Did Karr Kill JonBenet?

When I woke up this morning and saw JonBenet Ramsey on the cover of the newspaper, I was confused. After all, JonBenet's murder, which was unsolved, happened 10 years ago and had long ago left my mind. Why were they bringing it back up? What could possibly have warranted opening this decade-old investigation?

It’s because authorities had a suspect in custody. For those of you who aren't familiar with the case or were too young when it happened to really understand it, the story of JonBenet Ramsey was gruesome, shocking and rocked the country. Ramsey was six years old at the time of her murder. She was a child beauty queen born to wealthy parents. The Ramsey's had a picture-perfect life until Dec. 25, 1996, when Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet's mother, found that her daughter had gone missing. Ramsey also found a ransom note asking for $118,000 for her safe return. The media immediately jumped on the family as the main suspects in the case. In fact, until this morning, many still believed that her parents were her murderers.

But after 10 years, Mr. Ramsey (Mrs. Ramsey died of cancer in June) may finally have the chance to wake up from the nightmare. John Mark Karr, an American teacher, was arrested yesterday in Bangkok, Thailand, in connection with the murder of JonBenet Ramsey.

The Facts
Prior to being questioned about the Ramsey case, Karr was being investigated by police for his involvement in a case in which Americans traveled to Asian countries to engage in pedophilic activities. However, a tip from a University of Colorado professor led police to arrest Karr for the murder, kidnapping and sexual assault of JonBenet Ramsey. Karr showed no signs of struggle when he was arrested in his Bangkok hotel. When questioned, he admitted to kidnapping Ramsey but claimed her death was 'an accident.' Karr went on to say that he was with her the night she died and that he was deeply sorry for what happened. He claimed that he loved her.

John Karr has now been expelled from Thailand and will be back in the U.S. within the next few days.

The Questions
At first glance, this case seems pretty airtight: a blessing for the Ramsey family. But the case is far from over. There are still many questions that have been left unanswered. For example, upon his arrest, Karr stated: 'I was with JonBenet when she died.' What does that mean, exactly? That he was present when somebody else murdered the girl? He didn't actually say that he killed her.

I also wonder why Karr, who put up no fight with the police upon his arrest, confessed now. Ten years have gone by. If he was so eager to get this off his chest why did he run from police, hide in Thailand and wait this long to say something? It doesn’t seem to be something he is ashamed of, so that fact really doesn’t match up.

Also, is our intense desire to find Ramsey’s murderer clouding our judgment? Are we allowing ourselves to jump to conclusions too quickly because we want to see an end to this horrifying tale? According to an American official (who refused to be named when talking to The New York Times), it is very common for people to falsely claim they committed a crime, especially high-profile cases like this one. It is hard to understand why someone would do that, or how, considering how much Karr seems to know about the case. But, according to his wife, in the years following the Ramsey murder Karr was obsessed with the case. He devoted hours to researching the facts, contacting people involved, and following every last update to the story. Due to the magnitude of the murder the scandal that surrounded it, information regarding the case saturated the media. There was very little information that wasn't displayed for the public. Everyone had access to the facts, especially those like Karr who were rigorously looking for it.

In addition, police have yet to find a real connection between Karr and the Ramsey family. They both lived in Atlanta at one point, but there is no proof that Karr ever interacted with the Ramsey's or met JonBenet. And what about his alibi? Karr's wife at the time of murder claims that Karr was with her in Alabama on Dec. 25, 1996. One may think that she is lying to protect her ex-husband, but they have since been divorced due to his arrest for possessing child pornography. Why would she protect him now?

Finally, there is the fact that the police haven't provided any proof (beyond his admission) that Karr murdered JonBenet. They have yet to match his handwriting to that of the ransom note, check his DNA against that found at the scene, or get the details of what happened in the basement of the Ramsey house on December 24, 1996. Once they bring Karr back to the U.S. and actually start investigating the case, we may come to find out that such evidence doesn’t exist or match up. This arrest, which so many people are counting on, could end up leading nowhere.

Resolution?
Even though the investigation into John Karr is far from over, the fact that a convicted sex offender has been taken off the streets is worth celebrating. Pedophilia is a disgusting sickness, and one that we must work harder to stop. The story of JonBenet Ramsey is a sad one, but unfortunately it is not the only one. Innocent children are being assaulted every day. And they cannot protect themselves (nor can their parents, in many cases). I, like most people, hope that police do find Ramsey's murderer. But even more, I hope they find a way of closing the doors to this sick underground world of pedophiles, and help protect the millions of other potential victims out there.