Fugitive Troy Thomas was finally arraigned in a United States court on Thursday for the 2011 murder of a man in Queens, New York.
A New York Daily News report said Thomas, 33, was charged with murder by New York Police Department detectives in the 106th Precinct following the first extradition case between the United States and Guyana in recent years.
Thomas is accused of killing Keith Frank at a house party in Richmond Hill on December 11, 2011. It was noted that he was identified as a suspect early in the investigation but by then he had already fled to Guyana, which doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the US.
The report said Thomas was ordered held without bail at arraignment Thursday in the Queens Criminal Court, according to the District Attorney’s office.
“The defendant has been on the run for seven years, but today he is in our custody and will answer for the senseless killing of a 20-year-old man in South Richmond Hill, Queens, just before Christmas in 2011,” Chief Assistant District Attorney John M. Ryan was quoted as saying.
“The family of the victim deserves justice for their deceased loved one,” Ryan further said. “The defendant now faces a lengthy term of incarceration for his alleged actions.”
According to the Daily News report, police said at about 4.30 am on the day of the killing, the victim argued with Thomas at a party on 132nd Street and 109th Avenue. After a heated exchange, they allege that Thomas got a gun from his car and shot Frank in the chest.
Frank, 20, had become a father eight months before, the District Attorney’s office said.
Thomas was held in Guyana in March last year and filed multiple court challenges to fight his extradition since then. He had even claimed that he was not Troy Thomas, despite having previously answered to the name. His challenges were, however, unsuccessful.
20 extradition cases pending
Meanwhile, citing sources, the Daily News reported that there are 20 pending extradition cases between the United States and Guyana but noted that authorities here wanted Thomas to be the first one brought back to face charges. “Establish-ing a roadmap for future extraditions, bringing a fugitive to justice, making Guyana a safer place for Guyanese citizens — this is the best example of rule of law existing in Guyana,” US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch was reported as saying in a statement.
