Overlawyered: Chronicling The High Cost Of Our Legal System

Chutzpah files: John Mark Karr and Seth Temin

Now, the record will reflect that I was an early skeptic of the “solving” of the JonBenet case, but the AP’s quote of Karr’s public defender, Seth Temin, is a bit over the top: “We’re deeply distressed by the fact that they took this man and dragged him here from Bangkok, Thailand, with no forensic […]

Now, the record will reflect that I was an early skeptic of the “solving” of the JonBenet case, but the AP’s quote of Karr’s public defender, Seth Temin, is a bit over the top: “We’re deeply distressed by the fact that they took this man and dragged him here from Bangkok, Thailand, with no forensic evidence confirming the allegations against him and no independent factors leading to a presumption he did anything wrong.” Er, wasn’t Karr a fugitive from justice from California? And there was that whole confession thing…

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6 Comments

  • Okay, maybe more of the “Told You So” files. Perhaps I should apologize for not blogging about it here as opposed to discussing it on a different blog‘s Haloscan comments, but I was generally appalled that with all the important legal decisions coming down that day, all the networks could talk about was speculation about JonBenet, and didn’t want to contribute to that. Not that I blame the networks: they do it because more people will watch that than discussions on serious issues. If I wasn’t aware that my tastes don’t correspond to those of the popular market, the cancellations of “Arrested Development” and “Firefly” should have taught me this lesson. But this is why I generally don’t watch television news.

  • This sounds like a legitimate example of chutzpah to me — if chutzpah is exemplified when a person who murdered his parents begs the court for mercy because he is now an orphan. Here, Karr confessed to a crime. Prosecutors based their actions on his confession. So if anyone is to blame for his ordeal, surely it’s him.

    • By Mike

  • Yes, but crazy people confess all the time. Perhaps the DNA test could have been done while he was in Thailand?

  • I am deeply distressed by the fact that the defender straight-faced LIED to the cameras.

    “no independent factors leading to a presumption he did anything wrong.”

    The guy confessed to the killing – that is IN ITSELF sufficient to PRESUME that he did it. THEN check the other stuff… which they did! They could have just gone to trial with his confession…

    What an idiot.

    • By Deoxy

  • Wasn’t he in trouble with Thai laws, too? I’ve heard speculation that he might have made up the confession to get out of the clutches of the Thai police, and back to the land where prisoners can sue because their cells are too uncomfortable…

    • By markm

  • The third season of Arrested Development came out yesterday! Stupid Netflix and their long waits.

    • By Pat W