Suspect Confesses To JonBenet Ramsey Murder Thai Official Says

MSNBC ^ | 8-17-2006 | MSNCB

[Lurker]

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thai police said Thursday that a 41-year-old American man has admitted to the killing a decade ago of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey in the United States.

Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul, head of Thailand's immigration police, told The Associated Press that John Mark Karr confessed to the killing after his arrest Wednesday at a downtown Bangkok apartment.

"He told police while under arrest that he did kill the girl but so far he has not pleaded guilty in writing. This is needed as official evidence," Suwat said.

[garbageseeker]

I live in Cambodia and have also lived in Thailand. From what I know about the teaching profession in SE Asia, most instructors are only asked to provide a resume (often doctored) and have native English speaking abilities - I have never heard of a background check, except for those involved with the government, foreign business companies and some NGOs. Now I wouldn't stereotype all overseas instructors as being like this parasite, though I'm not the first to wonder about some of their backgrounds...

The main reason why you would want to do a background check because it is a profession that deals with children. We want to protect the children from monsters like this guy. The second reason a backround check would have been beneficial would to protect the companies reputation. I do not think that I would like to hire a teacher from this "clearinghouse" knowing they allowed a pervert and suspect to post for a job on its web site without a check. Also you the company/site needs to protect itself from both civil liability. Now, they have open themselves up to all sorts of scrutiny. Every law enforcement agency will now look into this site. This company is now officially "out of business"IMHO.

[A CA Guy]

I don't know, I heard there was the stuff he bailed out of the USA over (child porn) and maybe something overseas concerning sex.

It will take a while to figure what is fact from fiction.

We can all say I don't know for a bunch of this.

We do know her ran out regarding a child porn issue, which does suggest a lot of guilt.

[ZAKJAN2]

I agree totally with all of your reasons why a background check should have been done with all who work with children. However..we are talking Thialand here...not USA.. I think we tend to put USA standards and law across the board in our thinking.
My brother is currently teaching ESL in Thialand, and i believe all he had to do was take some short course in order to do so. I don't know what kind of background requirements there were. I'll certainly try to find out. I do know that he is not even a college graduate, and makes very little!!

[beaversmom]

It will take a while to figure what is fact from fiction.

That's the truth. I'm already hearing some contradictory stuff. Greta, Rita, Nancy and all the slimey attorneys and experts they have on will figure it out.

[garbageseeker]

I forgot one important point, when you work for a public school system (any government job) or get a state license(such as in financial planning, my profession) you must go through a background check. The state takes your fingerprints and runs through the California Department of Justice. When you get a Series 6 license you must follow the same process, but through both the state and federal system. Why did this web site ,especially one that deals with educating children run a simple background check?

[cambodia]

I agree 100% - mandatory for many of us. However, many international schools don't believe they should spend the extra money, placing operating costs over value of the service they are providing. As a parent with children living overseas, I've made sure that background checks are run on all instructors with responsibility for educating or taking care of my children.

If any good comes out of this, hopefully though shut down some of these dubious recruiting agencies and make sure security checks are mandatory. I'm also sure law enforcement is already involved in looking at this and other sites.

[beaversmom]

Schools in Thailand may be careless about their hires but this job clearinghouse is in the U.S. IMO he still has a duty to screen the applicants.

[djf]

Wow!! I'm still stunned by this news, just as I was stunned when they found Elizabeth Smart. (thank God!!)

But does anybody know the particulars of how they got the DNA match? Or what made the guy a suspect?

[stlnative]

What I picked up tonight is that he has not been in the USA for quite sometime. The Thailand authorities say he has been to Thailand 4 times in the past 2 years. He arrived this time in Thailand on June 6th (from Malaysia) looking for work in Thailand as a teacher.

The US has been tailing him for the last few months and they have been in contact and working with Thailand authorities for 2 months. So this tells me that the US expected him to show back up in Thailand at some point but that they did not know where he was before he arrived in Thailand on June 6th.

[cambodia]

Amen. If the school doesn't run background checks, any responsible parent should immediately cross that school off the list for consideration. In addition, there are ways of running a private background check, something many of us parents still do.

[garbageseeker]

But the company has a moral responsibility to protecting children and promoting quality teachers. The web site has allowed a monster to promote himself. We know that this "clearinghouse" does not even mention criminal history in its application. We do not know whether this company has allowed other monsters to be hired.

[jocon307]

"One report said the suspect was identified after he started e-mailing a Colorado journalist who had covered the child's murder case. The e-mails displayed inside knowledge of the case, according to a report on the ABC News Web site."

That human desire to talk, it's amazing how that can't be resisted.

It's astonishing this case has been solved after all these years. This man must be pure evil. Not only did he kill that defenseless child, but he let her family be put throuigh pure hell for years as suspects in the crime. Good on the journalist if they tipped the police to the "inside info"

[garbageseeker]

However, many international schools don't believe they should spend the extra money, placing operating costs over value of the service they are providing. As a parent with children living overseas, I've made sure that background checks are run on all instructors with responsibility for educating or taking care of my children.

Perhaps, these sites that hire teachers for international school need to charge an application fee for background checks. I had to pay $100 for my state background check. Hopefully, I hope that the there is some sort of regulation both on the state and federal levels.

[beaversmom]

I just enrolled my son into a private school here in CO. It's always in the back of your mind these days that there are perverts working with kids, but now I'm worried that we didn't ask more questions. I think I'll inquire about this on Friday when we go to back to school night--don't know how to do it in a delicate manner though. "Are any of your teachers perverts?" might be a bit too blunt.

[stlnative]

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4192717

Shocked dad had thought son was dead
By Kirk Mitchell
Denver Post Staff Writer


John Mark Karr's arrest in Thailand after he had vanished for several years was a mixed blessing for his 85-year-old father.

"I thought someone had killed him," Wexford Karr said Wednesday afternoon while sobbing during a telephone interview from his home in Atlanta. "This is such a surprise that he is alive."

~SNIP~

TONS OF INFO AT LINK...

[beaversmom]

It's astonishing this case has been solved after all these years.

I'm totally amazed. I thought it would always be an unsolved mystery like so many things are.

[beaversmom]

"I thought someone had killed him," Wexford Karr said Wednesday afternoon while sobbing during a telephone interview from his home in Atlanta. "This is such a surprise that he is alive."

I don't know what kind of guy the old dad is, but if he's a good guy, you got to feel sorry for him.

[garbageseeker]

It shows the dedication of law enforcement.

[gdzla]

Great. Time to crank-up another media circus trial ala O.J, Micheal Jackson and the other creeps.

[stlnative]

from the link

Wexford Karr had never heard that his son had been arrested on any previous criminal charges. But a Colorado state official said John Karr has an extensive criminal record for sexual assaults across the South, including Tennessee