BREAKING NEWS: Arrest Made in JonBenet Ramsey Case - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Julius · 08-16-2006, 06:13 PM

Press Release: JonBenet Ramsey Homicide

Quote:

Mary Lacy, Boulder District Attorney confirms that there has been an arrest in Bangkok, Thailand for the December 26, 1996 murder of JonBenet Ramsey. The suspect was arrested on August 16, 2006 following several months of a focused and complex investigation. John and Patsy Ramsey both were consulted during the course of the investigation. The Ramsey family has been notified of the arrest.

The District Attorney’s Office has scheduled a news conference at 10 am MDT Thursday, August 17, 2006 at the Justice Center, 6th and Canyon Blvd., Boulder, Colorado. The location of the news conference will be outdoors in the southwest corner of the public parking lot across the street from the Justice Center. Parking at the site is limited and members of the media are encouraged to prioritize the vehicles at this location.

In order to disseminate information that may be ethically released and handle inquiries from the media, we are providing a media request number: 303-441-3842. Information will be disseminated on a regular basis by means of a listserv. If you would like to receive press releases, please sign up at the bottom of the Boulder District Attorney's home page at www.co.boulder.co.us/da . No additional interviews will be provided. We will provide the public with accurate information as early as possible under our legal and ethical restrictions

. Text of a statement from John Ramsey, the father of JonBenet Ramsey, released Wednesday after authorities confirmed the arrest of a suspect in the girl's slaying:

Quote:

"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.

"I do want to say, however, that the investigation of the individual arrested today in connection with JonBenet'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."

Thoughts on this big news?

80sTrivia · 08-16-2006, 06:46 PM

Wow... after ten years, I never thought an arrest would be made in JonBenet's death... sad to think her mother died before hearing the news and that JonBenet would be sixteen-years-old had she lived...

Brent88 · 08-16-2006, 06:48 PM

Hi.

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...d.php?t=180586

James"Thunder"Early · 08-16-2006, 07:36 PM

Well, thank god this finally happened, it's a good thing it won't go unsolved.

Central Perk · 08-16-2006, 07:52 PM

It's good that it appears someone has been caught in the case. However, I don't like how its already taken up so much time on the news channels. There are far more important stories to dedicate more time toward.

bossradio93 · 08-16-2006, 08:02 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/jonbenet_ramsey

Suspect arrested in JonBenet Ramsey case

By CATHERINE TSAI, Associated Press Writer

5 minutes ago

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.

"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.

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.

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.

Karr was being held in Bangkok on unrelated sex charges, authorities said. CBS reported he will be brought back to the United States this weekend.

JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder on Dec. 26, 1996. Patsy Ramsey reported finding a ransom note in the house demanding $118,000 for her daughter.

The image of blonde-haired little JonBenet in a cowgirl costume and other beauty pageant outfits has haunted TV talk shows ever since, helping feed myriad theories about her killer, and the case became one of the most sensational unsolved murder cases in the nation.

Over the years, some experts suggested that investigators had botched the case so thoroughly that it might never be solved.

Investigators at one point said JonBenet's parents were under an "umbrella of suspicion" in the slaying. And some news accounts cast suspicion on JonBenet's older brother. But the Ramseys insisted an intruder killed their daughter, and no one was ever charged.

In the months after the slaying, Patsy Ramsey went before the cameras, vigorously defending herself and her husband, chastising the media and blasting local law enforcement as incompetent.

In a statement Wednesday, John Ramsey said: "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."

The Ramseys moved back to Atlanta after their daughter's slaying.

Wood lashed out at the frenzy that long surrounded the case, and he accused the media of "the most obscene false accusations." "I think the public's mind was so poisoned against this family that no one was able for too many years to look at the evidence," he said.

Patsy Ramsey's sister, Pam Paugh, of Roswell, Ga., said the family was celebrating the news of the arrest. "We are elated. We are elated. If this is, in fact, the killer, then we have a very heinous killer off the streets to never harm another child," Paugh said.

Lib Waters of Marietta, Ga., visited the gravesites of Patsy and JonBenet Ramsey in the Atlanta suburb immediately after hearing news reports about the arrest.

Waters, who described herself as a longtime friend of the Ramsey family, taped a piece of notebook paper to JonBenet Ramsey's headstone that read: "Dearest Patsy, Justice has come for you and Jon. Rest in peace."

In 2003, a federal judge in Atlanta concluded that the evidence she reviewed suggested an intruder killed JonBenet. That opinion came with the judge's decision to dismiss a libel and slander lawsuit against the Ramseys by a freelance journalist, whom the Ramseys had named as a suspect in their daughter's murder. The Boulder district attorney at the time said she agreed with the judge's declaration.

