http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/139146Extradition held up for gambler accused of murdering wife
by David Frey, Aspen Daily News Correspondent
Monday, February 8, 2010
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The lawyer for a professional gambler accused of killing his wife and leaving her body in a remote corner of Garfield County is seeking assurances that Marcus Bebb-Jones won’t be executed if he is extradited from England to stand trial here.
“This court is not going to extradite anyone who will face the death penalty. That’s for sure,” said Westminster Magistrates’ Court District Judge Nicholas Evans, according to BBC.com.
Evans continued the case until March 10.
Bebb-Jones appeared in court in England on Thursday. His attorney, Ben Cooper, said despite assurances from prosecutors here that they would not seek the death penalty, he wanted an “express” guarantee from the Justice Department.
England bans the death penalty, and by treaty with the United States, it won’t extradite a suspect here unless the death penalty is taken off the table. District Attorney Martin Beeson sent documents through the Justice Department assuring British authorities in writing that Bebb-Jones could not be executed if he is found guilty.
Cooper also said he wanted to determine if the minimum sentence Bebb-Jones could face if convicted — live without parole — could be reduced. He said Bebb-Jones may seek to serve his sentence in England, where he is the sole caregiver for the couple’s 16-year-old son, the BBC reported.
Bebb-Jones, 46, is accused of killing his wife Sabrina in 1997 after a visit to Dinosaur National Park, and then going on a “playboy” spree in Las Vegas. He was arrested in a raid of his home in Kidderminster, England last year after U.S. authorities issued a warrant for his arrest.
He’s accused of first-degree murder, concealing her death and committing domestic violence.
Bebb-Jones’ arrest came five years after a rancher found a skull near Douglas Pass in northwest Garfield County that was identified as belonging to Sabrina Bebb-Jones. That discovery revived a murder case that had gone cold seven years after she had disappeared.
The couple had owned the Melrose Hotel in Grand Junction.
The BBC reported that Aaron Watkins, a U.S. government representative, told the court the case against Bebb-Jones was “very strong.”
“He spun a number of stories which conflicted one another in order to explain her absence,” Watkins said.
After his wife’s disappearance, he went to Las Vegas and “lived a playboy lifestyle” for the weekend before putting a gun in his mouth and shooting himself.
“Whether by judgment or design, he did not cause any life-threatening injuries,” Watkins told the court.
Bebb-Jones had lived in the U.S. for eight years before spending the last decade in England.
dfrey@aspendailynews.comhttp://www.birminghammail.net/news/worcestershire-news/2010/02/05/kidderminster-poker-star-fears-he-could-face-death-penalty-in-us-97319-25765133/Kidderminster poker star fears he could face death penalty in US
Feb 5 2010 by Fionnuala Bourke, Birmingham Mail
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THE decision to extradite a Midland poker champion to the US to face charges for murdering his wife has been postponed because he could face the death penalty.
Marcus Bebb-Jones, 46, from Kidderminster, is alledged to have murdered his wife Sabrina in 1997 before dumping her body in an American national park in Colorado, prosecutors claim.
It is also alleged he then spent her money during a “playboy” weekend in Las Vegas.
But a judge’s decision to extradite him from the UK was postponed after defence counsel Ben Cooper said he was seeking assurances Bebb-Jones would not face the death penalty.
Mr Cooper told an extradition hearing at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court: “He faces a minimum sentence of life without parole in Colorado but this is not yet fixed. He is also eligible for the death penalty.”
District Judge Nicholas Evans said: “This court is not going to extradite anyone who will face the death penalty. That’s for sure.”
The professional gambler was arrested last year in a raid at his Kidderminster home.
At a previous hearing, prosecutors representing the US government claimed the poker player had shot himself in the head in a bizarre sequence of events after allegedly killing his wife.
An arrest warrant was issued by US authorities on October 30 this year, Aaron Watkins, representing the US government, said.
Mr Watkins previously said: “On September 16, 1997, he took his wife to a national park in Colorado where she was murdered.”
The poker star, who has been living in Kidderminster with his mother since returning to the UK, lived in the US for eight years but has been in the UK for around a decade.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8498467.stmPage last updated at 14:35 GMT, Thursday, 4 February 2010
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Gambler Bebb-Jones' US extradition case delayed
Mr Bebb-Jones allegedly spent his wife's money on a "playboy" weekend
A professional poker player facing extradition to the US for the alleged murder of his wife has had his case adjourned until March.
Marcus Bebb-Jones, 46, from Kidderminster, is accused of killing his wife Sabrina in the US in 1997.
Mr Bebb-Jones' barrister Ben Cooper said he wanted to seek expert evidence on the "proportionality" of the minimum sentence his client could face.
He also wanted assurances his client would not face the death penalty.
Mr Bebb-Jones is accused of dumping his wife's body in a US national park and then spending her money during a "playboy" weekend in Las Vegas.
His wife's skull was not found until 2004.
'No death penalty'
Mr Cooper said that despite assurances from a prosecutor in the US state of Colorado that the death penalty would not be sought, he wanted an "express" guarantee from the US Department of Justice.
"He faces a minimum sentence of life without parole in Colorado but this is not yet fixed - he is also eligible for the death penalty," he said.
District Judge Nicholas Evans, at Westminster Magistrates' Court, said the case would return on 10 March.
He said: "This court is not going to extradite anyone who will face the death penalty. That's for sure."
He said Mr Bebb-Jones would remain in custody until 22 February for a video link appearance.
Mr Cooper said he also wanted to determine whether the minimum sentence if convicted - life without parole - would be "reducible".
He also indicated that if convicted Mr Bebb-Jones may apply to serve his sentence in the UK where he is the sole carer for the couple's 16-year-old son Daniel.
The professional gambler was arrested in a raid at his home in Kidderminster last year.
At a previous hearing, prosecutors representing the US government claimed the poker player had shot himself in the head in a bizarre sequence of events after allegedly killing his wife.
'Very strong'
An arrest warrant for Mr Bebb-Jones was issued by US authorities on 30 October 2009, Aaron Watkins, representing the US government, said.
Mr Watkins previously said the defendant took his wife to a national park in Colorado on 16 September 1997 and killed her.
"Thereafter he spun a number of stories which conflicted one another in order to explain her absence," he told the court.
"On the weekend following that incident it is said Mr Bebb-Jones went to Las Vegas and spent thousands of dollars, partially using credit cards in his wife's name.
"He lived a playboy lifestyle during the course of that weekend which culminated in him putting a gun in his mouth and shooting himself in the head.
"Whether by judgment or design, he did not cause any life-threatening injuries."
Mr Watkins said the case against the professional poker player was "very strong".
The court was told that Mr Bebb-Jones lived in the US for eight years but has since been in the UK for about 10 years.
Before the alleged murder, the couple ran the Hotel Melrose at Grand Junction, Colorado.
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