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CNN Live Today

Arrest Made in Ramsey Case, Investigation Continues; Bomb Kills Police Patrol

Aired August 17, 2006 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we've got a very busy morning ahead. Let's get started right now.
Here's what we know about the arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. The suspect is American, John Mark Karr. The former schoolteacher is being held in Bangkok, Thailand, and awaiting extradition to the United States. Early today he told reporters "I was with JonBenet when she died." He also said her death was an accident. Police say it's not clear how he would have known the six- year-old beauty queen or her family. Two hours from now, the district attorney's office in Boulder, Colorado, plan as news conference. CNN will carry that live.

Police in Thailand announce the arrest in the Ramsey case and led suspect John Mark Karr through a throng of reporters. There the 41- year-old American seemed to confess.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MARK KARR, RAMSEY MURDER SUSPECT: I loved JonBenet very much.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE), I'm from the Associated Press. Can you just give us a brief statement, please?

KARR: I loved JonBenet and she died accidentally.

QUESTION: Are you an innocent man?

KARR: No.

QUESTION: What happened?

KARR: Her death was an accident.

QUESTION: So you win the basement?

KARR: Yes.

QUESTION: Can you tel us about your connection to the Ramsey family?

KARR: No comment on that.

QUESTION: how did you get into the basement to play with her?

KARR: No comment on that.

QUESTION: And how do you feel now? How are you being treated?

KARR: I'm being treated okay.

QUESTION: How long had you known JonBenet?

KARR: No comment on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Again, John Mark Karr, the suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case in Colorado, there in Bangkok, Thailand, where he awaits extradition to the United States.

Let's go now to Boulder, Colorado, the starting point for this investigation. Ed Lavandera is there.

Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

Well, Boulder prosecutors will be holding a press conference here in about two hours in Boulder. We can imagine that they have been closely watching the words that John Karr has been saying from Thailand. So it will be interesting to see exactly how that might influence what they tell us here shortly. The only thing they've said so far was a statement yesterday acknowledging that this arrest had been made. Since then, no official words really coming from the prosecutor's office here in Boulder, Colorado.

But we know that John Ramsey's family and Patsy Ramsey's family have been watching this unfold, as well, from Thailand. And this morning, on AMERICAN MORNING, when asked by -- when asked one of JonBenet's aunts, I'm sorry, was asked about what she thought of what John Karr was saying in Thailand, she said she was sickened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA PAUGH, AUNT OF JONBENET RAMSEY: Saying it was an accident. Well, by what accident were you even in her home? By what accident did you tie something around her neck and choke her? By what accident did you put an eight-inch crack in her skull? These things are not accidents. Accidents are falling off the couch and bumping your head when you're a toddler.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: It's almost kind of surreal, everything that has been happening here in the last few hours. Everything that John Karr has been saying in Thailand, essentially confessing to the murder of JonBenet Ramsey. But his wife here in the U.S. says that -- tells a San Francisco television station that he was in Alabama during that Christmas season in 1996 when JonBenet Ramsey was murdered. His father telling another news outlet that he was never -- has never been to Colorado. So a lot of confusing elements out there. But, of course, all eyes on Thailand at this point. But here, in the next couple of hours, when prosecutors come to the podium, we anticipate that they will be able to shed a little bit more light on exactly what's been going on with this investigation.

Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Ed, while it seems overnight everything seemed to come together in terms of them apprehending this lead suspect, are authorities saying that things started culminating together just within the past couple of months? Meaning, leading to the direction of where John Karr may be?

LAVANDERA: Well, the best indication we've gotten of that is from John Ramsey, who in a brief phone interview yesterday said that this investigation had been kind of reignited in the last three to four months. And that before Patsy Ramsey died, two months ago in June of ovarian cancer, that she was aware that prosecutors were narrowing down on a suspect in this case. So it looks like just in the last three or four months of this -- of investigating that things really started to change here.

WHITFIELD: Who is expected, Ed, to be at this press conference?

