Looking Inside the Mind of John Mark Karr

Oct. 20, 2006 — -- DNA evidence has cleared John Mark Karr of killing child Colorado beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, but questions remain about what's going on inside the mind of the self-professed killer.

Karr became an international phenomenon more than two months ago when he declared before cameras at a Bangkok airport, "I love JonBenet Ramsey and she died accidentally."

But this week, we saw a very different side of Karr.

Appearing on a number of cable- and network-news shows, a stoic-looking Karr answered questions about his life but adamantly avoided answering anything relating to JonBenet.

Despite his insistence that he's a private person and despises the spotlight, he's conducted interviews with a host of news programs, including "Larry King Live," "The Dr. Keith Ablow Show," and "On the Record With Greta Van Susteren."

While Karr is no longer in custody, his behavior is still a concern for many who fear he may be a sexual deviant.

Following an interview with Larry King, Karr reportedly visited Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles with one member of the show's staff.

According to King, Karr spent about an hour visiting the grave of Natalie Wood, the actress who accidentally drowned at age 43 in 1981.

"We really don't know what part Wood's death would play in his delusions and fantasies," said Ellen Rosenzweig, a clinical social worker in private practice. "But there is a similarity between JonBenet and Natalie Wood in that their cases both remain unsolved."

Harry Segal, a clinical psychologist at Cornell University, says Karr may be using the media as his outlet to alleviate tremendous amounts of guilt.

"If he needs the attention, it might be a much more subtle kind of motivation. … Like punishing himself for any real or imagined crimes he's committed," Segal said. "He's remained frighteningly stable and confident throughout this whole process."

Segal says he relates Karr's craving for media attention to issues with power.