Marine Capture Stuns Mexican Village

Fugitive In Pregnant Marine's Death May Fight Extradition For Up To 2 Years; Wife Refused To Help While He Hid In Mexico

(CBS/AP)  People wondered about the bearded stranger with a foreign accent who moved into a rustic cabin weeks ago in the pine-clad mountains surrounding this picturesque village.

Some thought maybe he was a drug trafficker - something not unheard of in these parts. It was not until Friday when they saw Cpl. Cesar Laurean's photograph in the local newspaper that they learned he was a U.S. Marine suspected of killing a pregnant colleague.

Police arrested Laurean, 21, on Thursday as he was walking along the main street in San Juan de la Vina in the municipality of Tacambaro, ending a three-month manhunt. He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, of Vandalia, Ohio, who had accused him of rape.

Lauterbach's burned remains were found in January in the backyard of his home near Camp Lejeune. Both were stationed at the coastal North Carolina base that is home to roughly 50,000 Marines.

FBI Public Affairs Specialist Amy Thoreson said FBI agents were present at Laurean's arrest in Mexico, but it was unclear what role they played.

Bearded and thin, Laurean told police he survived for months largely by eating avocados from the orchard in the mountains where he lived in Michoacan state.

After his arrest Thursday, a slightly disoriented Laurean spoke briefly with The Associated Press while being held by Mexican police.

"You know my name. You know who I am," Laurean said. Asked if he wanted to say anything, Laurean answered, "Proof," but would not explain.

Asked what he would do next, he replied, "Do I have a choice? ... I don't know."

Residents here said Laurean lived in a three-room wood cabin with a corrugated metal roof where he slept on a bed of crushed cardboard boxes. On Friday, there was a notebook on the cabin's floor showing that he kept a diary of his daily exercise routine, including push-ups, sit-ups and crunches. There were two shelves filled with canned tuna, instant soup and candy.

He walked to town daily, greeting those he passed, and spent hours at the local Internet cafe.

"He always seemed really happy to see us. He was serious, respectful," said Tomasa Boteyo, 78, who lived near his cabin.

CBS News correspondent Priya David reports that Laurean was communicating with his wife in the U.S. via the Web site MySpace. Prosecutors said, in these communications, Laurean repeatedly asked for resources from family members - and was denied.

Then on Thursday afternoon, state police officers drove through town looking for someone, residents say. They spotted Laurean walking toward the Internet cafe.

Lorenza Olayo, 96, who would greet Laurean daily from her front stoop, said he did not fight back when officers grabbed him.

She said she did not know why the young man was taken away until she saw his picture in the local newspaper the next day.

Lucio Tapia, 22, said before his arrest, Laurean told him he had just returned from Spain and that his parents were punishing him by making him live on an avocado orchard in Mexico.

Laurean was born in Guadalajara but reportedly moved to the U.S. more than 10 years ago.

"I thought he was a drug trafficker," Tapia said. "There's a lot of drugs here and drug traffickers hide out in the mountains here."

Although law enforcement officials are happy an alleged killer is in custody, Laurean remains a long way from home this morning.

Laurean fled his Marine base in North Carolina three months ago, just before investigators found the badly-burned body of his fellow Marine, Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach, 20 years old and 8 months pregnant. Lauterbach had accused Laurean of raping her.

Born in Mexico, Laurean is a dual citizen and could choose to fight extradition, so it could take anywhere from two days to two years to bring him back to the U.S.

The district attorney in charge of the case said he reluctantly compromised to get the arrest. In order to receive a warrant for his arrest in Mexico, "I had to concede the death penalty because we had a treaty with Mexico that they would not extradite anyone back to the U.S. that faced a capital sentence," said Onslow County D.A. Dewey Hudson.

Now, the toughest penalty Laurean could face is life in prison without parole.

Appearing on CBS' The Early Show, Hudson said, "If he were to fight extradition, my understanding is it could be up to two years. Hopefully he will not fight extradition and it will be only a matter of a couple of months."

Hudson said he has seen many cases where fugitives have fled to Mexico in order to avoid the death penalty if they are extradited.

Hudson described Laurean's wife's state of mind as "Torn.

"When we seized her sister's computer, she also turned over to us her journal that she had been writing since the day that he left America. And if you read the journal, you will certainly realize that she's a very torn lady.

"On the one hand, she's very angry with him for many reasons. But on the other hand, then she'll vacillate and talk about how much she loves him and misses him. Even in the letter initially she was talking about she was so depressed over this whole situation that she was contemplating suicide and the only reason she didn't was because she had an 18-month-old daughter."

[swwils]

vbnvbnvbn our constitutional rights of innocent until proven guilty was abolished back in the late 1800''s,that is when almost all state jurisdictions began making an accused criminal post a bond.We are guilty until proven innocent.I am for capital punishment,but it doesn''t really work here in the USA due to the appeals process.Placing an individual on death row for 20 years before they are executed allows all the sick killers out in our nation to many processes to be dropped to life sentences without parole.This in turn costs you and I(Tax payers) dearly.On average it costs 16,000$ per inmate( Indiana)other states even more a year to keep these people alive ,just to kill them.Ten years is the average waiting period in my state for this to proceed.160,000$ for one to be executed.That doesn''t include court costs.

