Gary Harris remembered last week when he pulled the family of John Mark Karr together and told them how things would play out.

"I told them, you know something - we know John didn't do this and we know he's been out on the run and his life has been destroyed," Harris said. "But I have a feeling this story will have a good ending, and there will be a silver lining and this will be what helps him get some mental stability to turn his life around."

Harris, who served as the family's spokesman during the first few days of the media frenzy, said he wasn't surprised that Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy decided not to file charges against Karr. To father Wexford Karr, half-brother Nate Karr and brother Michael Karr, the 41-year-old from Georgia simply wasn't capable of murder.

The attorney said the family tried to explain how Karr couldn't have been in Boulder at the time of the crime because a photo taken at Christmas 1996 showed the family together in Atlanta - even though Karr wasn't in the photo himself.

Larry Garrison, a Southern California-based producer who said he is now speaking for Wexford and Nate, said the family was "elated."

"There's been such a spin on this. This is an innocent family that became victims themselves," Garrison said.

Part of the spin he said was wrong were accounts the Karrs had hired him so they could get a book and movie deal. That's preposterous, he said.

Harris, who has known the Karr family for more than 20 years, said John Karr has always been "a dreamer" and sought fame for himself - even while pursuing a music career early in life. He also tended to obsess on things, and it was no surprise to the family that his interest in the murder escalated into a obsession.

Harris said the district attorney's office should have realized that Karr was no different than others who have obsessed over the case.

"All they had was supposition and phone calls and e-mails," Harris said. "If you go on the Internet, you can find all of the nuts there - I've had them e-mailing me. John just got caught up in this thing."

He said the family doesn't want to say anything about Monday's outcome.

But Harris, who said he'd been practicing law for 39 years, had his own thoughts on Lacy.

"She's a disgrace to the legal profession," he said.

monterod@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5236