BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 18 (UPI) -- A man who faces charges in the 1996 killing of JonBenet Ramsey in Colorado, reportedly wrote in an e-mail he had been investigated for "child murder."
John Karr, who was arrested in Thailand this week on a warrant naming him as a suspect, conducted a four-year e-mail correspondence with a University of Colorado professor in which he described his close friendship with little girls. None of the e-mails referred to a possible role in the Ramsey case, the Rocky Mountain News reported, but he once wrote that he was under federal investigation for "child murder and child molestation" in four states.
Bangkok police Friday retracted a statement that Karr said he drugged JonBenet Ramsey before he killed her, NBC News reported. The statement had caused speculation that Karr might have falsely confessed, since an autopsy showed no drugs in her system.
Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy cautioned against speculation about Karr's guilt or innocence.
"We should all heed the poignant advice (JonBenet's father) John Ramsey gave (Wednesday)," Lacy said Thursday. "Do not jump to judgment. Do not speculate. Let the justice system take its course."
Karr told reporters in Bangkok he was "with JonBenet when she died," and her death was "an accident." When asked if he was innocent, Karr replied "No."
"Inside Edition" says it has obtained a high school yearbook Karr signed in 1982, signing off his note to a friend that Karr "shall be the conqueror ... ." The TV show said the initials for the phrase are "S.B.T.C."
A ransom note at the Ramsey home when JonBenet was killed ended with the phrase: "Victory! S.B.T.C." -- an expression investigators were never able to understand, "Inside Edition" said.
