Arizona won't extradite murder suspect to NY, citing DA Bragg's handling of violent cases

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has declined to extradite a murder suspect to New York City, pointing to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's lenient treatment of criminals and practice of releasing many defendants pending trial.

Raad Almansoori, 26, stands accused killed Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, in a New York City hotel room earlier this month, according to the New York Times. In a press conference on Wednesday, Mitchell stated that "[h]aving observed the treatment of violent criminals in the New York area by the Manhattan D.A. there, Alvin Bragg... I think it’s safer to keep him here and keep him in custody, so that he cannot be out doing this to individuals either in our state, county, or anywhere in the United States."

It remains unclear by what authority, if any, Mitchell may decline to extradite Almansoori. Article IV, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution expressly requires that states send wanted fugitives to the states with jurisdiction over the alleged crime:

A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.

A spokeswoman for Bragg, in response, has accused Mitchell of "playing political games in a murder investigation" and called the move "a slap in the face to them and to the victim in our case to refuse to allow us to seek justice and full accountability for a New Yorker’s death."

Bragg has attracted scrutiny from conservatives for releasing dangerous persons on bail pending trial and for what they perceive to be lax prosecution policies.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.