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By ASSOCIATED PRESSThe state's respected public defender system is good news for the murder suspect.
DENVER - It's unclear whether John Mark Karr will have a legal "dream team" to defend himself against possible murder charges in the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey. But he will probably receive a skilled attorney even if he cannot hire his own.
Unlike in many states, Colorado's public defender system is well funded and well respected for its work on complicated cases involving DNA evidence. Legal experts say any attorney considering an offer of representing Karr for free in hopes of cashing in on the publicity should think hard.
"This is a case that is going to eat up your life," veteran defense attorney Jeralyn Merritt said.
Karr, 41, was arrested last week in Thailand on a murder warrant. He waived extradition to Colorado on Tuesday during a hearing in Los Angeles and was expected to be sent to Boulder in a matter of days.
Karr spoke briefly during a two-minute court hearing to confirm his decision. Boulder County District Attorney's spokeswoman Carolyn French said Karr had not been formally charged, and described the counts in the warrant as possible charges.
Deputy Public Defender Haydeh Takasugi, who represented Karr in the hearing, said he was concerned about having to appear in court wearing jail attire.
"It's going to taint any potential jury pool out there," Takasugi said.
There always will be lawyers willing to represent a high-profile defendant with publicity as their only compensation, said Larry Pozner, past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
"The irony is the public defenders are completely suited to knock the stuffing out of this case," he said. "In a first-degree murder case, you could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire a lawyer as good as the public defenders are likely to be."
It was unclear Tuesday who might represent Karr in Colorado. Attorneys say Colorado's public defender system is well-funded and attracts some of the best and brightest law school graduates.
"So the result is the average public defender brings more talent to the table than the average criminal defense lawyer in private practice," Pozner said. "And in a death penalty case, you'd have to be a millionaire to put together a team as good and as experienced as the public defenders will provide for free."