Extradition Issues

As I was flipping through the channels yesturday as I paused on CNN there was a headline that says "Marine Kills Pregnant Marine." Interested I went online to go find out more about this story and discovered that it had links to Latin America and the extradition process with Mexico. It turns out that the number one suspect for the murder, Cesar Laurean, fled from North Carolina to Mexico to try to escape prosecution of the murder. His plan of escape was foiled, however, when he used his real name at a road block set up by the local anti-kidnapping task force in San Juan Vina. They entered his name into a database and it came up that he had fugitive status. They then proceeded in arresting him. There are some obstacles in getting Laurean extradited back to the United States for trial. Since he has dual citizenship for both Mexico and the United States he cannot be immediately deported. Also he is now safe from the death penalty because of Mexico's extradition policies protect anyone sent back to the United States from facing capital punishment. Even more so if Laurean decides to fight extradition it can be more than two years before he returns to the United States to face trial. When questioned about the arrest in Mexico the U.S. ambassador to Mexico said it demonstrates that those fleeing the law will not find safe harbor in Mexico.

If you want to find out more about the murdered Marine and her family's response click on:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/11/missing.marine/index.html