Philipsburg: --- American fugitive Michael Jason Registe (26) the ten most wanted person on the FBI most wanted list has been extradited to his homeland of Columbus Georgia on Thursday afternoon. The prosecutor’s office contacted the US authorities notifying them of the decision taken by the courts, which was to uphold the decision of the Governor General of the Netherlands Antilles. The Governor General had stated that the United States authorities had given enough guarantee that they would not seek the death penalty for Registe if he is convicted for the crimes he is wanted for in that country. In an invited comment Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein said that he did contact the United States authorities and notified them that the highest courts has granted their request for Registe’ extradition and they can now pick him up. Stein said they made an appointment where the United Stated agreed to send a special airplane with the FBI agents to pick up the wanted man. Registe he said was taken to the Princess Juliana International Airport by the Arrest Team of the local police force where he was safely handed over to the US agents.
Asked what would happen to the appeal that was filed by the attorney Remko Stomp protesting the decision of the governor general, which according to Stomp did not bear the signature of the governor general, Stein said he was not notified of any appeal. Asked if Stomp was notified of the extradition, Stein said he sent Stomp and SMS message to which he did not reply.
Police Spokesman Johan Janchi Leonard confirmed that the arrest team transported Registe to the Airport safely.
Registe was captured on St. Maarten on August 27 2008 at a local guesthouse on A.T Illidge Road by the Arrest team when someone recognized him as being someone that is on the FBI most wanted list.
Ever since his arrest Registe has been contesting his extradition to the US especially to the State of Georgia claiming that the mostly white state would not grant him a fair trail. Registe is accused of participating in a double murder on July 20 2007. According to information posted on the FBI website it stated that law enforcement officials responded to a shooting incident in which two males sitting inside a truck had, suffered execution style gunshot wounds to the back of their heads.
One of the victims they said died on the scene while the other passed on shortly afterwards.
The FBI had their reward monies at $100,000 at the time Registe was captured.
On the FBI website on Thursday it stated the man accused of killing the two Georgia athletes two years ago in a Columbus parking lot is being returned from the Caribbean after an extradition battle, the FBI said Wednesday.
Michael Jason Registe is charged with murder in the deaths of Randy Newton Jr., 21, and Bryan Kilgore, 20, who were found by Columbus police fatally wounded in a truck at an apartment complex July 20, 2007. Newton was a basketball player at Columbus State University and Kilgore was a pitcher on the baseball team. Registe, 26, will be flown to Columbus on Thursday, the FBI said.
He was captured on the Dutch island of St. Maarten last August after the FBI put him on its Top 10 Most Wanted list and a reward in the killings was increased from $20,000 to $100,000. Registe also was featured on "America's Most Wanted" twice and on Interpol's Website. The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled Registe could be extradited after Gray Conger, the former district attorney in Columbus, agreed not to seek the death penalty. Registe also is wanted on an unrelated charge of aggravated assault in Columbus in 2005.
Registe Wanted to Escape from Pointe Blanche Prison.
Well place sources have informed SMN News that Michael Jason Registe was trying to escape from the Pointe Blanche Prison when his luck ran out in the courts. The source said Registe was asking questions in the prison hoping that someone would assist him in his plans. An alert prison guard however informed their superior who immediately placed Registe in confinement until he was picked up by the Arrest team around midday on Thursday. The source said that Registe even went as far as offering a huge sum of monies to a senior prison guard on Thursday prior to his extradition. The American fugitive had expected the senior official to assist him in his bid to escape in exchange for monies but the senior official reported the incident and remained loyal to his job.
