Karr Won't Fight Extradition

Suspect In JonBenet Ramsey Murder Agrees To Face Charges In Colorado

(CBS/AP)  John Mark Karr, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and handcuffs chained around his waist, waived extradition to Colorado on Tuesday to face murder charges in the slaying of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey.

Karr spoke only briefly during a two-minute court hearing to confirm his decision. His blank expression changed only once when he slowly closed his eyes as the judge recited the charge of first-degree murder.

Although his public defender and a former defense attorney described Karr as eager to go, it was unclear when the 41-year-old teacher would be transferred. The Boulder County sheriff's deputies would not discuss travel plans and Los Angeles jail officials said they had not yet been contacted about a transfer.

Deputy Public Defender Haydeh Takasugi, who represented Karr in the hearing, said he was concerned about having to appear in court wearing jail attire rather than civilian clothes.

"It's going to taint any potential jury pool out there," Takasugi said. "He was upset at that."

Karr's face has flooded newscasts since he was named a suspect in Bangkok last week in the long-unsolved slaying of the 6-year-old beauty pageant queen, who was found strangled in the basement of her Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996.

Prosecutors have not disclosed their evidence against Karr, and his family has said he was at home in Georgia at the time of the slaying.

Karr told reporters in Thailand before he voluntarily flew to Los Angeles on Sunday that he was not innocent in JonBenet's slaying, explaining only that he was present when she died and that her death was an accident.

CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen says he doesn't consider what Karr said in Thailand to be a confession, and Karr is not going to be able to plead guilty right away in Colorado.

"To plead guilty and have the judge accept the plea, there has to be a factual basis for it," Cohen says. "Prosecutors have to be convinced of that and so does the judge."

CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports that investigators still haven't ruled out the theory that more than one person was involved in the murder.

In addition to first-degree murder, the charges against Karr in a sealed probable-cause arrest warrant include felony murder, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree kidnapping and sexual assault on a child.

The felony murder charge means prosecutors are either accusing Karr of killing JonBenet during the course of a sexual assault or kidnapping, or that he was present while someone else killed the girl.

Felony murder carries the same penalties as first-degree murder: either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

"It's a perfect insurance policy for the prosecution in Colorado," said former Denver prosecutor Craig Silverman. "Even if a jury were to somehow buy that this was an accident, any death during the commission of a kidnapping or sexual assault is first-degree murder regardless."

Jamie Harmon, an attorney who represented Karr when he was charged in 2001 with possessing child pornography in Northern California, downplayed Karr's comments about the slaying.

"A confession is a legal term ... and the statements taken from Mr. Karr are primarily sound bites," Harmon said outside court. "We have no idea what the context of the comments may be."

Harmon also said Karr was injured by aggressive camera crews in Thailand and has three bruised ribs and bruises on his body.

Harmon said she and another attorney, Patience Van Zandt, would be advising Karr "in some capacity" but that she would not be accompanying him to Colorado.

"He wants to go now," Harmon said. "Mr. Karr has been portrayed by the media as of late as being mentally unstable, attention-seeking, unwell, mentally unwell. And he is none of those things. He is anxious to have an opportunity to address the allegations against him, to be portrayed in a more accurate and complete way."

The attorney said Karr was "not subject to ready categorization or easy answers."

"You've heard the expression, `He marches to the beat of a different drummer?' John Karr marches to the beat of a different drummer," Harmon said.

She described him as intelligent and unusual.

"He is a different sort of person than most of us walking around on the face of the planet, and that differentness has been construed in the media as wrong or somehow unbalanced," she said. "And I don't find that to be true at all. I found him to be very engaging, very bright, very articulate and very, very much appropriate in his emotional response to what is going on."

Meanwhile, a lawyer for Karr's relatives said a photo has been located showing Karr's three sons at a 1996 Christmas dinner gathering in Atlanta. Karr is not in the photo.

Lawyer Gary Harris said Karr's father, Wexford Karr, found the photo, and relatives are certain that if the sons were there, John Karr would have been, too. He told The Washington Post and The Denver Post that the photo is from 1996 because an infant pictured in it was born in December of that year.

"If he had flown to Colorado or somewhere at that time, they would have remembered it," Harris told The Washington Post.

