John Mark Karr News & Discussion Thread

Mercury News/AP Wire ^ | 9/2/06 | MARCUS WOHLSEN

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Posted on Sat, Sep. 02, 2006

Karr hires new lawyer in child porn case

MARCUS WOHLSEN Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO - John Mark Karr, exonerated as a suspect in the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey, has asked a San Francisco lawyer to represent him as he awaits extradition to California to face child pornography charges.

Robert M. Amparan is set to appear Tuesday in Sonoma County Superior Court to officially take over Karr's defense from the public defender's office, which has represented Karr in the case since it was first brought in 2001.

[stlnative]

John Karr due in court today on child porn charges

http://www.cbs47.tv/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=BC0D91BD-8A23-4C54-AA86-2E36AEE32BE8

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John Mark Karr Faces Porn Charges

http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/ap/0906/1408_karr_in_calif.html

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Department said in a written statement that deputies initially went to pick up Karr on Sept. 7 but abandoned the effort "due to an evolving prospect" that federal charges were possible.

"At this point, we have excluded this option," sheriff's Lt. Dave Edmonds said.

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Not good... it looks like maybe they don't have enough to bring federal charges on him or they simply ran out of time waiting on the FBI and had to move him back to CA before the 13th. Maybe the FBI is still combing through the laptop and needs more time.

[stlnative]

John Mark Karr Faces Porn Charges

http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/ap/0906/1408_karr_in_calif.html

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Department said in a written statement that deputies initially went to pick up Karr on Sept. 7 but abandoned the effort "due to an evolving prospect" that federal charges were possible.

"At this point, we have excluded this option," sheriff's Lt. Dave Edmonds said.

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You know I am not going to look at this as a bad thing.
CA had to get him by the 13th of September.

It could be that the FBI just needs more time to track down the things they may have found on Karr's computer (for a warrant to arrest him on Federal charges) The FBI may have decided it would be best to let Karr go on CA to face the 5 counts of child porn while they track down the stuff that may be on Karr's computer. The statement in the article tells me that the FBI is looking into what is on his computer, but they may have to follow it more throughly before a warrant would be issued. I have remember that they may have to travel overseas to investigate some of the things on his computer.

Maybe it is just wishful thinking that there is something on Karr's computer that will lead to more child porn or possibly a child he did molest overseas. But I would imagine it would take more time than a week or 10 days to go through his computer with a fine toothed comb.

[sandbar]

According to news reports this morning, John Mark Karr is getting a plea deal to have time served and will be released on probation.

He is going to be a free man in a few days.

[sandbar]

Here is the link:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/09/19/karr.child.porn.ap/index.html

Karr is offered freedom as part of plea deal


SANTA ROSA, California (AP) -- One-time JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect John Mark Karr was offered a plea deal Tuesday on child pornography charges that would free him on probation.

Assistant District Attorney Joann Risse said prosecutors would waive three of the five child pornography possession charges against him if he pleaded guilty on two remaining charges.

Karr, 41, would get credit for time served and would be placed on probation for three years. He also would be required to register as a sex offender.

Defense lawyer Robert Amparan said that he would discuss the deal with Karr but that he still believes his client is innocent.

Amparan said the public had received a "false picture" of Karr, whom he described as a "Southern gentleman with a sense of humor."

Karr's bail was set at $200,000 after Judge Cerena Wong called him a flight risk. Karr spent several months in the Sonoma County jail in 2001 awaiting trial on the child porn charges and fled after being released.

Amparan would not say whether his client could afford bail but said Karr would remain behind bars for now.

Karr, a schoolteacher, was arrested August 16 after making phone calls and writing e-mails suggesting he killed Ramsey, a 6-year-old beauty queen, in her Boulder, Colorado, home in December 1996. He was returned to the U.S. from Thailand only to have the Ramsey case collapse.

DNA tests failed to connect Karr to the crime, and investigators had no evidence he was in Boulder at the time of the slaying.

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Evidence missing in Karr child porn case
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1705460/posts

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One thing I am still hoping for is that they may get him on something that may have been found on his Thai laptop. He may be released from California's custody but that does not mean the FEDS won't pick him up eventually. (well at least I am hoping that they will)

[sandbar]

>>>One thing I am still hoping for is that they may get him on something that may have been found on his Thai laptop. He may be released from California's custody but that does not mean the FEDS won't pick him up eventually. (well at least I am hoping that they will)>>>

It seems like I read somewhere that the California courts were waiting to see if the Feds were going to pick him up on something and they (the Feds) passed. I don't know. The only family that is contacting him is his younger brother and father (which I do not talk to) so we are all watching the news too.

[stlnative]

Thanks - I am heading out the door for the day.
All these little tidbits about the feds tells me that they are looking into what he was doing overseas.

[stlnative]

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Sep 25, 2006 9:46 am US/Pacific
Lawyers Meet In Preparation Of Karr Porn Trial
http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_268124810.html

AP) SANTA ROSA, Calif. Lawyers for John Mark Karr are scheduled to meet with prosecutors today as the child porn trial of the one-time JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect looms.

