SoHo Hotel murder suspect remains in Arizona as extradition fight rumbles on
Raad Almansoori, 26, is accused of killing Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, whose body was found on 8 February at SoHo 54 Hotel in New York City
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A man suspected of bludgeoning a woman to death in a New York City hotel room earlier this month will remain in Arizona as he continues to fight his extradition to the Big Apple.
Raad Almansoori, 26, is being held without bond in Phoenix on charges of attempted murder in two additional stabbings in Arizona after he fled the murder scene in New York.
Mr Almansoori appeared in a Phoenix courtroom on Monday and told the judge that he would not voluntarily return to New York City to face charges associated with the hotel murder, FOX10 reported.
Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara Spencer said Mr Almansoori will stay in Arizona to stand trial for the attempted murder charges, despite the objections of Manhattan prosecutors.
She said the Arizona case must play out before any extradition case can move forward.
Manhattan prosecutors, however, claim the SoHo murder case takes precedence over the lesser charges of attempted murder.
“Seeking justice for victims and survivors is our priority at the Manhattan DA’s Office,” a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement following Monday’s ruling.
“We do not stand on ceremony but prioritize the integrity of the process,” the spokesperson said. “We are proceeding as we do in each and every case involving an out-of-state arrest: Following the facts and the law to ensure justice is served.”
NYPD investigators believe Mr Almansoori attacked Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, with an iron, at the SoHo 54 hotel. Her body was found on 8 February.
Oleas-Arancibia’s death was determined to have been caused by blunt force trauma to the head, and a broken iron was found at the scene, police said.
Mr Almansoori was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, weeks later on 18 February, where he was allegedly driving a stolen car.
Hours before his arrest, local police allege he attacked an employee in a bathroom at a McDonald’s restaurant in Surprise, a suburb in the northwest section of Phoenix.
The suspect allegedly entered the women’s bathroom, pounded on the door of the stall where the employee was locked behind, climbed under the door, pointed a BB gun at her and stabbed her at least three times in the neck before fleeing.
Phoenix police said Mr Almansoori is also suspected of stabbing another woman during a robbery attempt while armed with a knife and gun one day earlier.
Following his arrest in Arizona, Mr Almansoori told officers he was wanted for the homicide in New York and that they should Google the hotel’s name, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at an earlier press conference.
Mr Almansoori was indicted by a grand jury last week in Arizona and is being held without bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the Arizona charges on Tuesday morning in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Meanwhile, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is continuing to press for Mr Almansoori’s return to New York.
Manhattan prosecutors said they now plan to ask New York Governor Kathy Hochul to seek a warrant for his extradition, CBS News reported.