Marcus Jones Poker Murder Suspect Extradition Delayed
Written by Roger S | Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Marcus Bebb-Jones, the UK citizen who is accused of murdering his wife in the United States in 1997, has had his extradition ruling postponed for another month, following a hearing by Westminster magistrates this week. Bebb-Jones is a UK poker champion and holds the title for the 2007 Grosvenor Grand Prix tournament.
Bebb-Jones and his deceased wife, Sabrina lived in Colorado with their infant son when she suddenly disappeared. On the same weekend, Bebb-Jones took the child to Las Vegas and used his wife’s credit cards to pay for a weekend of gambling and partying before he tried committing suicide. Sabrina’s skull was eventually found in 2004, and Bebb-Jones was accused of murdering her, dumping her body in the Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado and then returning to the United Kingdom after the botched suicide attempt.
Bebb-Jones entered the poker circuit and made a name for himself as a strong player in the UK market.
After his arrest, Bebb-Jones faced extradition to the United States to stand trial for his wife’s murder. However, his lawyers have been fighting this, arguing that he faces the death penalty which is contrary to UK law. Recently, the US authorities agreed to drop their call for the death penalty in exchange for Bebb-Jones’ extradition, however his lawyers managed to get a final ruling delayed yet again this week. They argue that the mandatory life sentence without parole facing Bebb-Jones is “inhuman.”
The poker player’s lawyer said that this type of punishment was “grossly disproportionate” and “inconsistent with the standards of justice we hold dear, taking no account of the gravity of the crime or progress made towards rehabilitation.” One wonders what type of cushy punishment these lawyers expect someone accused of murdering a young wife and mother to actually receive….
Bebb-Jones has been held under arrest without bond since his arrest, and he can appeal to a higher court should Judge Howard Riddle announces a decision to extradite him at the scheduled April 12th hearing.
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· Written by Roger S · Filed Under Poker News · Comments Off
