District Attorney's Statement in JonBenet Ramsey Murder Case
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Transcript of the statement from Mary Lacy, the Boulder County district attorney leading the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation:
Good morning.
As you are now aware, John Mark Karr, 41 years old, was arrested for the murder of JonBenet Ramsey yesterday morning at approximately 6 a.m. in Bangkok, Thailand. Mr. Karr was living in Bangkok. He began his employment as a second grade teacher in a Bangkok international school on Tuesday of this week.
Mr. Karr has traveled extensively since leaving the United States several years ago. The District Attorneys' Office in conjunction with many other law enforcement agencies have spent the past few months locating, identifying and yesterday, arresting Mr. Karr. Much work has been done in those efforts. There is much more work that needs to be done now that the suspect is in custody.Our preference would have been to complete that work out of the public eye. That is obviously not possible this morning.
You all have many questions that you are anxious to have answered.John Karr is presumed innocent. We are rightfully constrained by the code of professional conduct and the presumption of innocence from answering those questions today.
What I can tell you in a generic sense is that in all serious cases, we work hard with law enforcement not to make an arrest until the investigation is substantially complete. That optimal situation best protects the rights of the suspect. There are circumstances that may exist in any case which mandate an arrest before an investigation is complete. The primary reason is public safety. A secondary reason is fear of flight.In short, exigent circumstances can drive the timing of an arrest. I am not commenting on the particular nature of this investigation or arrest.
There is a great deal of speculation and a desire for quick answer. We should all heed the poignant advice John Ramsey gave yesterday.Do not jump to judgment. Do not speculate.Let the justice system take its course.
Let us continue to do our job thoroughly. The analysis of the evidence in this case continues on a day-by-day basis.
What I can and very much want to share with you is a deep appreciation for the hard work, total cooperation and dedication of many individuals and agencies across this country and in Thailand. You can surely imagine the logistical difficulty of conducting an international investigation of this nature, particularly when their day is our night and our night is their day.
Our role in the investigation of JonBenet Ramsey's murder has been to follow up on all legitimate leads that we have received from law enforcement and concerned citizens. There have been many, particularly around dates of interest such as anniversaries. John and Patsy Ramsey have cooperated fully with each and every request that we have forwarded to them.
I would like to briefly introduce to you my chief investigator Tom Bennett, who continues to lead our investigative efforts. Also my top assistants Peter Maguire and Bill Nagel who have worked closely with Tom and his unit. Each of them join me today in extending our most sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the many individuals and agencies that have assisted us ...
At every level in Thailand, law enforcement joined forces to provide 24 hour assistance to our investigators here and in Bangkok seven days a week. We are overwhelmed by the selfless dedication and hard work of these individuals and agencies. We cannot adequately express our thanks.
