M3Bill
10-21-2006, 10:32 AM
It wasn't the world's friendliest welcome.
An e-mail announcing the arrival of John Mark Karr — the man brought back from Thailand as a suspect in the murder of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey — started circulating through several metro Atlanta neighborhoods Thursday.
mail to about 1,000 people — after he received phone calls and e-mails from concerned parents who saw Karr in the neighborhood, not too far from Chastain Park.
"This is just to let you know that John Mark Karr has moved into his father's home," the e-mail began.
In August, Karr, 41, was cleared by DNA tests as a suspect in JonBenet's 1996 slaying. Earlier this month, he was released from a California jail after a judge dismissed child pornography charges, saying prosecutors didn't have enough evidence to take the case to trial.
Karr and his father, Wexford Karr, declined to comment Friday when a reporter knocked on the door of their two-story home on Merlendale Drive in Sandy Springs.
About 10 minutes later, as Wexford Karr checked his mailbox, he told a television news reporter, "I've been here 55 years, and I got a right to stay here."
When asked whether he would let his son stay with him, he said, "Of course I will."
Lt. Steve Rose, public information officer for the Sandy Springs Police Department, spoke with Karr on Friday afternoon and said the former substitute teacher "wouldn't really confirm or deny" whether or not he was moving in or passing through.
Either way, Rose said, Karr is not a registered sex offender and police have no reason to keep a close eye on him.
"He has rights like everyone else," Rose said, "and regardless of the hideous nature of what's been said and what surrounded him, he has a right to be a citizen and live without us sitting out on his curbside because of things of his past."
Still, the emergence of Karr on this tree-lined street, where new five-bedroom homes sell for $1.5 million, has caused quite a buzz.
"Parents were frightened and concerned," said King. "I had several mothers crying on the phone, so we addressed it."
At the Chastain Park playground Friday morning, parents discussed the e-mail as they watched their children play.
"I can't believe he's not in jail or under an indictment, which is frightening," said Beth Marshall, who lives about three miles south of Chastain Park. "I don't want him here."
Michelle Collins, who lives within walking distance of the park, said she would call 911 if she saw Karr.
"It makes me angry he's not in jail," she said.
Although neighbors aren't asking Karr to leave the community, Collins speculated he probably wouldn't stay very long.
"This is a very strong community," she said as she watched her 2-year-old son bounce on a toy horse. "Parents are very involved. I think somehow it will be uncomfortable for him to stay. His quality of life will not be so good."
:confused
An e-mail announcing the arrival of John Mark Karr — the man brought back from Thailand as a suspect in the murder of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey — started circulating through several metro Atlanta neighborhoods Thursday.
mail to about 1,000 people — after he received phone calls and e-mails from concerned parents who saw Karr in the neighborhood, not too far from Chastain Park.
"This is just to let you know that John Mark Karr has moved into his father's home," the e-mail began.
In August, Karr, 41, was cleared by DNA tests as a suspect in JonBenet's 1996 slaying. Earlier this month, he was released from a California jail after a judge dismissed child pornography charges, saying prosecutors didn't have enough evidence to take the case to trial.
Karr and his father, Wexford Karr, declined to comment Friday when a reporter knocked on the door of their two-story home on Merlendale Drive in Sandy Springs.
About 10 minutes later, as Wexford Karr checked his mailbox, he told a television news reporter, "I've been here 55 years, and I got a right to stay here."
When asked whether he would let his son stay with him, he said, "Of course I will."
Lt. Steve Rose, public information officer for the Sandy Springs Police Department, spoke with Karr on Friday afternoon and said the former substitute teacher "wouldn't really confirm or deny" whether or not he was moving in or passing through.
Either way, Rose said, Karr is not a registered sex offender and police have no reason to keep a close eye on him.
"He has rights like everyone else," Rose said, "and regardless of the hideous nature of what's been said and what surrounded him, he has a right to be a citizen and live without us sitting out on his curbside because of things of his past."
Still, the emergence of Karr on this tree-lined street, where new five-bedroom homes sell for $1.5 million, has caused quite a buzz.
"Parents were frightened and concerned," said King. "I had several mothers crying on the phone, so we addressed it."
At the Chastain Park playground Friday morning, parents discussed the e-mail as they watched their children play.
"I can't believe he's not in jail or under an indictment, which is frightening," said Beth Marshall, who lives about three miles south of Chastain Park. "I don't want him here."
Michelle Collins, who lives within walking distance of the park, said she would call 911 if she saw Karr.
"It makes me angry he's not in jail," she said.
Although neighbors aren't asking Karr to leave the community, Collins speculated he probably wouldn't stay very long.
"This is a very strong community," she said as she watched her 2-year-old son bounce on a toy horse. "Parents are very involved. I think somehow it will be uncomfortable for him to stay. His quality of life will not be so good."
:confused