LAVANDERA: As far as we know, the district attorney here in Boulder, Colorado. It will be interesting to see exactly how many more, you know, perhaps police officers or investigators who have worked this case over the last 10 years. There has been a lot of, you know, changeover on the people who have investigated. It initially it was a police department investigation. It eventually became an investigation headed up by the district attorney's office here in Boulder, Colorado. So we imagine some sort of grouping of those various entities that worked on this investigation over the last 10 years.

WHITFIELD: Ed Lavandera, thanks so much.

And, of course, we'll be covering that press conference live as it is scheduled to happen at 12 noon Eastern Time.

Let's go now to Thailand where the suspect, John Mark Karr, is being held. CNN's Atika Shubert joins me live from Bangkok.

Atika.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, I'm actually standing right in front of the building where John Mark Karr is now being held. That's the Immigration Detention Center here in Bangkok. And that's where that chaotic news conference you saw earlier took place.

Now in addition to the comments he made there, he apparently also made some rather chilling comments to AP, stating that he did try and contact the Ramsey family some time ago. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN MARK KARR, SUSPECT: I've contacted the Ramsey family, especially before Patricia passed away. And I conveyed to her many things, among them, that I am so very sorry for what happened to JonBenet. And it's very important that -- for me that everyone knows that I love her very much and that her death was unintentional and it was an accident. And I made several efforts to communicate with Patricia before she passed away. And it's my understanding that she did read my letters and she was aware of me before she passed away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHUBERT: Now, according to officials here, they say he has put up no resistance to his detention and that he is cooperating with authorities. Thai officials here are hoping that he will be extradited as soon as possible, which mean he may be back in the U.S. in the next few days.

Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so, Atika, how customary is it to parade a suspect in front of a host of cameras and reporters and have this kind of Q&A on such a high profile case like this?

SCHUBERT: It's certainly not unusual for suspects to be brought out before the press, particularly if they've been caught red-handed in a crime. Such as a drug related crime when there's evidence to show in addition to it. I think it's plenty unusual, however, that he was brought out in this very relaxed manner and brought forward when there was so much press attention. It seems that authorities hear really underestimated how much attention there would be.

And the reporters really just swarmed around him, became a throng of reporters asking these very direct questions. Which he did answer, however, even -- and authorities say he even asked to speak to the press afterwards. So it seem to be handled in a rather chaotic and casual manner. But at the same time, it seems to be something that he himself has wanted.

WHITFIELD: All right, Atika Schubert, thanks so much, from Bangkok.

Well here now is a look at the suspect John Mark Karr. According to newspaper reports, the 41-year-old schoolteacher grew up in Georgia and Alabama. He is divorced with three children. Karr taught as an elementary school in Petaluma, California, for several months n 2000 and 2001.

And in an online resume, Karr claim he worked in Honduras, Costa Rica, South Korea, Germany and the Netherlands. He was arrested in 2001 on child pornography charges. In fact, arrested at the California elementary school where he apparently had worked. He apparently fled the country in 2001 while on bail.

Let's look now into the legal ramifications with Jeffrey Toobin on this. And, Jeffrey, let me begin with you on this press conference and how this press conference, this sort of recorded roundabout way confession might help seal the deal, so to speak, on this case.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this statement appears to have been a voluntary statement made by Karr in response to these questions. Some questions he answered. Some questions he didn't. It wasn't like it was a police interrogation where he had no choice. He volunteered this information about the fact that, you know, he loved JonBenet. That he was present when she died. And that he is not an innocent man. That is something that could be played in court if there's a trial in this case.

WHITFIELD: But he didn't say, I killed her. He said, he was with her when she died. So I imagine this kind of taped confession or, you know, presentation before the reporters is really going to be evaluated and picked apart.

TOOBIN: Sure. But, you know, this would be up to a jury to analyze and draw conclusions about. So just because he didn't confess to an intentional homicide doesn't mean that a jury would not conclude that he did commit an intentional homicide. So it's entirely possible that, you know, the jury would simply listen to this tape and say, this is a very sick guy. He's obviously guilty. This is proof that he's guilty.

