Extradition from Thailand to the United States—JonBenet Ramsey

A man who was already being held in Thailand for sex charges is now being suspected of being connected to the “slaying of JonBenet Ramsey,” who was “found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family’s home in Boulder.”^[1]

According to NBC News, the suspect will be “brought to the US within the next two days by a Boulder County district attorney investigator,” after “[l]aw enforcement officials from Boulder [fly] to Bangkok to present Thai authorities with documents in the slaying.”^[2]

According to CNN, the suspect was arrested this morning, “and has confessed to certain elements of the crime that are unknown to the general public.”^[3]

If it is announced at the press conference scheduled to happen later today that Colorado authorities are bringing the individual back with them, then it means that either he is being deported from Thailand for immigration violations, or has waived his right to have an extradition hearing.

Extradition from Thailand to the United States is conducted on a dual-criminality basis.^[4] If the individual, however, “irrevocably agrees in writing to extradition after personally being advised by the competent authority of his right to formal extradition proceedings and the protection afforded by them, the Requested State may grant the extradition without formal extradition proceedings.”^[5] That may be what happened in this case, if it is true that the suspect will be returned to the United States within a matter of days.

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[1] Suzanne Gamboa, Man Held in Death of JonBenet Ramsey, AP (via Yahoo!), Aug. 16, 2006.
[2] Arrest Reported in JonBenet Ramsey Case, MSNBC.com, Aug. 16, 2006.
[3] Sources: Arrest Made in JonBenet Ramsey Case, CNN.com, Aug. 16, 20076.
[4] Extradition Treaty, Dec. 14, 1983, art. 2, para. 1, S. Treaty Doc. No. 98-16.
[5] Id. art. 15.