Suspect in slaying of pregnant Marine arrested
MORELIA, Mexico (AP) - April 11, 2008 Mexican police carrying out an anti-kidnapping operation in the
small town of Tacambaro arrested /*Cpl. Cesar Laurean*/ on Thursday.
He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of /*Marine
Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach*/, who had accused him of rape. Her
burned remains were found in January in the backyard of his home
near Camp Lejeune.
Bearded, thin and chained at the wrists and ankles, Laurean
spoke briefly with The Associated Press while being held at the
Michoacan state Attorney General's Office in Morelia, the state
capital. He appeared slightly disoriented and stared straight
ahead, his eyes occasionally filling up with tears as he answered a
reporter's questions in terse phrases.
"You know my name. You know who I am," Laurean said. Asked if
he wanted to say anything, Laurean answered, "Proof," but
wouldn't explain.
Asked what he would do next, he replied, "Do I have a choice?
... I don't know."
The FBI said Laurean, 21, is awaiting extradition to the U.S.,
although local authorities in North Carolina cautioned the process
could take a year or more if he decides to fight it. They
encouraged him Friday to waive extradition, saying the process -
however lengthy - will inevitably lead to his return.
"It will be smart for him to do it," said Onslow County
Sheriff Ed Brown. "It is like his apprehension. That day will
come."
Lauterbach family attorney Merle Wilberding said the arrest is
just the beginning of a lengthy judicial process.
"We hope this presents an opportunity to unravel the mystery
that has surrounded so many of the disconnected but frightening
actions and events that attended her death," Wilberding said in a
statement.
Mexican police stopped Laurean as he was wandering the streets
because they thought he looked suspicious, said Magdalena Guzman, a
prosecutors' spokeswoman in Michoacan state.
When officers realized Laurean didn't speak Spanish well, they
ran his name through a computer - and recognizing his distinctive
tattoos - they realized Laurean was wanted in the United States to
face charges in Lauterbach's death, Guzman said.
The FBI said its agents assisted.
Guzman said Laurean told the arresting officers he had only 10
pesos - about US$1 (euro.60) - in his pocket when arrested.
U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said in a statement that "Laurean
fled to Mexico early this year in the hope of avoiding justice"
and called the arrest "a clear message to all would-be fugitives
from U.S. law that Mexico will not provide them refuge."
Laurean, of Las Vegas, was born in Guadalajara, but family
members there have said he moved to the U.S. more than 10 years
ago. He had told members of his unit that he would flee to Mexico
if it appeared he would be found guilty of rape. Authorities
believe he entered Mexico on a bus on Jan. 14.
Lauterbach and Laurean were both personnel clerks in the same
logistics unit at Camp Lejeune, an expansive coastal North Carolina
base that is home to roughly 50,000 Marines. Detectives believe
Laurean killed Lauterbach, who was 20 and eight months pregnant, on
Dec. 14 after forcing her to remove money from her bank account.
Detectives have said Laurean left behind a note for his wife in
which he denied killing Lauterbach but admitted burying her
remains. In the note, Laurean said Lauterbach committed suicide by
cutting her own throat.
Authorities rejected the assertion, saying evidence indicates
Lauterbach died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Lauterbach accused Laurean of rape last spring, a charge he
denied and one that Naval investigators were unable to corroborate.
Even though Lauterbach later told investigators she did not feel
Laurean posed a danger or threat to her, the pair was separated on
base. The Marines have said their regimental commander was intent
on taking the case to a hearing that could have led to a trial.
Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson has agreed not to
seek execution in order to win the cooperation of Mexico, which
refuses to send anyone back to the U.S. unless provided assurance
they will not face a death sentence.
Tipped by the note, and not long after authorities went public
in their search for Lauterback, detectives discovered the charred
remains of the missing Marine and her fetus in a shallow grave in
Laurean's backyard.
Maria's mother, Mary Lauterbach, said Friday that a sheriff
telephoned her with news of Laurean's capture, but did not have
many details.
"I'm anxious for the truth to come out and for justice to be
done. That's all I would ever ask for," Lauterbach told The
Associated Press as she was backing out of her driveway at the
Vandalia, Ohio, home where Maria grew up.
"This has been a terrible tragedy, not only for our family but
for Cesar ... and Laurean's family. We pray for them at this time.
They are very much in our thoughts," she said.
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Associated Press writers James Hannah in Vandalia, Ohio, Estes
Thompson in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Mark Stevenson in Mexico
City contributed to this report.