Gov. Kathy Hochul is working with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to extradite the suspect in a brutal SoHo murder who fled to Arizona before facing charges, spokespeople for both offices confirmed on Wednesday.
Their effort to bring murder suspect Raad Almansoori back to New York comes after an Arizona prosecutor pulled what several legal experts said was an ugly political move last month by refusing to extradite him after saying she didn’t trust Bragg to keep him in custody. The prosecutor, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, is a Republican who campaigned on promises to “hold dangerous criminals accountable.” Bragg is a Democrat and proponent of criminal justice reform.
Bragg’s office hasn’t formally requested an extradition warrant from Hochul just yet, according to Hochul spokesperson Avi Small. But spokespeople for both offices said they are working on it.
District attorneys in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island issued a joint statement backing Bragg on Tuesday.
“Making a spectacle of this simple request defied our long-standing practice to place justice and accountability above politics,” the statement said.
As the complicated case plays out, Gothamist has your questions answered.
What happened?
Almansoori, the suspect in a brutal murder that took place in a SoHo hotel earlier this month, fled to Arizona, police said. There, he was accused of committing more violent crimes, and police arrested him. After Bragg was notified that Almansoori had been caught, he issued a warrant to have Almansoori returned to New York to be tried for murder — which legal experts said is customary, since the New York murder is the most serious crime he’s been charged with. But Mitchell said she doesn’t trust Bragg to keep Almansoori behind bars and refused to extradite him.
What’s the Arizona prosecutor so worried about?
Judges, not prosecutors, make decisions on whether suspects are held in custody while they await trial. But prosecutors do…
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