Edmonds to have Delmar J. Edmonds will be in an Indiana courtroom tomorrow as Hawaii authorities seek to extradite him to face murder charges in the 1975 slaying of a Kailua girl.
extradition
warrant served
The Indiana man is charged in
the 1975 killing of a Kailua girlBy Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.com"All that will happen is the warrant will be served on him," said Marcel Pratt, his attorney. "The judge will then schedule a hearing for the extradition."
Edmonds, 46, was arrested in Indianapolis last week on a warrant for the March 14, 1975, murder of 13-year-old Dawn "Dede" Bustamante.
Bustamante was abducted, raped and shot in the head. Another girl abducted with Bustamante escaped.
Edmonds was a Marine assigned to the Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station when the murder occurred.
In a court appearance last week, Edmonds refused to waive his right to challenge extradition to Hawaii to face the murder charge. He remains in custody in the Marion County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.
"At this point he is contesting the extradition, further in the process he may change his mind," Pratt said today.
In an extradition hearing, the only issue is identification, Pratt said.
"He will be brought before a judge and given opportunity to challenge identification or validity of the warrant. At that point we are prepared to identify him as the person named in the warrant," said Rom Trader, deputy city prosecutor, who will prosecute the case.
If the judge finds that Edmonds is the person named in the warrant, "It's just a matter of time at that point," Pratt said.
If Edmonds continues to contest extradition, the Indiana attorney general will be asked to make a recommendation to the governor on whether to issue a governor's warrant for his extradition.
"Most people waive extradition because it's not worth fighting, it just takes longer," Trader said.
That may be why Edmonds continues to fight extradition, Pratt said. "This man wants to be around his family for a while longer."