Ramsey murder far from solved

Suspect confesses, but DNA awaited

BOULDER, COLO. -- If John Mark Karr is telling the truth, he picked up 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey at school, took her home to drug and rape her, and then accidentally killed her nearly 10 years ago.

But schools were closed for the Christmas break when JonBenet died, and an autopsy found no evidence of drugs in the little girl's body and was inconclusive about sexual assault. And few experts believe that a girl who was slowly strangled with a garrote was killed by accident. There are even questions whether Karr was in Colorado at the time of the slaying.

The doubts have led some to wonder whether the 41-year-old Karr is the answer to the long-unsolved slaying of the child beauty queen or a disturbed wannabe trying to insert himself into a high-profile case.

"We should all heed the poignant advice of John Ramsey," said Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy, quoting the girl's father. "Do not jump to conclusions, do not rush to judgment, do not speculate. Let the justice system take its course."

The strongest evidence would likely come from Karr's DNA samples, which have already been taken in Thailand and will be repeated when the suspect is brought back to the United States, The Chicago Tribune reported.

DNA discovered underneath JonBenet's fingernails and on her underwear has not been matched to the FBI database or other suspects.

"They either have a miss or a match on the DNA," former Denver prosecutor Craig Silverman said. "If it's a miss, the prosecution has serious problems. If it's a match, then it's game, set and match for this case. Couple the DNA with the kooky confession, and it's enough for most people to convict."

That confession came Thursday when the sullen Karr was paraded before a raucous crush of reporters in Bangkok, Thailand. Karr told how he loved JonBenet, was with her when she died but that her death was an accident. And while vague on the details -- "it would take several hours" -- he answered flatly when asked if he was innocent: "No."

"The bottom line is that they now have a confession, and until and unless they can corroborate that confession with either physical evidence or strong circumstantial evidence, that's all they have," said Scott Robinson, a Denver attorney who has followed the case from the beginning.

Conflicting stories

Thai police say Karr told investigators he drugged and sexually assaulted JonBenet before accidentally killing her in her Boulder home.

Yet JonBenet's autopsy report found no evidence of drugs, saying her death was caused by strangulation after a beating that included a fractured skull.

According to Thai police, Karr also said he picked JonBenet up at school and took her back to her home. But the slaying came during the holiday vacation season.

Karr's ex-wife told TV reporters she cannot defend him, then insisted he was with her in Alabama during Christmas 1996, when JonBenet's battered body was found in the basement of her home.

And authorities have not said whether Karr could have written the detailed ransom note found in the Ramsey home, with its demand for $118,000 (the bonus that had recently been awarded to the girl's father, John Ramsey).

Even the Colorado professor who swapped four years' worth of e-mails with Karr and brought him to the attention of prosecutors in May refused to characterize the suspect either as killer or kook.

"I don't know that he's guilty," said Michael Tracey, who teaches journalism at the University of Colorado. "Obviously, I went to the district attorney for a reason, but let him have his day in court."