JonBenet: Charges dropped

2006-08-28 22:57

Boulder - In a stunning turnabout, prosecutors are dropping charges against John Mark Karr in the unsolved 1996 slaying of beauty pageant princess JonBenet Ramsey, said defence attorneys on Monday.

"The warrant on Mr Karr has been dropped by the district attorney," said public defender Seth Temin outside the jail.

"They are not proceeding with the case."

Prosecutors did not return repeated messages left to confirm the report.

Earlier, Reuters reported that a DNA sample taken from Karr, who claimed to have been with JonBenet when she died, did not match DNA found in her underwear.

It quoted Denver's KUSA-TV.

Amid scepticism about Karr's account, legal experts have said that a DNA match was critical to the prosecution case.

- AP