By Gina Tabonares
Variety News Staff

LOCAL enforcement agencies are closely coordinating with federal authorities on the extradition of Luis Gaily Seagraves Jr., the major suspect in the murder of Michelle Limtiaco 11 years ago.
Seagraves was turned over to Houston, Texas federal marshals after he was arrested in Nicaragua last Sunday by virtue of a warrant issued by Guam Superior Court in relation to the Limtiaco murder case.
Government Chief Prosecutor Phil Tydingco said Seagraves’ arrest was made through the full cooperation of Guam law enforcers, the U.S. Marshall, and the Department of Defense.
Tydingco said they were not provided other details of Seagraves’ arrest on Sunday other than he is on a $1 million cash bail after Nicaraguan police arrested him.
“They detained him at the request of the government of Guam, in cooperation with federal authorities,” Tydingco said in a press conference yesterday.
Tydingco said they are now working on the extradition of Seagraves, after providing a copy of the warrant, the grand jury indictment, photos, and fingerprints of the defendant.
“This is if he waives his extradition rights, because under the law, an accused has the right to fight his extradition and it also depends with Texas’ procedure. We are the requesting party and we have to comply with all the state requirements,” Tydingco said.
If Seagraves fights his extradition, Tydingco said they would prepare a team to go to Texas and arrange for the custody of the murder suspect.
Seagraves was re-indicted for the third time in July 2006 along with his uncle, Arthur G. Seagraves, and another defendant, Mario Leon Guerrero.
The Seagraves and Leon Guerrero were charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated murder with special allegation of possession and use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony, and first-degree robbery as a first-degree felony.
The indictment stated that the two Seagraves, Leon Guerrero and other unnamed individuals conspired to commit the aggravated murder on July 10, 1996.
Court records also state that the three defendants intentionally, and with premeditation, caused the death of Limtiaco by stabbing her with a knife.
Earlier police reports said that Limtiaco was stabbed more than 40 times. Limtiaco’s body was discovered in front of the old Guam Memorial Hospital in Tumon.
According to the grand jury indictment, the three defendants and other unnamed individuals took the victim’s car, handbag, and other miscellaneous personal property on the same date.
Warrants were issued against the defendants in August 2006 and the Attorney General’s Office started asking members of the public to come forward if they have more information about the 10-year-old case.
Luis Gaily Seagraves Jr., who was indicted three times for the same case, reportedly went off island as soon as his second indictment was dismissed in February 2006.
He was first charged with his uncle Arthur Seagraves and Vern Agualo in 1996, but the prosecution did not move ahead due to insufficient evidence.
In 2003, Seagraves was arrested and brought back from California after the case against him was revived.
The murder case was scheduled for trial in March last year but the AGO asked that the case be dismissed after discovering vital information that would affect the prosecution against the defendant.
The AGO re-indicted Luis Gaily Seagraves Jr., his uncle Arthur C. Seagraves and Leon Guerrero after receiving more information that would help in the prosecution of the case.