California Criminal Defense Blog

Ex-Los Angeles Laker Jarvis Crittenton was arrested last night on a murder warrant while boarding a plane at the John Wayne Airport in Orange County. He is currently in LAPD custody and will face an extradition hearing as early as tomorrow to determine if…in accordance with California’s extradition laws…he will be extradited from California to Altanta, the home state where the alleged murder took place.

Crittenton is wanted in connection with a drive-by shooting that took place on August 19th. He allegedly killed a mother of four as she stood outside her home with two other people, one of whom may have stolen jewelry from Crittenton back in April, thereby providing the motive for the shooting.

Because Crittenton left Atlanta after the shooting, he is considered a fugitive from justice. But California’s extradition laws do not permit him to be returned to Atlanta without first having a proper hearing to ensure that there is enough probable cause to extradite him for the alleged offense. That hearing is expected to be held tomorrow. If the judge finds that he is the true person being sought by Atlanta law enforcement, he will remain in LAPD custody until an agent from that states comes to accompany him back to that state.

If the judge does not believe that Crittenton is the true person being sought, he will simply be released from custody.

The producer of reality show phenomenon “Survivor” is set to be extradited from California to Mexico to answer for murder charges. Last year, Mexican prosecutors charged Bruce Beresford-Redman with aggravated murder when his wife was discovered dead in a septic tank at a resort in Cancun where the couple and their children were vacationing. Prosecutors claim that the Beresford-Redman…who was arrested on a fugitive’s warrant in his home in Rancho Palos Verdes, California…had a motive to kill because his wife had just discovered he was having an affair. This is a federal extradition, so California’s extradition laws will not come into play.

However, federal extradition laws follow the same pattern as California’s extradition laws, in that the defense will have an opportunity to challenge the extradition so that Beresford-Redman can remain in California. This challenge is known as a writ of habeas corpus and will likely keep the defendant in a Los Angeles jail for up to a year while the defense team fights the extradition order. In the event that he is extradited and convicted, he faces up to thirty (30) years in prison.