Right now, John Mark Karr, a 41-year-old one-time teacher, is only a suspect in the murder of JonBenét Ramsey.
But if it turns out he’s guilty of the gruesome crime, I’ll be relieved.
Ten years ago, the Ramsey murder was chucked into the media grinder, and I ate up every morsel.
This little girl’s murder – resulting from strangulation and a smashed skull – became a media sensation. Not because of the girl. But because of the parents.
When news of the arrest in Thailand hit the newsroom, it was somewhat surreal. For me, it was akin to finding out that Nicole Simpson’s murderer was picked up in India. There are few people I know who didn’t believe that JonBenét’s parents had a hand in this murder.
I’m sure no one wanted to believe Patsy and John Ramsey were capable of killing their daughter – it’s tough to believe anyone is capable of such evil. The problem was Patsy and John often gave us little reason to think otherwise.
To begin with, what kind of parent would dress their beautiful girl up in those gaudy outfits, apply heavy makeup and trot them out as a beauty pageant contestant? There is something overtly sexual and deeply unsettling about the whole enterprise. But while that may be contemptible, it’s not murder.
There were so many other questions. Why did the Ramseys hire a PR firm? Why didn’t they cooperate more with authorities? Why did they act so weird?
Then we have the complexities of the case itself. Getting into the house. The bizarre ransom note. The way they found JonBenét. It all pointed to an inside job. It just added up.
The Boulder police reinforced that view, asserting that Patsy and John were under an “umbrella of suspicion.” That was an understatement. The Boulder cops didn’t seem to have anyone else in mind. Why should we?
When the Ramseys sat down for an interview on CNN, Patsy claimed that the true killer was on the loose. “I don’t know who it is, I don’t know if it’s a he or a she, but if I were a resident of Boulder I would tell my friends to keep their babies close to you,” she said.
I didn’t believe her for a nanosecond.
Neither did then-Boulder Mayor Leslie Durgin, who discarded Patsy’s claim without even entertaining the possibility that a murderer might be lurking in her town.
“People in Boulder have no need to fear that there is someone wandering the streets of Boulder as has been portrayed by some people, looking for young children to attack,” Durgin retorted. “Boulder is safe, it’s always been a safe community and it continues to be a safe community.”
Turns out Boulder did remain safe. Perhaps Durgin got lucky.
Now we brace ourselves for more questions, conspiracy theories and Larry King. What about the suspect? It is reported that he once lived in Atlanta. Did the Ramseys know him? Did he know them? John Ramsey told 9News Wednesday that to “the best of my knowledge, no.”
The track record of the Boulder authorities tells us it’s prudent to wait and see how the case pans out. But it is a good reminder of how incompetent they were.
When former Ramseys lawyers Hal Haddon and Pamela Mackey issued a statement Wednesday pointing out the “diligent investigation” and lauding the “extraordinary” work of the Boulder police, I could only shake my head.
“It is our hope that this arrest will bring some closure to the Ramsey family after a 10-year ordeal,” the statement added.
If John Mark Karr killed JonBenét, the Ramseys went through an unimaginably heartbreaking ordeal. There is no closure. Obviously, the players have changed in Boulder, but 10 years of incompetence is not something that should be praised.
The news that John and Patsy Ramsey were consulted during the course of the investigation is heartening. If Karr is guilty, Patsy might have known before she died that her innocence would be confirmed.
I really hope that’s the case.
David Harsanyi’s column appears Monday and Thursday.
Reach him at 303-820-1255 or dharsanyi@denverpost.com.
