Posted on 08/21/2006 6:09:08 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside
Karr treatment seen as 'brilliant move'
By ROBERT WELLER, Associated Press Writer
Mon Aug 21, 12:44 AM ET
DENVER - Authorities probably had a very good reason for allowing JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect John Mark Karr to live it up on the 15-hour flight to the United States, legal experts say — they wanted him to talk.
Denver attorney Larry Pozner, past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said the royal treatment during Sunday's journey — king prawns, champagne, French wine — was "a brilliant move."
"What the cops want most is this guy to talk. They say he is not under arrest. Then they do not put him in handcuffs on the plane. And they say he is over the age of 21, free to drink," Pozner said. "He is therefore free to talk."
If Karr says something incriminating that is challenged in court, Pozner said, the investigator who was sitting next to him simply says he was never in my custody.
"There is always a reason when the unusual happens," Pozner said. "He is in nobody's custody. He is free to leave if he can find a way at 38,000 feet
Karr arrived in Los Angeles late Sunday after boarding a Thai Airways International flight in Bangkok. The 41-year-old teacher sat in a business class window seat next to Mark Spray, an investigator with the Boulder County District Attorney's office.
Before takeoff, he sipped champagne. During dinner, Karr had pate, salad with walnut dressing and fried king prawn with steamed rice and broccoli, followed by a slice of Valrhona chocolate cake for dessert. Karr had a beer before a glass of French chardonnay with the main course.
Karr appeared to order the drinks himself, and instigated conversations with investigators.
A spokeswoman for Boulder prosecutors, Carolyn French, said Karr is being escorted by immigration and customs officials but isn't in federal or Boulder County custody on the flight.
"He's being deported from Thailand because his passport was pulled," French said.
Scott Robinson, a Denver defense attorney who has followed the case, said Karr can enjoy himself on the plane.
"Maybe the whole purpose is to build rapport," he said. "If the click of a glass helps in the search for truth maybe he should click glasses six more times."
Craig Silverman, a former Denver prosecutor familiar with the case, said he was surprised that authorities would allow Karr to sit without handcuffs on the plane, sipping champagne and drinking beer.
"It could be that if he got a little inebriated he would make further statements that could include or exclude him from this case," Silverman said.
Bob Grant, a former Adams County district attorney who was involved in the Ramsey investigation, disagreed.
"It seems odd to me," he said. "It is very strange. Whoever is in control of him ought to make sure he isn't doing things like drinking champagne."
___
Associated Press writer Judith Kohler in Denver and Jocelyn Gecker aboard a Thai Airways flight to Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Dude looks like one glass would put him under.
Often, that reason is stupidity. That could be the case here.
So, no areest warrent? He comes voluntarily? Who pays for the ticket? This is FUBAR.
The guy's story so far doesn't add up, though...
Spin spin spin.....it's still bullship!
From the looks of him, he needs the calories.
He IS in custody NOW. And he's in jail.
But on the plane, they did not 'put him in custody.' They only 'escorted' him back.
Not to split hairs or nuttin' but...he was in Business class and the lack of handcuffs is at the request of the airlines. (according to some expert on Fox last night) Should something happen on the plane, they don't want a passenger in handcuffs. My guess is it sets them up for a lawsuit.
Pretty wierd. Whole thing is wierd. I wouldn't want to be within 100 feet of this person.
Who is paying for all this "cleverness"
If he is not under arrest then I wonder if he would be free to go somewhere else... (not)
Such games are only going to get the courts to surpress statements. Freely given statements are admissible but if he is essentially under arrest and not free to go then he should have had his rights read and know he needs a lawyer. THEN if he wants to blab...
He has the look of an AIDs patient, IMHO
I'd like to be within 21 feet of this person.
If you know what I mean....
Sounds reasonable to me - when the Brits arrested the suspects in the recent airline plot, they put up all of the accused families in expensive London hotels with unlimited room service and all the free (wire-tapped!) international phone calls they could make! ;-)
I'm guessing they want to write up a nice search warrant on the dude and they've followed him enough to know if he had one. Supposed he had tossed a recent one. Could they still use it as evidence?
Regardless, 10 years have passed. We want to know what happened 10 years ago......AND BEFORE THAT UNTIL HE FLED THE COUNTRY.
"From the looks of him, he needs the calories."
He'll need a handful of Rolaids after eating all that.
I want this whole story to go away, fast. Please.
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