Double-murder suspect nabbed in Hong Kong agrees to surrender himself to United States
Accused of killing two teenage nephews with a blunt object in California, Chinese national Deyun Shi, 44, was arrested at HK airport after fleeing Los Angeles
PUBLISHED : Monday, 25 January, 2016, 3:32pm
UPDATED : Monday, 25 January, 2016, 8:40pm
Jasmine Siu
[email protected]
Deyun Shi, 44, made his first appearance at the Eastern Court, where he was acting in person. Photo: David Wong
A double-murder suspect accused of bludgeoning his two teenage nephews to death in their Californian home last week has consented to a Hong Kong court to surrender himself unconditionally to the United States.
This came as Deyun Shi, 44, made his first appearance at the Eastern Court, where he was acting in person, after disengaging his instructing solicitor and rejecting the offer of legal advice from the free Duty Lawyer Service.
The Chinese national, dressed in a grey suit, was given a copy of background and brief facts of the case before he considered whether or not to surrender himself.
“It is stated in the third paragraph that one of the charges [I face is liable to] life in prison,” Shi said through a mandarin interpreter in court, while pointing at the document. “Does that mean if I surrender myself, my maximum sentence is life in prison?”
Chief magistrate Clement Lee Hing-nin replied that he should consult a lawyer.
“Then I withdraw the question,” Shi said.
“So do you consent to surrender or not?” the magistrate asked.
Shi replied: “I consent, as soon as possible.”
His case has been adjourned to February 11 for the US government to prepare a full request for his surrender while he is remanded in custody.
Shi has indicated that he may apply for bail again at the High Court or review his application at the Eastern Court next Monday, after Lee sided with the prosecution in turning down his bail request.
“I want to go back to the United States as soon as possible, but I want to be bailed out at the same time,” said Shi. “But if my bail application affects my date of return to the US to assist [in the] investigation, I may give up my right to make a bail application.”
Shi is wanted by US law enforcement bodies in connection with two murder cases and one attempted murder case.
It was alleged that he had killed his two teenage nephews, aged 14 and 15, in their Arcadian home in California with a blunt object.
Shi is also wanted for a spousal assault that took place 24 hours before the alleged killings.
The Chinese national left Los Angeles on Friday and arrived in Hong Kong the next day, where he was provisionally arrested by six officers at the Hong Kong International Airport and immediately taken to the North Lantau Hospital.
Hong Kong has since January 1998 allowed the transfer of fugitives with the United States through a mutual legal assistance deal with Washington.
