Karr awaits extradition hearing

LOS ANGELES – Wining and dining at 35,000 feet gave way Monday to a cramped jail cell, a metal cot and bologna sandwiches as John Mark Karr awaited a hearing to determine when he will be sent to Colorado to face charges in the slaying of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey.

Karr, who was brought back to the United States late Sunday night on a 15-hour business-class flight from Thailand, was immediately locked up in a high-security jail cell to await an extradition hearing this morning.

Karr may waive extradition and agree to go immediately to Colorado, but if he decides to fight the move, prosecutors say it could take a few days before he is cleared to go.

“What we’re really focusing on is getting him back to Colorado and getting through that first appearance and going from there,” said Boulder County district attorney’s spokeswoman Carolyn French.

Colorado’s warrant has remained sealed, and little is publicly known about what evidence Boulder officials may have on Karr.

Karr was put in a high-security, isolation area of Los Angeles County’s Twin Towers, a jail that houses about 3,500 male inmates.