From FOX News, reporting from Santa Rosa, California, news on John Mark Karr's impending release:
One-time JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect John Mark Karr was offered a plea deal Tuesday on child pornography charges that would free him on probation.
Assistant District Attorney Joann Risse said prosecutors would waive three of the five child pornography possession charges against him if he pleaded guilty on two remaining charges.
Karr, 41, would get credit for time served and would be placed on probation for three years. He also would be required to register as a sex offender.
As I've said before, Karr could choose to fight this. He could demand his jury trial and then argue an impartial jury can't be impanelled because of all the media attention. Some of that attention could be blamed on the self-serving antics of two lawyers who insist they represent him -- though they've never met him:
As John Mark Karr was being held in a Los Angeles jail last month, two San Jose attorneys called a news conference to announce they would represent the man suspected of killing child beauty pageant princess JonBenet Ramsey.
But throughout the extradition proceedings that took Karr from California to Boulder, Colo., and back again for his Thursday appearance in Sonoma County on child-pornography misdemeanor charges, neither Jamie Harmon nor Patience Van Zandt have made a single appearance on his behalf.
At each of the hearings, Karr was represented by other attorneys.
These lawyers are accused of trying to cash in on the publicity:
Harmon and Van Zandt -- who appeared on television talk shows with Larry King and Diane Sawyer -- have faced criticism from other attorneys that the two were using the JonBenet media circus to hype their small San Jose firm, Harmon & Associates.
"I had great concerns about these people trying to inject themselves into this case apparently for reasons other than the protection and representation of Mr. Karr's interest,'' said Boulder Deputy Public Defender Seth Temin, who represented Karr in Colorado. "There was a potential for this to become a distraction in this case and for them to further hurt his interest in such a serious matter.''
They even lied to try to get to see Karr in Colorado:
Harmon, a former Santa Clara County prosecutor who was cited three times by judges for giving incorrect legal advice, tried to see Karr twice in the Boulder County jail but was prevented each time because she is not licensed or approved to practice law in Colorado, said Larry Hank, jail division chief for the sheriff's office there.
Out-of-state lawyers who are not members of the Colorado bar association must file a petition stating that their client wants their counsel and must obtain approval by a judge. Out-of-state attorneys must also be assisted by a Colorado attorney.
On one occasion while Karr was in Colorado, Harmon told jailers she had the permission of the public defender's office to see Karr , which was not true, Temin and Hank said. Jailers checked with Hank who in turn contacted Temin, who said he had not given Harmon permission.
But they say that this is just about helping out Karr:
Van Zandt said she's glad that Karr's case turned out well for him, given his statements and media swirl. But she hopes to see him again to clarify -- at least for her -- his legal situation.
Well, given that no matter what happens, Karr is walking away from this, I think Van Zandt and Harmon have a reason to be pleased.
The real question, though, is whether this is the last time we'll hear about John Mark Karr.