[swwils]

I seriously would like to sit down and have a talk with Sheriff Brown.This man must have payed a few people for votes,because his elevator is stuck in between floors.Every time I watch him being interviewed he acts like Cpl.DumbA.S.S,is the victim.I am glad I don''t reside in his jurisdiction.This guy will get what is coming to him,no matter what his email buddy thinks.

[swwils]

This guy is a piece of work.I am serious emailing the sheriff(who is a moron)trying to insure the Core wouldn''t take him to trial.This Dishonorable Marine doesn''t have a clue who is in charge.He will be in protective custody while awaiting trial,and when he is in prison.There will be a shank(knife)with his name on it in prison,just like Scott Peterson.Inmates will look for an opportunity to kill this dude,when a chance is available.

[bookseller01]

"It should also be noted that keeping one in Prison for life is a far harsher sentence since they are forced to "be alive" each day in a small cell".

Hickorylam, is it your contention that the death sentence is "cruel and unusual?" If so then the logical conclusion to your statement (that life without parole is harsher than death) is that this punishment also should also be outlawed because it is "crueller and more unusual." Or perhaps your contention is simply that budget constraints should determine how punishment is meted out. Sorry--neither are conclusions I would buy into.

[grandmamu]

More torture to keep them alive? Put that up in front of the victims families who are suffering. If it where me I would want him to start serving his time in HELL as soon as possible. This is the unspeakable killing a pregnant woman with your baby because you screwed up. Come on kill him and be done with it. Thats as much consideration as he should get killing this girl and baby that is a ticket to hell.

[Ranger2751]

"People should realize that it is actually more cost effective to keep this Sociopath in Prison for life."
I would like to see your figures on how you come up with a statement like that? Just how is it cheaper or cost effective? Lets see a ten cent bullet or meals, and boarding for the next 50 years what costs more? Duh! You liberals and the utter nonsense you speak.

[hickoryiam]

My thoughts regarding his wife; she HAD to have had something to do with it since it would be insane to believe she didn''t realize painting had been done in her home, etc., For now, the justice system is using her as a tool and my hope is that they charge her as a accomplice as the evidence will most probably suggest.

[hickoryiam]

People should realize that it is actually more cost effective to keep this Sociopath in Prison for life. This is in regards to cost to tax payers. It should also be noted that keeping one in Prison for life is a far harsher sentence since they are forced to "be alive" each day in a small cell....with little to do but think of what brought them to such a place.

[Fareed17]

Our Military needs a uniform execution by selected firing squad for those who murder or cause to be killed any member of the U.S. Military. All Military take the oath to protect the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. We go to war with those who go to war with us and stop them. In the meantime Bush will be sure this traitor gets his consulate rights even though all the Courts said these cross border murders come under U.S. Law exclusively. If Mexico wants to keep him because they don''t believe in the "Legal" death penalty (they use death squads), and they won''t extradite him. He should be given a bond hearing, tried in absentia, found guilty, sentenced to death and a warrant issued for his arrest for bond revocation for failure to appear. Be allowed to appeal his conviction and sentence after being denied, put to death like everyone else. We need a Constitutionalist as President, Vote Professor Barack Obama for President, Change we can believe in. Obama 08. The local villagers thought this Traitor was a drug dealer. That is why he was turned in, he gave the drug dealers a bad name and they did not want him around them. Stop the Drama, Vote for Judgment you can trust.

[underdogus]

hungry1968 .. NO BRAINS NO BALLS!! and you''re a "prison guard"?? sheeess

[galaxiana]

This district attorney, Hudson, is a real p.o.s. for sharing the private contents of Laurean''s wife''s journal, which the story says she handed over voluntarily. At the very least he should be deeply ashamed of himself for revealing that she was suicidal at times, and "torn." Hopefully he will be censured for this unfeeling and unnecessary action!

[jjarden]

When are they going to bring back Public Beheadings with a rusty axe on the town common? That''s what he should get, TODAY.

[justfacts2]

Maybe the Mexican police will save us time and money and put a bullet in this sicko''s brain like someone should have done a long time ago.

[underdogus]

And we call them an ally and honor the free trade agreement -- why?!?!?!?! Posted by hungry1968..why?? you friggin ignorant ...Mexico is the world''s no.9 exporter of crude oil, shipping an average of 1.7 million barrels per day in 2007, and a top 3 supplier to the UNITED STATES which buys roughly 80% of MEXICAN EXPORTED OIL..OIL ***!

[hungry1968]

"Born in Mexico, Laurean is a dual citizen and could choose to fight extradition, so it could take anywhere from two days to two years to bring him back to the U.S."




They won''t help us in the drug war, they won''t expedite the extradition of a murder, and they get bent out of shape over the border fence.

And we call them an ally and honor the free trade agreement -- why?!?!?!?!