Posted on 08/16/2006 8:45:44 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BANGKOK, Thailand - An American suspect arrested in connection with the death of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey denied any connection to her murder when he was detained at his downtown Bangkok apartment Wednesday, police said.
The suspect was identified as John Mark Karr, according to Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul, who heads the country's immigration police. Karr denied involvement in the slayings, another police official said.
Karr's visa has been revoked because he was regarded as an "undesirable person" since he is accused of a crime in the United States, Suwat said.
Federal officials in the United States, speaking on condition of anonymity, also identified the suspect as Karr, a 42-year-old American, and said he was being held in Bangkok on unrelated sex charges.
But Thai police said he had not committed any crime in Thailand.
Suwat said he expected American officials to take the suspect back to the United States in the next few days.
The arrest was a surprise breakthrough in one of America's most lurid murder cases a decade-old crime some feared would never be solved.
JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colo., on Dec. 26, 1996.
"When we informed him that he has been accused of committing a crime at home he denied all accusations. It is normal for a suspect to deny the charges," said a senior police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The suspect, who has been in Thailand four times over the past two years, was being detained by immigration police pending arrival of U.S. officials, the police said.
Suwat said Thai police investigated the suspect and made the arrest at the request of U.S. officials.
The district attorney in Boulder, Mary Lacy, said the arrest followed several months of work. She would not disclose any details about the suspect, but the Ramsey family's attorney in Atlanta said the man was a schoolteacher who once lived in nearby Conyers, Ga.
Leaks from american sources are saying he confessed. Thai police are saying different. I'll stick with the sources from America until I hear different.
Get rid of him after the trial.
I'm cringing in advance with how much we are gonna have to hear about this.
"But Thai police said he had not committed any crime in Thailand."
Sounds more likely. They were following him on the free in Thailand. First reports might have confused the child porn warrants for him in California.
USA Today confirms that. And that he was a "teacher at an international school in Thailand."
Thai police say he denied the charge. The "confession" was probably on line chat.
link?
awwww...boo hoo....maybe you should read a book?
USA Today story is better, but can't be posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-16-ramsey_x.htm?csp=34
No mention of his California warrants though.
I wonder how they got a DNA sample.
Teacher at an international school in Thailand who only visited Bangkok 4 times in the past two years, yet had an apartment there?
His other info online leads us to believe he lived in Honduras for the past few years. Hmmm.
I'm gonna hold my water on this a few days. This whole case has been just too wierd. I would like to see some kinda closure though. I hope this is it.
This is new.
"Teacher at an international school in Thailand who only visited Bangkok 4 times in the past two years, yet had an apartment there?"
Garbled. The reporting is all over the place in this fast running story.
A guy with his credentials could get a job anywhere. English teachers overseas are much in demand.
His credentials have been revoked in the states we know about where he taught - he shows up in the their databases, but there's nothing at all in his files, except his name.
Gretta must be having Multiples over this
How many books were written about the Ramsey death?
It's one of those days isn't it? Misinformation everywhere.
Wonder if he was paying his child support for his three children.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.