put the spotlight on the phenomenon of child beauty pageants, where the young blonde was videotaped in lipstick, jewelry and gowns, pouting seductively for the cameras.
The head of Thai immigration police, Lieutenant General Suwat Thamrongsrisakul, said that Karr had confessed to the killing but indicated that it was unintentional.
"He said he was in love with the girl, and on the day the incident happened, he went to see the girl at her house. The two of them went into the basement, which is where he said he accidentally killed her," Suwat told reporters.
In a brief appearance before reporters, the 41-year-old Karr was asked if he killed the child and said: "No, I did not. It was an accident."
Thai police working with US law enforcement officials arrested Mark after an arrest warrant was issued in the United States on charges of murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault on a child.
Ann Hurst, an attache for the US Department of Homeland Security, told a press conference here that Karr would be returned to the United States within the week.
US authorities have been working with Thai police for about two months to track down Karr, she said, adding that he could be linked to another crime in California.
The murder, unsolved for nearly a decade, became the subject of books and a television movie, and drew attention to the phenomenon of child beauty pageants.
For months, newscasts broadcast footage of the cherubic blonde prancing about in a revealing Las Vegas showgirl outfit or pouting at the camera mimicking a seductive adult.
Critics of the pageants said some of the pictures risked crossing the line into child pornography -- which has been a regular problem in Thailand, where Karr was taken into custody.
At the time of the killing, suspicion fell on her wealthy parents, who resisted police attempts to interview them for months and hired an army of publicists and private detectives to defend themselves in the media.
Her father John Ramsey told US television network ABC that he was relieved at news of the arrest but that he had never heard of Karr.
"Well, it's certainly a day we have been waiting for for 10 years. I hope this is a first major step in really drawing this to a conclusion, but it also opens up old wounds, and that's painful," he said.
Ramsey said he had been made aware in the past two weeks that Karr was a suspect under surveillance, but that he was not sure he had ever met him before.
"We don't know certainly that with 100 percent certainty that this is the guy," he said.
JonBenet's parents always maintained that an intruder had broken into their home and killed her. Her mother Patsy Ramsey died of cancer in June.
She had called the police on December 26, 1996, to report her daughter missing and said that she had found a ransom note demanding 118,000 dollars.
Police searched the house inconclusively, then asked the father to check it again.
Ramsey and a neighbor found JonBenet's body in the basement storeroom.
Developments in the case unfolded in the public eye, and left Americans sharply divided as to who was to blame.
Some believed one of her parents was guilty but that police had given them special treatment because of their wealth. Others sided with the family, who always argued that the police failed to consider other scenarios.
I sooo remember when this happened. I remember reading the book, watching the movie, reading the newspapers. It was such a eerie feeling when I read about this case. And now 10 years later, the case has been solved..or at least someone has been arrested.
I've been facinated with true crime and forensics..and to have a case go unsolved for 10 years, and then have this come up, I can't imagine how much work has gone into this case. You'd think that after 10 years, or even less, that people wouldn't still be investigating the case. I know it's a cold case, and people still do investigate them, but makes me wonder what motivated people to end up with the leads they did get. And then of course, which ultimately led them to Thailand. Hmm, makes me wonder what the guy was charged for in Thailand.
posted by Gaylicious© at Thursday, August 17, 2006
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