Lara Knutson, Karr's former wife, told Boulder authorities on Monday that she and Karr were either at their home in Alabama or at his parents' house in Atlanta around Christmas 1996, according to Knutson's attorney, Michael Rains.

"But if you are to say to her, 'Are you absolutely certain?' she would say, 'No,"' Rains said. "She has not said to the authorities that her memory is infallible."

[skrabut]

My comments regard the coverage of the Karr story. You are spending to much time on this non-story. Everyday there are people who are charged with the same types of crimes with no coverage from CBS. I now turn the station as soon as you put the story on. Get back to real stories, not just the hype.

[djdsjo]

I agree... how can you NOT hear your child getting woken up, perhaps yelling,screaming.. ? Well.. I did see the floor plans, and I think the parent's bedroom was on the third floor..and the children were on the second floor... so that could explain that. I know once you're a mother, you are a light sleeper and hear everything~lol. I know I do. It's tough to say what's up with this case.. if this is the guy or not... still very strange... how did he 'write' that ramson note and he knew that amount of money 118,000 he demanded, was the exact amount that one of the family members got in some business deal prior... something like that.. how could he know something personal like that? just have some doubts.. If he got paid off.. what good is it to have any cash pmt. if you'll be in jail forever? or face the death penalty? so that totally doesn't make sense...

[kaypheonix]

okay..so i dont buy that Karr did this alone. It still doesnt explain how the Ramsey's didnt hear her being raped???? or her screams or him...i just think there is something fishy...i hope he sings like a CANARY...this is going to top the OJ trial..i bet ya!!

[queenz1615]

i totally agree with someone else's comment...i think the ramseys are trying to cover up an accident by making it look like a murder/kidnapping. they must've hired JOHN MARK KARR ....JMK didnt actually kill jonbenet, but he was involved...that's why he calls it an accident n he says he's not innocent cuz he was involved

[harley147]

I think that Karr is involved, but I do not rule out the Ramseys. I still have a gut feeling they are involved by either staging a kidnapping or covering an accident. I believe Karr was hired by the Ramsey's and something went wrong. They did not mean for her to die. Karr tried to contact Patsy to say he was sorry and keeps calling it an accident.

He may have tied the garrot and went further than he was suppose to according to those who set it up. The sexual implications too were more than the Ramsey's expected. Karr is sick, but there has to be someone more behind this murder. As far as the "ransom note" that is likely Patsy's writing but karr had input.

[postgirl1]

When I first read the article on Monday with Karr staring at the camera...I just felt cold. Not too sure if he's responsible, but for some one to do such a horrible thing to a child as to take their lives, that person must have no soul. Karr might be playing a mental game in his mind, and I wish the jury and prosecutors the best of luck to truly find the murderer and let Jon Benet finally rest in peace.

[tomflint69]

Yes Karr is responsible. May be thats why he was trying to have some consultations for his face surgery and *** change operations! this all shows that he is guilty and now he is playing dramas just to get minimum punishment. If he has to live behind the bars forever, that would be a little punishment for him and he will be happy for not to be sitten on electric chair. etc etc.

[searchone-2009]

I believe the Karr knows who the murderer is as he knows facts that only the investigators know. He has had several teaching positions, and communicated for several years with a university professor, so I do not feel that he is mentally ill. He is smart and articulate. I never cleared the Ramseys, as they never showed emotions for their daughter, no anger, no tears, very calm, and cool. It is unfortunate that Patsy has passed away, but I believe that John Ramsey has most of the answers. I am very psychic, and I believe that soon Karr will talk freely to avoid stiff jail time, then you will find that John Ramseys mouth will be swabbed like Karr's was.

[hoover0274]

I personally I think "car" is an idiot. -and I say car because he is being driven by other ambitions with someone else behind the wheel oh what an ending we're about to witness- I also
don't believe that Mr. Karr killed that little
sweet little child. killer? NO! pedaphile? yes.
what I do believe is that Mr.Karr has researched the case intensly because he was there when she was murdered doing his perverted thing. Mr. Karr seems to be rich, how ironic that this comes after "the childs mother" dies. oooh! Mr Karr is about to tell on somebody.

[newt0073]

Rather then a murderer on the run for 10 years, he seems that he is not mentally all there and is seeking a satisfaction from all of the attention. Perhaps living out a fantasy %u2026. I believe a mental evaluation needs to be taken and this man and in turn he needs to be giving what he deserves; medical treatment not prison. This man is more obsessed then a murderer!