The meeting in preparation for Karr's upcoming trial comes after the former teacher rejected a plea deal last week that would have set him free as long as he registered as a sex offender.

~SNIP~

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Computer File In Karr Case May Be Lost
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=4597614

Sep 25 - KGO - In Sonoma County, attorneys for John Karr suspect a computer file linking him to a child pornography case might have gotten lost.

However, prosecutors have located a zip drive which holds 1,600 images.

Karr remains in jail and the judge also set a deadline today for authorities to turn their evidence over to Karr's legal team.

Karr's attorney says because there's no evidence, he hasn't been able to prepare his case. He is expected to file a motion to dismiss on Wednesday.

The charges against Karr date back to 2001.

His trial is due to start on October 2nd.

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Judge blasts Karr's prosecutors, may dismiss charges
Monday, September 25, 2006
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/25/BAG99LCFQT10.DTL

Sonoma County judge handling the five-year-old child pornography case against suspect John Mark Karr threatened today to dismiss the charges and lashed into prosecutors for not telling her that key evidence -- a computer and hard drive containing sexually explicit images -- had been lost.

Superior Court Judge Cerena Wong said she will consider a motion from Karr's attorney, Robert Amparan, to dismiss the 2001 case on Wednesday, a move that if approved would set Karr free without his having to register as a sex offender in California. Wong also will consider whether to unseal evidence in the case.

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>>>Superior Court Judge Cerena Wong said she will consider a motion from Karr's attorney, Robert Amparan, to dismiss the 2001 case on Wednesday, a move that if approved would set Karr free without his having to register as a sex offender in California. >>>

If John walks away from this with NO charges anywhere and not even be required to be monitored as a sex offender... Mary Lacy needs to answer to this. At least he could have been further investigated in Thailand and watched and faced charges THERE. But to walk away with nothing, nada, zip???

[stlnative]

Well I am hoping that Feds don't fumble also and that they are working hard on that laptop that Karr brought back with him from Thailand. I find it hard to believe that they won't find anything on Karr's Thailand laptop that would lead them to something that falls under the PROTECT act.

I wonder if the zip drive they have with 1600 pictures on it is Karr's from 2001 or if the zip drive was purchased and used to dump Karr's California computer hard drive on to back in 2001.

I am just hoping that when he is released from California that the Feds will be there to re-arrest him for something they found on his Thailand computer.

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Wednesday (tomorrow) is the dismissal hearing.

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>>>Wednesday (tomorrow) is the dismissal hearing.>>>

I will look for any information, but please ping me if you see the outcome on it.

I know the newsmedia got duped by him and are avoiding him like the plague because he embarrassed him, but I would hope there would be SOME outcry if he just walks away with NOTHING.

[stlnative]

Investigators Claim to Find Record of John Mark Karr's Lost Child Porn
Friday, September 29, 2006

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,216680,00.html

[stlnative]

Monday is the next hearing date.


http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=4613070

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Investigators testified earlier this week they discovered more child pornography on 100 diskettes, CDs and a removable disk drive taken from Karr's home in 2001.

But Wong said the testimony was irrelevant because Karr was not charged with any crime connected to those images.

The prosecutor hasn't said whether she will amend the complaint against Karr to add new charges and it was not immediately clear if the statute of limitations had lapsed.

Wong said she would also consider whether to unseal police records in the case in light of the lost evidence. She said will hear arguments from a media lawyer Monday.

~SNIP~

[stlnative]

GOOD NEWS!!!


Posted: Saturday, 30 September 2006 5:08AM

Judge Refuses to Dismiss Charges, Despite Lost Evidence

Santa Rosa (AP)
A California judge refused Friday to dismiss the child pornography charges against former JonBenet Ramsey slaying suspect John Mark Karr, after prosecutors admitted losing a key piece of evidence in the case.

Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Cerena Wong criticized prosecutors and sheriff's deputies for ``mistakes and missteps,'' like losing the computer where the five alleged images of child pornography were stored, failing to tell her about the loss immediately and appearing unprepared for trial.

But those issues should ultimately be resolved by a jury, Wong said.

``The evidence that I've heard so far in regards to the failure of law enforcement to preserve evidence ... is relevant to the determination of this jury,'' Wong said.

Karr faces five misdemeanor charges. Defense lawyers asked for them to be dismissed, arguing that prosecutors were not acting in good faith. They also said they could not adequately defend their client without hard evidence.

Karr's trial is scheduled to begin Monday.

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http://www.knx1070.com/pages/94589.php?contentType=4&contentId=214990

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>>>A California judge refused Friday to dismiss the child pornography charges against former JonBenet Ramsey slaying suspect John Mark Karr, after prosecutors admitted losing a key piece of evidence in the case. >>>

Should have taken the plea deal I think.

I want to know if anything is being done on the lap top brought from Thailand.

[Valpal1]

Just want to thank you for following up on this case and maintaining the ping list.

I hope they have preserved enough evidence to get this guy convicted.

[stlnative]

Monday/Early Tuesday Update...

