Lawyers in the U.S. western state of Colorado say suspect John Mark Karr will not be charged for the killing of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey a decade ago.
Prosecutors say they are not proceeding with the case because Karr's DNA does not match forensic evidence found with JonBenet's body and fails to place him at the crime scene. They made the announcement shortly before he was scheduled to appear in a Colorado courtroom Monday.
Public defender Seth Temin criticized Karr's extradition from his home in Thailand a week and a half ago when there was no forensic evidence to confirm the allegations against him.
The 41-year-old schoolteacher had insisted he was with the child when she died, but that her death was accidental. However, inconsistencies in his report had already cast doubt on the story.
JonBenet's body was found in the basement of her home December 26, 1996.
Karr had been facing charges of murder, kidnapping and sexual assault a child.
Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters and AFP.
