Vol. 34 No.240
       ©2007 Marianas Variety
Monday, February 19, 2007 www.mvariety.com
Serving the CNMI for 34 years
 

© 2007 Marianas Variety
Published by Younis Art Studio Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Email :
mvariety@vzpacifica.net
Seagraves to appear in court today

By Gina Tabonares
Variety News Staff

EXTRADITED murder suspect Luis Gaily Seagraves Jr., who arrived on Saturday night from Texas, is expected to appear in the Superior Court of Guam today for a return on warrant appearance proceeding.
This was announced by the Attorney General’s Office, but the time and courtroom was not disclosed as of press time. The court schedule gives way to the anticipated State of the Island Address by Gov. Felix P. Camacho today.
According to AGO public information officer Jay Forsythe, Seagraves arrived from Houston via Continental Airlines flight 1 from Hawaii at around 7:10 p.m. Saturday.
After a14-hour flight with two local enforcement officials, the principal suspect in the murder of Michelle Limtiaco in 1996 was brought to the Hagatna Detention Facility where he was booked and later escorted by a jail team to the Department of Corrections maximum security facility in Mangilao.
Seagraves was extradited from Texas where he had been turned over by Nicaraguan police following his arrest on Feb. 6.
The suspect was arrested by virtue of a warrant issued by the Guam Superior Court in connection with the Limtiaco murder case.
Seagraves was indicted for the third time in July 2006, along with his uncle Arthur G. Seagraves.
The Seagraves were charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated murder with a 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 state that the two Seagraves and other un-named individuals conspired to commit the aggravated murder on July 10, 1996.
Court records stated that the defendants intentionally and with premeditation caused the death of Limtiaco by stabbing her with a knife.
Earlier police reports said Limtiaco was stabbed more than 40 times. Limtiaco’s body was found in front of the old Guam Memorial Hospital in Tumon.
According to the grand jury indictment, the 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 AGO asked the public to come forward if they had more information about the case.
The young Seagraves, who has been indicted three times in 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 forward due to insufficient evidence.
In 2003, he was arrested and brought back from California after the case was revived against him. .
The murder case was scheduled for trial in March last year but the AGO asked for dismissal of the case after receiving more information that would help in the prosecution of the case.
The AGO re-indicted Seagraves along with his uncle and Mario Leon Guerrero but a grand jury true bill was only returned against Seagraves and his uncle.