I am still trying to figure out if this is old child porn from the California computer or if they (the FBI) are looking at child porn found on his newer computer he brought with him from Thailand. I would think that they are still combing through his Thailand computer and that this would bring federal charges against him if they find anything. I know that the FBI also consulted with Sonoma County on 5 child porn pictures that county/state wants to charge him with.

I honestly don't think the FBI is done looking into what Karr had on the Thailand computer. The FBI might be done with consultation on his current California charges, but I think they are still looking to find something that will bring charges against him on a federal level.

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FBI reviewing images found on computer of former JonBenet suspect - Published: October 3, 2006

SANTA ROSA, California The FBI is comparing information found on computer equipment belonging to the man once suspected in the slaying of former child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, to data on a national database of child porn victims, a country attorney said Monday.

The digital files found on John Mark Karr's computer are unrelated to the current child porn possession case against the defendant, but contain pornographic images of teenagers, said Deputy Sonoma County Counsel Anne Keck. The FBI is trying to determine whether child porn victims from the database appear in the photos, she said.

The search marks the latest potential legal quagmire for Karr, a former teacher whose arrest in Thailand last month raised hopes that the 1996 murder of Ramsey, a 6-year-old beauty queen in Boulder, Colorado, may finally be solved. Karr had suggested that he killed the girl, but the case quickly collapsed after DNA failed to connect him to the crime.

The disclosure came at a Sonoma County Superior Court hearing over whether to unseal police documents related to what authorities have called an ongoing investigation since Karr was returned from Colorado to face the five-year-old child pornography charges.

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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/03/america/NA_GEN_US_Karr_Child_Porn.php

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New judge will hear battle over evidence in John Karr child porn case


SANTA ROSA, Calif. A new judge takes over Tuesday in the California child-porn case against ex-JonBenet Ramsey suspect John Karr.

Karr's trial on five misdemeanor counts of owning child porn had been set to start Monday. But the departing judge said prosecutors, who'd lost Karr's computer, weren't prepared, and that she had scheduling problems.

~SNIP~


http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=5488241&nav=0RYb

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Judge Keeps Karr Pornography Case Sealed

A judge refused to unseal police documents in the child pornography case against former JonBenet Ramsey slaying suspect John Mark Karr, whose attorneys are fighting to have the misdemeanor charges tossed out.

The Press Democrat of Santa Rosa had sought to view the documents in the case against the high-profile suspect, but Sonoma County Judge Cerena Wong agreed with prosecutors who argued it could harm the investigation and prejudice potential jurors.

Authorities said they found five images of child porn on Karr's computer when he was arrested in April 2001. He fled before he went to trial. Investigators conceded they lost Karr's computer some time in the past five years, but claim to have found copies of the data recently.

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http://www.the-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061002/APA/610022030&cachetime=5

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Prosecutors still investigating Karr porn case as trial nears

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) - Sonoma County authorities said Monday they continue to investigate former JonBenet Ramsey slaying suspect John Mark Karr for child pornography even as his case was scheduled to go to trial.


Though investigators have conceded that they lost a computer containing the original five pornographic pictures for which he was charged in 2001, they believe they have other computer equipment that could contain more than 1,000 other images.

Deputy County Counsel Anne Keck told Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Cerena Wong that the FBI was reviewing other pornographic images, comparing them against a national database to determine whether underage children appear in the photos.

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http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=0c609b8a-0abe-421a-0074-a6ea53543a60&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf

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Prosecutor: FBI looking at new Karr computer porn
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/10/02/karr.porn.ap/

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Defense: Evidence Withheld In Karr Case

SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- Prosecutors withheld evidence that might have led to the dismissal of child pornography possession charges against former JonBenet Ramsey slaying suspect John Mark Karr, defense lawyers told a judge Tuesday.

Karr's attorneys said prosecutors deliberately withheld a September interview with his ex-wife, Lara Knutson, in which she told them the computer from where they found the five allegedly illegal images did not work at the time of his arrest.

~SNIP~

http://www.wral.com/apnationalnews/9994701/detail.html

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[dread78645]

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — A judge dismissed child pornography charges Thursday against one-time JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect John Mark Karr after prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence to take the case to trial.

Judge Rene Chouteau ordered Karr released immediately, bringing an end to his two-month odyssey in the U.S. criminal justice system after he was extradited from Thailand on suspicion of killing JonBenet.

Karr, 41, was returned to Sonoma last month to face the five-year-old case after DNA evidence cleared him of killing the former child beauty queen in her Boulder, Colorado, home in 1996.

The Sonoma case fell apart almost as quickly, as investigators admitted losing vital computer evidence that was seized from Karr in April 2001 when he was working as a substitute teacher in Sonoma and Napa counties.

Defense lawyers tried twice unsuccessfully to get the charges dismissed and were seeking to have evidence barred from trial when prosecutors gave up.

"The impression that we've had all along is that the prosecution had every intention of getting this case to trial, regardless of the evidence," said defense lawyer Robert Amparan. "I am pleasantly surprised by them having done the right thing."

-- Judge Dismisses Child Porn Charges Against John Mark Karr