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Handwriting expert holds to opinion

Lou Kilzer, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 29, 2006 at midnight

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A nationally known handwriting examiner says he's sticking to his guns: John Mark Karr likely wrote the JonBenet Ramsey ransom letter.

Curtis Baggett, who made news around the nation last week when he said he was 99.9 percent sure of the handwriting link to Karr, said, "It's my belief that there were so many matches that he wrote the letter. He may not have murdered the girl. We don't know that. I just believe he wrote the letter."

Could he be wrong?

"Every day I'm wrong about something," Baggett said. "But you're not doing anything if you're not wrong about something."

Of the lack of Karr DNA at the JonBenet Ramsey murder scene, Baggett said, "Just because he didn't have (matching) DNA and they're not filing charges, doesn't mean he didn't write the note. He might have had a partner."

Another handwriting examiner is standing behind Baggett.

Don Lehew said Monday that "if the DNA evidence does not put (Karr) at the scene of the crime, then he had a hand in writing the note and didn't do the crime."

Others, though, are looking at the quick judgment about the similarities between the ransom note and a yearbook Karr signed as a possible dark day in the profession.

Peggy Walla said there is much talk among experts in a Web discussion group about the case. Many wonder, "What is this going to do to the reputation of handwriting analysts?"

Expert Linda James, who last week said she doubted a link, said Monday that "it just shows that you cannot be premature on these things. You have to pay attention to all the red flags."

Like many experts, James has been in demand as an expert to help the public figure out what can and cannot be determined by handwriting analysis.

She maintains that while there were similarities between the two writings, there were dissimilarities, as well. She said an analyst cannot ignore those.

Reed Hayes, another expert who initially questioned the link, said, "It really comes down to not having enough material to make a definitive conclusion."