Lawyer to fight extradition of US murder suspect
Legal News Center
The lawyer for a 26-year-old man accused of fatally shooting two young men in Georgia said Wednesday he will fight extradition because he believes his client will not receive a fair trial in the southern U.S. state.
Michael Registe is accused of the July 20, 2007 execution-style killings of two college students in Columbus, Georgia's third-largest city. His St. Maarten-based attorney, Remco Stomp, claims he would not be treated fairly in Georgia's courts because he is black.
"Registe will not get a fair trial in Georgia as a black man suspected of killing two white college kids. We will do everything possible to guarantee his human rights," Stomp said in this Dutch Caribbean territory.
Allegedly killed by Registe were Randy Newton Jr., 21, and Bryan Kilgore, 20.
Registe fled the U.S. and was captured Aug. 27 in St. Maarten, where he has been jailed in Pointe Blanche Prison.
Prosecutors have not said what they believe Registe's alleged motive was for the slayings.
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands has ruled that Registe can be returned to the U.S. from St. Maarten. As a requirement for extradition, former District Attorney Gray Conger of Columbus had to agree not to pursue the death penalty.
But Stomp does not believe that pact would be honored, and wants a trial in the Dutch Caribbean.
"If he is tried in our system he would have a lot more guarantees," the defense lawyer said.
Frits Goedgedrag, governor of the Netherlands Antilles, a chain of islands that includes St. Maarten, is expected to make an announcement about the pending extradition in coming days.
Related listings
-
Court nominee urged special rights for Puerto Rico
Legal News Center 05/27/2009Supreme Court nominee Sonya Sotomayor wrote as a Yale Law School student that Puerto Rico should maintain its seabed rights if it pursues U.S. statehood. The article, "Statehood and the Equal Footing Doctrine: The Case for Puerto Rican Seabed Rights,...
-
Supreme Court candidates together at conference
Legal News Center 05/21/2009Federal appeals court judge Diane Wood and Solicitor General Elena Kagan, two candidates for the impending vacancy on the Supreme Court, took part in a conference Wednesday on the importance of judicial independence. Kagan gave the keynote address at...
-
High court won't delay trial of ex-Rep. Jefferson
Legal News Center 05/19/2009The Supreme Court refused Monday to delay the upcoming trial of former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson on bribery and other charges. The former Democratic congressman has argued that prosecutors trampled on his constitutional privileges as a lawmake...
Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?
IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.
Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.