"Today is additional vindication of the family," Wood said.

Wood said he and the Ramseys "have been totally amazed and impressed with the professionalism of law enforcement" under Lacy's direction. Lacy became district attorney in 2001.

Author Lawrence Schiller, who wrote the 1999 book "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town" about the case, said Wednesday he understood the man had been on a list of sexual offenders who were suspects for a long time.

"There are a lot of facts about her actual death that the public does not know." Schiller said. "If he did confess to some facts of the murder, to reveal those facts of the case, that would finish the puzzle."

Among the facts he said were not generally known was the murder weapon and what the killer did with it.

Bob Grant, a former Adams County district attorney who worked on the case, said there was never enough evidence to convince him that any potential suspect could be successfully prosecuted.

"I wasn't convinced it was an inside job, nor was I convinced it was an outside job," he said. "All the outside suspects were cleared after exhaustive investigation, and there were a whole lot of outside suspects."

___

Associated Press Writers Suzanne Gamboa and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington contributed to this report.

Yahoo! News/AP-August 16, 2006

Mr. Television · 08-16-2006, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Central Perk

It's good that it appears someone has been caught in the case. However, I don't like how its already taken up so much time on the news channels. There are far more important stories to dedicate more time toward.

Considering how the media went after the Ramsey's for years over this, I think it's the least they can do.

Central Perk · 08-16-2006, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I Walk The Line

Considering how the media went after the Ramsey's for years over this, I think it's the least they can do.

It really isn't fair how the media targeted the Ramsey family with little to no evidence even attacking their son. However, I think the media gets way too caught up in these salacious stories and should focus on more important events. Give it some time, but don't bring out analyst, pundits, and the kitchen sink and devote constant coverage to it.

Lamont · 08-16-2006, 08:31 PM

perhaps this will serve as a lesson to us not to be so quick to judge
the ramseys had their lives ruined by the cloud of suspicion

Ireneparalegal · 08-16-2006, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lamont

perhaps this will serve as a lesson to us not to be so quick to judge
the ramseys had their lives ruined by the cloud of suspicion

Thank you. They were hounded and made to feel like murderers and yet, they held their heads up high and didn't allow anyone to break them down. I wonder how much of this played a part in Patty Ramsey's condition which eventually killed her? The stress? That alone can do a whole lot of damage.

PrettyinPink55 · 08-16-2006, 08:57 PM

I'm so glad this case has been resolved and that justice is being served!

Janice · 08-16-2006, 09:03 PM

I never ever believed, for a second, that the Ramsey's had anything to do with their daughter's murder.

Janice · 08-16-2006, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I Walk The Line

Considering how the media went after the Ramsey's for years over this, I think it's the least they can do.

Excellent point.

Karen* · 08-17-2006, 02:22 AM

Wow. I hope justice is served.

Buffyboy323 · 08-17-2006, 03:41 AM

Wow! This is great news. So is it offcial? Is this THE guy? Any statement as to why he would do something like that?

I didn't even know her mom died. I thought it was just a horrible rumor, since I do remember seeing it on the cover of the Enquiror or something like that. Sad, really.

Alot of people in my family believed it was the parents who killed her, for money. They even got me to agree for a short while.

And it's a real shame that Patsy Ramsey won't get to see her daughter's killer brougt to justice.