Obviously there's a lot more we need to know. What is the other evidence in the case? What would the defense put forward? But certainly that looks like a very incriminating piece of conversation with reporters.

WHITFIELD: And talk about the other things that, you know, the legal teams would need to know. DNA, for one. How critical, how important is it to have a DNA match with him and the place of the crime, the crime victim?

TOOBIN: Well, DNA evidence in this day and age is always the most important evidence that the prosecution can have. It doesn't mean they can't get a conviction without DNA evidence. What makes it so important in this case was that in 2003, seven years after the crime, the Boulder authorities went back to JonBenet's clothing, which she had been wearing when she was killed, and found the DNA of an unidentified man. That excluded the Ramsey family as sources and as suspects in the case.

But the obvious question is, does the DNA evidence on her clothing match John Karr's? I don't know if that test has been done. It certainly will be done if it hasn't been yet. And if that is a match, I can't imagine there would be much to talk about in a trial.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jeffrey Toobin. Still lots more questions on this case as we're all kind of, you know, trying to wrap our heads around this because it really is a phenomenal breakthrough just within the past few hours. Jeffrey Toobin, we'll be checking in with you.

TOOBIN: Amazing stuff, so to speak. WHITFIELD: It really is. Within the next few hours we'll be talking again. Thank so much.

Well, e-mail leads to a break in this JonBenet Ramsey case and puts investigators on the trail of John Mark Karr. How? Well, all that according to the "Rocky Mountain News." A reporter for the paper strayed ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

And two hours from now stay tuned for a press conference coming out of Colorado. We're going to hear from the investigators and the district attorney there in Boulder, Colorado, on the latest developments on the arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: An arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. Here's what we know right now.

The suspect is American John Mark Karr. The former schoolteacher is under arrest in Bangkok, Thailand, and awaiting extradition to Colorado. Earlier today, Karr told reporters "I was with JonBenet when she died." He also said her death was an accident. Police say it's not clear how he would have known the six-year-old beauty queen or her family. Less than two hours from now, the district attorney's office in Boulder plans a news conference. CNN will carry that live.

It's a murder mystery that captured the nation's attention nearly a decade ago. CNN's Tom Foreman take as closer look at the twists and turns in the JonBenet murder investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): They are images frozen in time. A child beauty queen, six-years-old, performing on a stage. We know her name and now, 10 years after her death, we may soon know who killed her.

On the day after Christmas 1996, the body of JonBenet Ramsey was found in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. She had been beaten, strangled. A handwritten ransom note left on the staircase. It was the city's only murder of the year and it instantly became the focus of a nation.

JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, said an intruder murdered their daughter after attempting to kidnap her. In an interview with CNN, they urged parents to be carefully.

PATSY RAMSEY, JONBENET'S MOTHER: If I were a resident of Boulder, I would tell my friends to keep -- keep your babies close to you. There's someone out there.

FOREMAN: But the police, and much of the media, were pointing fingers at the Ramseys.

CHIEF MARK BECKNER, BOULDER POLICE: They do remain under an umbrella of suspicion, but we're not ready to name any suspects. FOREMAN: Even after a grand jury failed to indict the Ramseys, to many they remain subjects of suspicion. On 2000, on "Larry King Live," Steve Thomas, former Boulder police detective, confronted John and Patsy.

STEVE THOMAS, FORMER BOULDER POLICE DETECTIVE: I felt that Patsy is involved in this death, in this tragedy. And I felt it had become such a debacle and was going nowhere.

LARRY KING, CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE": John, why did you agree to come on with Steve tonight? I mean this is rather historic. I'm trying to remember if there's ever been television like this.

JOHN RAMSEY, JONBENET'S FATHER: This man, as a police officer, has called my wife a murder. He has called me a complicity to murder. He has call me a liar. He has slandered my relationship with my daughter. Patsy's relationship with JonBenet.

