August 22, 2006 Source: :
http://communications.uwo.ca/media_newsroom/story.html?listing_id=21728 Too early to judge truthfulness of JonBenet Murder Confession John Mark Karr, the suspect in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey, will be extradited to Boulder, Colorado to face charges in her murder. Karr appeared at a brief hearing today and waived his right to contest the extradition. Chris Sherrin, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario, specializes in the study of wrongful convictions and reliability in the criminal justice process. He comments: "Research has documented hundreds of examples of false confessions, including some in Canada. Simon Marshall of Quebec City was recently exonerated after having spent five years in jail for sexual assault. His false confession to the crime was only uncovered after DNA proved him innocent of another sexual assault, to which he also falsely confessed. Karr may be guilty, but people need to keep an open mind. Innocence is not out of the question." Chris Sherrin can be reached at 519-661-2111 Ext. 80421. - 30 - Media contact: Susanna Eayrs, Communications Officer, Faculty of Law, 519-661-2126. Commentary reflects the perspective and scholarly interest of Western faculty members and is not an articulation of official university policy on issues being addressed.
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