08-16-2006, 06:46 PM	#2
80sTrivia Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 23, 2002 Posts: 21,715	Wow... after ten years, I never thought an arrest would be made in JonBenet's death... sad to think her mother died before hearing the news and that JonBenet would be sixteen-years-old had she lived...
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08-16-2006, 06:48 PM	#3
Brent88 Member Forum Star Join Date: Aug 01, 2003 Location: Alabama Posts: 16,174	Hi. http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...d.php?t=180586
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08-16-2006, 07:36 PM	#4
James"Thunder"Early Whoever's In New England Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 23, 2004 Location: The Apollo Posts: 7,088	Well, thank god this finally happened, it's a good thing it won't go unsolved.
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08-16-2006, 08:02 PM	#6
bossradio93 Game Show Fanatic! Senior Member Join Date: Nov 01, 2004 Location: Bellflower, California Posts: 2,392	Suspect arrested in JonBenet Ramsey Case http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/jonbenet_ramsey Suspect arrested in JonBenet Ramsey case By CATHERINE TSAI, Associated Press Writer 5 minutes ago 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. "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. 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. 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. Karr was being held in Bangkok on unrelated sex charges, authorities said. CBS reported he will be brought back to the United States this weekend. JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder on Dec. 26, 1996. Patsy Ramsey reported finding a ransom note in the house demanding $118,000 for her daughter. The image of blonde-haired little JonBenet in a cowgirl costume and other beauty pageant outfits has haunted TV talk shows ever since, helping feed myriad theories about her killer, and the case became one of the most sensational unsolved murder cases in the nation. Over the years, some experts suggested that investigators had botched the case so thoroughly that it might never be solved. Investigators at one point said JonBenet's parents were under an "umbrella of suspicion" in the slaying. And some news accounts cast suspicion on JonBenet's older brother. But the Ramseys insisted an intruder killed their daughter, and no one was ever charged. In the months after the slaying, Patsy Ramsey went before the cameras, vigorously defending herself and her husband, chastising the media and blasting local law enforcement as incompetent. In a statement Wednesday, John Ramsey said: "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." The Ramseys moved back to Atlanta after their daughter's slaying. Wood lashed out at the frenzy that long surrounded the case, and he accused the media of "the most obscene false accusations." "I think the public's mind was so poisoned against this family that no one was able for too many years to look at the evidence," he said. Patsy Ramsey's sister, Pam Paugh, of Roswell, Ga., said the family was celebrating the news of the arrest. "We are elated. We are elated. If this is, in fact, the killer, then we have a very heinous killer off the streets to never harm another child," Paugh said. Lib Waters of Marietta, Ga., visited the gravesites of Patsy and JonBenet Ramsey in the Atlanta suburb immediately after hearing news reports about the arrest. Waters, who described herself as a longtime friend of the Ramsey family, taped a piece of notebook paper to JonBenet Ramsey's headstone that read: "Dearest Patsy, Justice has come for you and Jon. Rest in peace." In 2003, a federal judge in Atlanta concluded that the evidence she reviewed suggested an intruder killed JonBenet. That opinion came with the judge's decision to dismiss a libel and slander lawsuit against the Ramseys by a freelance journalist, whom the Ramseys had named as a suspect in their daughter's murder. The Boulder district attorney at the time said she agreed with the judge's declaration. "Today is additional vindication of the family," Wood said. Wood said he and the Ramseys "have been totally amazed and impressed with the professionalism of law enforcement" under Lacy's direction. Lacy became district attorney in 2001. Author Lawrence Schiller, who wrote the 1999 book "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town" about the case, said Wednesday he understood the man had been on a list of sexual offenders who were suspects for a long time. "There are a lot of facts about her actual death that the public does not know." Schiller said. "If he did confess to some facts of the murder, to reveal those facts of the case, that would finish the puzzle." Among the facts he said were not generally known was the murder weapon and what the killer did with it. Bob Grant, a former Adams County district attorney who worked on the case, said there was never enough evidence to convince him that any potential suspect could be successfully prosecuted. "I wasn't convinced it was an inside job, nor was I convinced it was an outside job," he said. "All the outside suspects were cleared after exhaustive investigation, and there were a whole lot of outside suspects." ___ Associated Press Writers Suzanne Gamboa and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington contributed to this report. Yahoo! News/AP-August 16, 2006
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08-16-2006, 08:31 PM	#9
Lamont Lamont says Smile! Forum Veteran Join Date: May 28, 2005 Location: Deep in the Heart of Nowhere Posts: 5,217	perhaps this will serve as a lesson to us not to be so quick to judge the ramseys had their lives ruined by the cloud of suspicion
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08-16-2006, 07:52 PM	#5
Central Perk ~~~~~ Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 10, 2002 Posts: 4,553	It's good that it appears someone has been caught in the case. However, I don't like how its already taken up so much time on the news channels. There are far more important stories to dedicate more time toward.

08-16-2006, 08:57 PM	#11
PrettyinPink55 Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: Feb 11, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 24,601	I'm so glad this case has been resolved and that justice is being served!
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08-16-2006, 09:03 PM	#12
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	I never ever believed, for a second, that the Ramsey's had anything to do with their daughter's murder.

08-17-2006, 02:22 AM	#14
Karen* paradox. Forum Superstar Join Date: Jan 08, 2005 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 28,365	Wow. I hope justice is served.
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08-17-2006, 03:41 AM	#15
Buffyboy323 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 24, 2005 Posts: 6,104	Wow! This is great news. So is it offcial? Is this THE guy? Any statement as to why he would do something like that? I didn't even know her mom died. I thought it was just a horrible rumor, since I do remember seeing it on the cover of the Enquiror or something like that. Sad, really. Alot of people in my family believed it was the parents who killed her, for money. They even got me to agree for a short while. And it's a real shame that Patsy Ramsey won't get to see her daughter's killer brougt to justice.