John Ramsey: 'A Day We Have Been Waiting For 10 Years'

Aug. 17, 2006 — -- John Ramsey, father of JonBenet Ramsey, spoke to Barbara Walters on "Nightline" after authorities announced that there had been an arrest in the 10-year-old murder case. John Mark Karr, a 41-year-old former teacher, was arrested in Thailand and admitted that he was with her when he died, calling the death " an accident."

John Ramsey spoke live to Walters via telephone from Charlevoix, Michigan. Her are the excerpts from "Nightline:"

BARBARA WALTERS: "Mr. Ramsey thank you for being with us on what must for you be the most emotional day. Can you tell us what you were told about the suspect, and how long you have known."

JOHN RAMSEY: "Well, I was notified this morning by the district attorney that an arrest had been made. I knew that they had been working on this diligently for three to four months -- intensely is probably a better word. We knew within the last two weeks that they had this person under surveillance and had identified him and knew where he was which was a huge accomplishment, so we were hopeful that it was coming but didn't allow our hopes to get up too high."

WALTERS: "Mr. Ramsey, did your wife know before she died that there was a suspect?"

RAMSEY: "Yes."

WALTERS: "She did know."

RAMSEY:"She did know. We had met with the district attorney -- Patsy had met with her and she was aware that they were working very hard on a possible suspect."

WALTERS: "I'm so glad to hear that. Did you ever hear of the suspect? Do you have any idea how he knew your daughter?"

RAMSEY: "I don't, Barbara, and I had not heard of him, so I don't know. I don't know. And we don't know certainly that with 100 percent certainty that this is the guy. I think they would not have made an arrest had they not been very convinced that he was."

WALTERS: "Why did they tell you that they think he is guilty -- did he say certain things that allowed them to say that he knows things that nobody else knows?"

RAMSEY: "Apparently. That's a good part of it. I'm told that he also confessed to the killing."