FOREMAN: Thomas wrote a book claiming the Ramseys were involved in their child's murder. In 2001, the Ramseys sued and a year later settled out of court. Then in 2003, the Boulder Police Department ended its investigation and handed it over to the district attorney. The D.A. vowed to reopen the case but refused to eliminate the Ramseys as possible suspects.

Just a month later, the D.A. changed her mind. A judge ruled in a civil case that an intruder most likely killed JonBenet and the prosecutor agreed, finally removing the cloud of suspicion over the parents. By that point the Ramseys had moved to Michigan where they continued to monitor the investigation hoping DNA evidence would bring the killer to justice.

Patsy Ramsey wouldn't live to see her daughter's murder solved. In June, she died of ovarian cancer, but not before learning that Boulder authorities had a suspect in their sights. Patsy was buried in a Georgia cemetery next to JonBenet, who, had she lived, would now be 16 years old.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And stay with us for the unfolding developments on the arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. The district attorney's office in Boulder, Colorado, has scheduled a news conference at noon Eastern, 9:00 Pacific, and CNN will bring that to you live.

Meantime, let's go straight to the newsroom and Carol Lin with an update on a breaking story.

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: News out of Afghanistan, Fredricka.

It looks like, according to the Associated Press, a U.S.-led coalition air strike has mistakenly killed 10 police officers in southeastern Afghanistan. This is an area that was once heavily populated by the Taliban. It's near the Kandahar province. Apparently these police officers were killed when coalition aircraft mistakenly dropped a bomb on a two-vehicle border police patrol in the area of Taktika (ph) province, which is near the Pakistani border.

So this is still being investigated. This early report coming in from the Associated Press who's quoting a Colonel Tom Collins (ph), a spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition who said that they were aware of the reports but could not divulge any more details at this point. So we'll be looking into this story of possible friendly fire out of Afghanistan.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Carol.

E-mail leads to a break in the JonBenet Ramsey case and puts investigators on the trail of John Mark Karr. That's according to the "Rocky Mountain News." A reporter for that paper joins us this hour.

And all the latest developments from the Middle East straight ahead. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis. Insurers score a big victory against homeowners. We'll give you the details of the first Hurricane Katrina insurance case and tell you what it means for you. That's next on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A murky verdict in the battle over wind and water. After Hurricane Katrina, many families thought insurance would cover all the damage to their homes. Well, it didn't so some sued. A judge has now ruled one couple's insurance company must pay for wind damage, but not flood damage. That's got both sides claiming legal victory. Attorney Dickie Scruggs explains the plaintiff's position.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD "DICKIE" SCRUGGS, TRIAL ATTORNEY: The court ruled that if there's wind damage, they have to cover wind damage. The companies up until yesterday, Carol, had been taking the position that if there's any water damage, they don't even have to pay for wind damage, even if the wind is what blew your roof off. They can't take that position any longer. This is a great victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Scruggs won about $1,200 for his clients. They have gotten much more had the judge allowed damages for storm surge. Scruggs plans further legal action.

So if a disaster like Hurricane Katrina hits where you live, are you covered? CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis in New York here to tell us what this ruling means for homeowners.

And, Gerri, what is the headline here?

WILLIS: Hey, Fred, good to see you.

The bottom line here is that insurance companies don't have to pay for the flooding that destroyed tens of thousands of homes in Hurricane Katrina. So here are some other lessons that homeowners should get out of this.

Number one, you have to pay attention to the exclusions. If there's one thing we learned out of this, it's to go over what your policy excludes with a fine tooth comb. The Leonards got hung up in a water damage exclusion provision that didn't cover storm surge.

But more and more often, this is really important, critical in fact, some insurance companies are adding wind exclusions to their policies. Now these exclusions can be found in your policy. And I've got one right here. You want to look for the word exclusions. This is a document that comes with your policy. It's about 15 to 30 pages long. Standard document. And in this particular one, it's on page 11 of the 22 pages where you'll see all of these things that the insurer does not cover.

Look, it's hard to understand the language in these things. And if you don't get it, sit down with your agent and have them explain point by point what is in your policy.

