Why would John Mark Karr lie about JonBenet?
After DNA testing failed to link John Mark Karr to JonBenet Ramsey’s murder this week, many might wonder: Why would somebody confess to a crime they didn’t commit? Experts say, while still fairly unusual, it does happen and there are two basic reasons why: the first is fame and the second, more frequent reason, is police coercion. “In high-profile cases, one common reason is that some people have this pathological need for attention or recognition, a desire to get their names in the newspaper,” says Saul Kassin, a psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and an expert in confessions. “And this may be one of those types of cases.” Indeed, Mr. Karr, who was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, earlier this month, appeared to enjoy the attention he was getting from all the publicity. Six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey, a child beauty queen, was found bludgeoned to death in the basement of her Boulder, Colo., home the day after Christmas in 1996. While speculation has c
