|
French deny U.S. bid to extradite suspect
French officials rejected a request to extradite a man suspected of killing a Loop dermatologist last year, a Cook County state's attorney's spokesman said Thursday.Hans Peterson, 29, turned himself in to French authorities Aug. 6 on the Caribbean island of St. Martin after an arrest warrant was issued for him in the U.S. He is accused of fatally stabbing Dr. David Cornbleet in his office in October. On Wednesday, French officials declined to extradite Peterson because he is a French national, said Cornbleet's son, Jon Cornbleet. The French typically do not extradite citizens who may be facing charges that could result in the death penalty. The family, however, would not object if prosecutors don't seek death, Jon Cornbleet said. Authorities in Illinois are working with U.S. officials to extradite Peterson to Chicago to face murder charges. Peterson is a U.S. citizen who obtained French citizenship in May while living on St. Martin. His mother is French. The murder was in October. He wasn't a French citizen then. Cornbleet said he believes Wednesday's decision is only an initial one and that he expects talks between the two sides to continue. He said he is considering hiring a lawyer to aid prosecutors in getting Peterson extradited. "I think that is an injustice to my father and my family who are the true victims," Cornbleet said. "We are not giving up hope and will continue to do everything that we can to get him to face justice in the United States." Local officials agreed this doesn't mark the end of their extradition efforts. "We will use every legal and diplomatic means at our disposal to get this killer extradited back to the United States to face a trial," said John Gorman, spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office. Peterson is being held in French-controlled Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. He allegedly confessed to French authorities. Democratic U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama of Illinois on Monday wrote letters to the French Embassy in Washington and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging that Peterson be extradited. They raised concern that Peterson may have obtained French citizenship in order to avoid prosecution in the slaying. Geez, ya think? Durbin pledged that if the letters were insufficient, he would make further appeals. He said he decided to reach out at the request of Cook County State's Atty. Dick Devine. Durbin also said he has a staff member who knew Dr. Cornbleet. The Cornbleet family has been urging the public to help sway the French government to agree to extradition, placing a petition on a family Web page that in the past was dedicated to seeking information about the doctor's death. Posted by: tu3031 2007-08-24 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=197085 |