WHITFIELD: But then sometimes, Gerri, you will underscore that your agent doesn't know everything.

WILLIS: Well, I mean, in this case in particular, they were advised, this couple, not to buy flood insurance, even though they lived very close to the beach. The moral of the story here, it's up to you to gauge your own home's risk of flooding. And you can do this yourself by going to the National Flood Insurance programs website at floodsmart.gov or call 888-379-9531.

Now, the average premium for a flood insurance policy is $400 to $500 a year. Keep in mind, you can only get up to $250,000 for your property and $100,000 for your contents if your house is blown over by a hurricane.

WHITFIELD: And something my mother and everybody's mother always says, don't take no for an answer.

WILLIS: Well, look, we've already seen insurance companies refuse to renew homeowner policies. You may have to start looking at smaller insurance companies to get coverage. To do this, go to your state insurance regulators website or United Policy Holders at uphelp.org.

WHITFIELD: And now this segment is hinged on one case. But what about all the other cases out there?

WILLIS: Well, this was the first case among hundreds of Katrina insurance cases yet to come before this judge. The winner here is clearly the insurers. But homeowners who can prove that wind damage was a major factor in their claim, who don't have a wind exclusion, may have some wiggle room here. And this case may also persuade insurance companies, watch out for this, to refine their language as to what's covered and what isn't.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And we look forward to "Open House" every weekend. So what's on tap this weekend?

WILLIS: Well, we've got a lot of fun this weekend, 9:30 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN, we'll talk about self-defense shootings. Taking a look at the controversy of when you can and cannot use a gun to defend yourself in your home. We're talking about this Dick Scruggs case yet again, Katrina victims, what it means for you. And then for a little fun we're branching out. Tree houses aren't just for kids anymore. Weekend projects shows you the first steps of reliving your childhood.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my husband will love that. He keeps talking about it. We've got to put a tree house in the backyard.

WILLIS: We've got a step-by-step explanation of how to do it.

WHITFIELD: I'll have him start by watching your show this weekend, "Open House." Thanks so much, Gerri.

WILLIS: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well updating the arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey case straight ahead. Here's what we know right now.

Former school teacher John Mark Karr says he was with the six- year-old beauty queen when she died. But he says her death was an accident. Karr is in custody in Thailand. He will be extradited to Boulder, Colorado, within the next week to face charges of murder, kidnapping and sexual assault on a child.

We expect to learn more about the arrest in about an hour and a half. The Boulder D.A. holds a news conference and will bring that to you live.

A Colorado newspaper reports the trail leading to John Mark Karr can be traced to e-mail. It was sent to a professor at the University of Colorado. Journalist Todd Hartman wrote about it in today's "Rocky Mountain News." He joins us on the phone from Denver.

And so, Todd, this is pretty fascinating. This connection between Karr extending himself to this college professor in e-mails. There were hundreds of e-mails. But was there one in particular that stood out that made it most incriminating for Karr?

TODD HARTMAN, "ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS": Well, we don't know yet if there was one particular e-mail. There were so many e-mails exchanged that my sense is, from talking to people who know what happened in this case involving this professor, that he began to get somewhat of a creepy feeling fairly early on in this exchange. Why exactly or what exactly gave him that sense isn't clear.

We do know this gentlemen, Mr. Karr, began to discuss details of the crime that apparently, you know, are unknown to the public. At first glance, that seems hard to believe because the public knows so much about this case due to the efforts of the media over time. But apparently there were details in these e-mails that hadn't yet been released to the media that really perked -- or piqued Michael Tracey's interest at the University of the Colorado.

WHITFIELD: And so some of these details, you know, piqued the interest private investigator and other investigators, as well. You wrote in your article that he talked about being there -- talking about Karr. He talked about being there, about doing this and doing that and knowing this and knowing that. So really specific details that raised the red flag.

