JonBenet: DNA doesn't match
2006-08-28 22:08
Boulder - A DNA sample taken from
John Mark Karr, the schoolteacher who claims to have been with
child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey when she died, does not
match DNA found in her underwear, a local TV station reported
on Monday.
Denver's KUSA-TV cited two unnamed sources in the report,
which comes hours before Karr, 41, was due for his first
Colorado court appearance.
Amid scepticism over his account,
legal experts have said that a DNA match was critical to the
prosecution case.
Prosecutors have disclosed none of their evidence against
Karr, who claims he was with the former Little Miss Colorado
when she died by "accident."
Under Colorado law, formal charges
usually must come within 72 hours of a defendant's initial
court appearance.
'White male'
The DNA found on the little girl's underwear was identified
as belonging to a white male but has never been matched to a
suspect in the murder, which for 10 years has baffled police
and fascinated Americans.
Other evidence at the crime scene included a footprint
found near JonBenet's body in the basement of her home and a
palm print on a nearby door.
JonBenet's father, John Ramsey, found the girl's battered
body in the basement on December 26 1996, about seven hours after
her mother stumbled on a bizarre letter claiming that she had
been kidnapped and demanding $118 000 ransom.
JonBenet had been strangled to death with a garrotte made
from supplies found in the home, her skull fractured and her
mouth duct-taped.
Forensic evidence suggests she was sexually assaulted.
Members of Karr's family insist he was out of state at the
time of JonBenet's murder and could not have been involved in
the crime.
- Reuters