[annabelllee]

My worry is...what if he didnt do it?I personaly am having a hard time believing that he did.I mean, he's a *** offender possibly....but is he the killer? And, if he is not..is boulder county going to let it be?Or are they going to make it stick,not wanting to be made fools in public..or to get the attention and reconition of solving one of the most famus murders in history.
The information is already not matching up.But, who knows.
The moment that I heard that someone had confessed..I imediantly got the feeling that it was a faulse confession.So, purhaps I am too judgmental.I agree that no one should just jump on the wagon and assume he commited the murder just because he said he did.
I have to agree with some on the murder details ....what details would he know that no one else knows?? Sheesh, you can view the autopsy report right online.You can even get a few details about police officer statements, the 911 call and read the darned ransom note if you want.What DOESN'T he know about the murder?What doesnt't ANYONE know about the murder? I'm affraid that the way the case was handled right at the very moment that 911 was called all the way up until now....has pretty much cemented this murder case to never be solved.I dont think that it was properly handled.Too much evidence was disturbed,not found or just plain all out ignored.Proper procedures were not taken and too much blame pointed at the parents.

[wherewlf]

I hope that he is the guy. I am just so sorry that Patsy died before she could have some vindication. I was skeptical in the begining, but soon realized that the grief that I saw in numerous tv broadcasts was real. Not even the best actress could fake that. I agree that only DNA evidence is going to solve this crime. My prayers go out to John Ramsey and the rest of his family for all they have endured.

[raisinghaile]

Everyone needs to bear in mind that Karr has not confessed to murdering JonBenet, at least not yet. He has stated that he was with JonBenet when she died, and that her death was an accident. Statements that he drugged her and had *** with her came from flippant unconfirmed comments from his Thai captors, not Karr. That leaves the door wide open for several possibilities, including a delusional obsessive belief that he can be even closer to the one he "loved" by learning all he could of her life and claim responsibility for her death.
The plot thickens.

[manmnt-2009]

He simply didn't do it. He's a fake. A pervert...yes. But mostly a fake. This story needs to go away from him....leave him with his 15 minutes of fame.

[pegasusdba]

Being skeptical is healthy behavior. Karr may not be the final solution. Let's get more facts.
and BTW,
Isn't it time to remove the gag order from NYPD and NYFD so they can speak freely about 9/11?

[shavakaw]

I DUNNO IF KARR IS GUILTY OR NOT ITS NOT MY PLACE TO JUGE HIM,LIKE EVERYONE ON THIS COMMENT LINE IS SAYING LET THE EVIDENCE SPEAK AND THE TRUETH WILL SET YOU FREE...JUST WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE EVIDENCE HAS TO SAY THATS ALL WE CAN DO REALLY...RIGHT

[witzlaw]

The following should not be seen as a defense of any suspect, and I agree that we should not rush to judgment in the absense of more substantial evidence. Nevertheless, one question about the process leading to Mr. Karr's arrest comes to my mind.

It is unclear whether Mr. Karr made any incriminating statements aboard the aircraft while en route to Los Angeles, but it would be interesting to see how the defense would handle them. Seemingly, he was not under arrest at that point and he was in international airspace aboard a foreign airliner, but since he was escorted continuously by U.S. authorities, I would think a person in Mr. Karr's position would have considered himself as being detained by them. I'd be curious to know: At what point does Mr. Karr's constitutional rights attach, and would any incriminating statements be admissible?

[shavakaw]

THE FAMILY NEEDS CLOSURE I AM GLAD THAT THEY ARE GETTING THAT CLOSURE AT LEAST COMING CLOSE TO HAVING THE CLOSURE.

[shavakaw]

i am glad that justice is being givin to the family of JONBONET

[happytlm]

This world is a really sad place when people can post comments as if they are facts, when all they really are is mean spirited opinions! To say that John Ramsey paid this man to be a fall guy, just shows ignorance to me. Do you have inside information that no one else has??

This whole story brings out the evil in people, including the perpetrator of the original crime. The second crime in all of this are the people out there who stand in judgement of people that they don't even know. When people post comments like those that have beem posted here, it's just a comment on their own self hatred and evil nature.