HARTMAN: Apparently so. For example -- and I don't know that this was discussed -- but it's not clear to this day what the poor girl was traumatized with in the skull. Was it a flashlight, was it some other blunt object? We don't know that. And perhaps -- and this is only my speculation here -- perhaps this was something mentioned in an e-mail that would have, you know, obviously been interesting.

But again, I don't know that for a fact. We don't know exactly yet what was in all those e-mails. But, obviously, there were enough juicy details to take this thing. I mean, this was an exchange that started four years ago. And this professor, who I should say has been a relentless -- in relentless pursuit of this case and relentless pursuit of the idea that the parents are innocent -- you know, he deserves lot of credit here for continuing this dialogue. If this pans out and this turns out to be a guy, obviously Michael Tracey here is going to have to be given significant credit for his work in this case.

WHITFIELD: And this professor, as you write, put together some documentaries. So he clearly had a very good knowledge of the JonBenet Ramsey case. He had been following it. So perhaps he was the ideal candidate for John Mark Karr to reach out to if he was -- as a suspect , you're going to reach out to anybody?

HARTMAN: Well, sure. I think Michael Tracey is a very serious person and a rigorous investigator. He's not a crackpot. He's not an eccentric professor who is doing this on a lark. This is a serious man who's engaged with other serious people, including Lou Schmidt (ph), who we've all heard of in this case, who is also a tremendously meticulous man and a serious man. And so I think Michael Tracey's seriousness and Lou Schmidt's seriousness came across in the studio in these documentaries.

Clearly -- and I think that if we're to believe what's happened, what we hear so far, that Mr. Karr picked up on that and was intrigued by the fact that fewer people who were really taking a serious look at this case and not willing to simply jump to conclusions that the Ramseys were guilty.

WHITFIELD: So Professor Michael Tracey, how reluctant has he been to talk to you about what made him want to treat these e-mails seriously? Because, clearly, he could get e-mails from anybody and you know not want to take them seriously and think it's just some kook out there. Why did he decide to follow up and continue this dialogue with this person? HARTMAN: Well, it's -- I should make it clear. Michael Tracey hasn't granted a detailed interview about this yet. We learned about this through other sources who know Michael. And Michael did speak to us, though he didn't want to go into detail about exactly his role and exactly what the e-mails were that piqued his interest.

But it's pretty clear just from people talking to people surrounding this case that it wasn't very long before Tracey had an inkling that this guy was a serious -- I mean, in this case, there have been so much crazies. The e-mailers -- if you're in the media and you're involved in the case, you get besieged with crackpot e- mails all the time. So I think -- my guess is Michael had a very high level of skepticism going in. But he was smart and serious enough to chase it down and continue to dialogue with this fellow, and look at where it's led us today.

WHITFIELD: Well, you really put together some fascinating articles. Todd Hartman of the "Rocky Mountain News." Thanks so much for being with us.

HARTMAN: Well, thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: And stay with us for unfolding developments on the arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. The district attorney's office in Boulder, Colorado, has scheduled a news conference at noon Eastern, 9:00 Pacific. CNN will bring that to you live.

All the latest developments from the Middle East straight ahead, as well.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: An update now on what we know in the crisis in the Middle East. Lebanese troops are on the move. Thousands are crossing the Litani River into southern Lebanon. A Lebanese army official says they hope to have all 15,000 troops called for under the U.N. cease- fire plan deployed by tomorrow.

A day after meeting with Israel's foreign minister, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is sending two envoys to the region. They'll follow up on the resolution.

And a sign of normalcy returning? A passenger jet flew into Beirut International Airport today, the first commercial flight in more than a month.

Let's get the latest now from Anthony Mills in Beirut. Are there signs of some sort of return to normalcy, if you can have that?

ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are, Fredricka, certainly, with those flights coming into Beirut Airport, which had been closed to civilian planes for weeks. So certainly a sense of relief, really, among Lebanese that at least on that front things are slowly, slowly returning to normal, with that flight, passenger flight, Middle East Airlines, Lebanese flagship.

