US fugitive, Troy Thomas, extradited

Apr 25, 2019 News

Troy Thomas

US fugitive, Troy Thomas, was extradited to the United States, yesterday, to face charges for the murder of a 20-year-old Guyanese man eight years ago.
A US Embassy release stated that Thomas was en route to the United States to face justice “for criminal acts he allegedly committed in New York in 2011.”
It added that he is in the custody of the New York Police Department and will appear in court today before an American judge.
The Embassy stated that Thomas’s extradition reflects over one year of close coordination between the Government of Guyana and the U.S. Embassy.
It said he exhausted any further right to appeal under the Guyanese constitution at midnight yesterday.
Thomas, also known as Marvin Williams, was implicated in the December 11, 2011 murder of 20-year-old Keith Frank, a Guyanese, who was shot and killed outside a party in Richmond Hill, New York.
He allegedly fled to Canada. He was apprehended last year in Guyana.
He was first ordered extradited on November 30, 2018 by Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs.
But he filed an application at the High Court, challenging the Magistrate’s authority to conduct the committal proceedings.
The US murder suspect maintained that he is Marvin Williams and argued that Justice Barlow also erroneously made the ruling that he was Troy Thomas.
That appeal was dismissed.
In its statement, the US Embassy thanked the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Prison Service, the Minister of Public Security, and the staff at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, “for their close cooperation and commitment to justice.”
“Corruption and criminal activity rob the Government and citizens of Guyana of money that could have been spent on education, health care, and important infrastructure work. “Extraditions are an important law enforcement tool in fighting transnational criminal organizations. Today, a fugitive from justice is being extradited to the United States to stand trial, creating a new precedent.”
“The American Embassy notes this positive step forward and commends the Government of Guyana.
Ambassador Lynch said, “The Government of Guyana’s actions over the past year clearly indicate its dedication to law and order and established norms of international criminal justice – Guyana is moving in the right direction.
“Establishing 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.”