What's up with the Professor Tracey link to John Mark Karr?

A little backround. According to various sources including Karr's ex-wife, John Mark Karr was obsessed with the JonBenet murder case as well as the Polly Class murder case. He was also arrested and plead "not guilty" in 2001 in California to a charge of possession of child pornography. He subsequently skipped bail and left the country. He traveled in the Pacific Rim going from country to country ever since until his arrest yesterday.

Sometime last year Karr contacted University of Colorado (Boulder) Professor of Communications and Journalism, Michael Tracey, by email. Apparently he contacted Tracey because of the documentary Tracey produced entitled "Who Killed the Pageant Queen? Suspects" which aired on the CBS show "48 Hours Mystery" on Dec. 18, 2004. Subsequent to that first email, Karr corresponded with the professor several more times. Tracey contacted and cooperated with Colorado law enforcement officials with this information.

I just got done watching an interview with Professor Tracey on CNN with Wolf Blitzer. The good professor seemed somewhat ill atease with the interview. Blitzer tried seven ways from Sunday to get him to comment on Karr's innocence or guilt in the JonBenet murder. With each attempt the professor became more surley with Blitzer. It was all rather bizzare. The only statement that Tracey would actually make was that the Ramsey's were innocent and that it was an intruder that killed JonBenet. He also said that this would be his last interview for some time. I guess the big bad Wolf can have that effect on people.

I did a little digging on the professor. Here is his official bio from the University of Colorado at Boulder.


It also seems that the good professor is no stranger to controversy. There is a whole sub-forum devoted to Professor Tracey at Forums for Justice questioning not only the information in his first and second documentary which aired in the UK, but about the professor's credibility as well.

Once again, the arrest of Karr seems to have uncovered more questions in this whole abhorrent story than answers.