Ramsey Suspect Remains in L.A. County Jail

John Mark Karr spent Wednesday isolated in a 6-by-9-foot Los Angeles County Jail cell a day after a judge ordered him extradited to Colorado in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case.

“Our goal is to keep him safe and secure,” said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. “We are watching him very carefully.”

Karr, 41, has admitted to being with the 6-year-old beauty queen when she was killed in Boulder, Colo., on Dec. 26, 1996. He was taken into custody in Thailand last week.

The Boulder County district attorney’s office has not said what evidence it has linking Karr to the killing. The affidavit supporting his arrest warrant has been sealed. Media organizations have asked the court to open the affidavit, but it is unclear when there will be a ruling.

“We must exercise our discretion with appropriate regard for protecting the integrity of our investigation, protecting the rights of Mr. Karr and protecting the integrity of any future court proceedings,” William F. Nagel, the assistant district attorney in Boulder County, said in a statement on the department’s website Wednesday.

Authorities in California and Colorado would not say when Karr would be transferred. After Karr’s extradition, the district attorney is expected to file criminal charges against him; Karr then would be arraigned.

In Los Angeles, Karr’s lawyer -- Deputy Public Defender Haydeh Takasugi -- criticized speculation about the case, particularly by those who claim to speak for Karr, saying his defense could be affected. “I just think he’s in a very hard place,” Takasugi said. “He’s anxious and bewildered.”

Karr’s ex-wife has said that on the night of JonBenet’s killing, he was at home with her and their children in Alabama. And an attorney for Karr’s family has said that a photo of the suspect’s three sons taken at his father’s house indicated Karr was in Georgia that Christmas.

A Hollywood producer who says he represents Karr’s brother and father said Wednesday that the family stood behind Karr and believed, despite his statements, that he was innocent.

Larry Garrison said the Karr family wanted to use money generated by book or movie rights to educate Karr’s children and to pay for “proper representation for John.”