Troops, meanwhile -- the Lebanese army troops are deploying to the south, thousands of them. At least 6,000 have crossed over the Litani River. And a high=ranking army source here tells us by the end of tomorrow, all 15,000 troops pledged by the Lebanese government should be in place.

Meanwhile, on the political front, two of Lebanon's leading politicians, the leader of the parliamentary majority, Saad Hariri and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, having made press statements following a speech yesterday by the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, in which he accused the political movement to which both men belong of collaborating with Israel. They had harsh words for Syria. Let's hear what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAAD HARIRI, LEBANESE PARLIAMENT MEMBER (through translator): And the regime in Syria is profiting of the blood, the children of Qanna (ph), Baghdad and Gaza to create strife in Lebanon, and Palestine and Iraq.

WALID JUMBLATT, LEBANESE PARLIAMENT MEMBER: He conspired in Iraq and destroyed the national unity in Iraq, and he sent -- whoever he sent to Iraq under the banner of Mujahadin. He killed the Shiites and the Sunnis and killed many innocent ones and destroyed the national unity. Is he going to send gifts (ph) to Lebanon?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MILLS: That was Saad Hariri there, leader of the parliamentary majority, and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, suggesting that Syria is trying to use conflicts like the one that just happened, but also conflicts in Iraq, to stir strife and discord among Lebanese and to shore up its political powers here in Lebanon through that strife.

WHITFIELD: Anthony Mills in Beirut, thank you.

(NEWSBREAK)

WHITFIELD: Let's check in again with Carol Lin with another breaking story, this one involving a pharmaceutical company.

LIN: That's right, Merck Industries, Fredricka. You remember the painkiller Vioxx, contesting that Merck did not warn patients or doctors that this drug could be harmful to them. Well, a jury in New Orleans has found in favor of a former FBI agent, Gerald Barnett, who had a heart attack after taking Vioxx for more than two years. He had been taking this prescription for two years before Vioxx was pulled off the shell. Well, the jury in New Orleans has found in favor of him, saying that Merck and Company had been negligent in warning the plaintiff of the risks associated with the painkiller, Vioxx. So he has now won in the case a $50 million verdict from this jury, essentially the jury concluding that Merck was hiding the dangers of Vioxx from doctors and their patients. Now, Gerald Barnett is one of thousands of people, Fred, that have a complaint in this Vioxx painkiller case. The question before these juries is whether the drug company was actually hiding evidence that this drug, Vioxx, could actually cause harm. It's been accused of causing heart attacks in several patients. And in his particular case, Fred, what's interesting here is that he has a history of heart problems, and his father also had a history of heart problems, and there were other stress factors in this former FBI agent's life. So the defense attorneys were saying, look, there other stress factors, He has to care for a sick wife, He has a history of heart problems, none of that is going to change, and also that he's getting older. Well, the jury so far hasn't bought that, and they have ruled in favor of $50 million compensation for this man who had a heart attack.

WHITFIELD: So now the question is, does this open the door for other patient whose may have similar claims against Merck and Vioxx?

LIN: Well, this is the second case that has been tried and has come to this kind of conclusion, so we'll see what the fallout is going to be. But clearly, precedence made in a courtroom, and we'll also find out whether Merck is going to be appealing this verdict.

WHITFIELD: All right, Carol Lin, thank so much, in the newsroom.

Well, it was a crime that shocked the nation. Coming up, we'll look back at the murder of JonBenet Ramsey. Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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WHITFIELD: Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena is covering the investigation and joins us live from Washington. And, Kelli, what more do we know about Karr?

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that he's 41 years old. He's a U.S. citizen. His wife, ex-wife and his brother say that he had developed this obsession with researching these horrific crimes against children. We know that he was living in Bangkok, that he's a former teacher, of very young children, second- graders, ages seven and eight. And we know he's got three sons from that ex-wife. And she says that he was actually in Alabama over the Christmas season when JonBenet Ramsey was killed, and so she doesn't exactly know how company have been placed with her. But as you know, Fred, we heard it from his own mouth, he said he was there. He claims it was an accident. And the investigation continues.

