No Bail for UK Poker Pro Accused of Murdering Wife
Written by Roger S | Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
A UK High Court has refused to grant Marcus Bebb-Jones bail in fear that he will abscond the country. The professional poker player is being held in prison, pending extradition to the United States, where he is accused of murdering his wife in 1997.
The High Court said that since Bebb-Jones is obviously keen to avoid extradition, and since there is evidence that he has received a job offer in China, there is a risk that he may skip bail and leave the country.
It is alleged that Bebb-Jones murdered his spouse Sabrina in Colorado in 1997 while living in the United States, and dumped her body. He is then thought to have spent his wife’s money by living it up in a “Playboy” type weekend in Vegas. It was here that he attempted – unsuccessfully – to commit suicide.
After the murder, Bebb-Jones left the United States with his then toddler son and returned to the United Kingdom. There he began a successful career as a professional poker player on the UK circuit, winning a number of top tournaments such as the Grosvenor Grand Prix.
However, the US authorities never closed the case on the murder of Sabrina Bebb-Jones and always considered her husband their prime suspect.
In September last year, Bebb-Jones was arrested at his mother’s home in Kidderminster where he lives with his now teenage son. He is expected to be extradited to the United States to face trial. If he is found guilty, he could face life in prison without parole.
Last year, the US Government Prosecutor, Aron Watkins said: “Mr Bebb-Jones is sought for the murder of his wife. He is responsible for the murder, and the deliberate concealment of it for many years… He lived a playboy lifestyle in the course of that weekend which culminated in him putting a gun in his mouth and shooting himself in the head. Whether by judgement or design he didn’t cause any life-threatening injuries to himself… The upshot is that the case against him is very strong. This offence is so serious he faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.”
The poker player’s attorneys requested bail as the extradition process could take months.
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· Written by Roger S · Filed Under Poker News · Comments Off