WHITFIELD: And so as this investigation continues within the week, it's expected he will be extradited to the U.S., Colorado, namely. What more do we know about the conditions of that?

ARENA: Well, first of all, it's not actually an extradition. That's a term that we're generally throwing around. But he is going to be ejected from Thailand, because he's described as an undesirable, and the arrest warrant allows them to do that, then of course he's transferred over into U.S. custody. So the bureaucrats hate that you say extradition when it's not exactly that. But he's expected to leave within the next couple of days. He'll be escorted by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which were very involved in helping the Thai authorities track him down. They followed that e- mail trail. As we heard earlier, Karr had some communications, according to a professor in Boulder, Colorado, and also according to investigators, with this professor back and forth. It was that e-mail trail that helped agents track him down. He'll be brought here.

And then we have to see, Fred. I mean, does this go to trial? We don't know. Is there a plea agreement? You know, lots of questions that still have to be answered, but -- including, you know, is there any more evidence beyond just what he has said, meaning DNA evidence. We know there was some DNA at the scene. So hopefully we'll learn more when we get that press conference from the D.A.'s office in Boulder, which, by the way, has been the lead investigative body all along. This is not a federal case. This is a state case.

WHITFIELD: And so in those law enforcement circles, people that you've been talking to, Kelli, are many of them saying how extraordinary they find it that this suspect would have this kind of dialogue with this college professor, and that investigators would take it seriously enough to follow up on it and then lead to the arrest of this suspect?

ARENA: You know, the law enforcement people that I've spoken to you know say, you know, after -- depending how long they've worked in the field say nothing shocks them anymore. A lot of the profilers say, you know, look, this was something that went undetected for ten years. You know, no one ever knew what happened. You know, it can eat away at somebody. It's very likely that they start to sort of communicate on some level.

And he did -- it really does depend on who you talk to, Fred, in terms of -- hindsight is always 20/20. Everybody is going to look at this and analyze it out the wazoo. You know, I think lucky break. He communicated. This professor was on the ball enough to alert law enforcement officials, and law enforcement officials were alert enough to follow it through.

WHITFIELD: All right. And that press conference will be taking place a little over an hour from now, and we'll be holding that live here on CNN. Kelli Arena, thank you so much.

ARENA: You're welcome, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, again, stay with us for the unfolding developments on the arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. The district attorney's office out of Boulder, Colorado, is actually holding that news conference, which begins at noon Eastern, 9:00 Pacific. And we'll be bringing that to you live. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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WHITFIELD: Tiger Woods. Well, he's eyeing his 12th major title and a bit of history. Woods is attempting to become the first golfer to win two PGA championships on the same course.

CNN's Larry Smith at the Medinah Country Club outside Chicago.

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LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): On Tuesday, in one of the local newspapers here in Chicago, Dave Pelz, Phil Mickelson's short game coach and one of the most renowned coaches in the game, said that when Mickelson's short game, he is the best golfer in the world. Now, maybe not the thing you want to say when you're about to be teamed with the number one golfer in the world, Tiger Woods, for the next two days.

PHIL MICKELSON, DEFENDING PGA CHAMPION: He's my man. He's enthusiastic and, you know, I - have tried to not give you too much to run with, and so I'm paying other people now to do it.

TIGER WOODS, BRITISH OPEN CHAMPION: Well, I think I'm pretty tough to beat when I'm playing well, too.

SMITH: Well, the competitive juices will be flowing between the two rivals this week. At stake is Player of the Year honors. A win by either would put that golfer in the driver's seat. And Player of the Year is one honor that Phil Mickelson has never won.

Let's go back to you.

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WHITFIELD: All right, Larry Smith, thanks so much.

Well, stay with us for the unfolding developments in the arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. The district attorney's office in Boulder, Colorado, has scheduled a news conference, noon Eastern, 9:00 Pacific. And we will bring that to you live.

Authorities have named a suspect, but how are they building their case? We'll get some answers from a man who would know. A former Denver prosecutor joins us straight ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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