French Hang On to Murder Suspect

By Shannon in News on Aug 24, 2007 3:30PM

The French have spoken. Overseas officials have denied U.S. requests to extradite Hans Peterson back to the States to stand trial for the murder of Dr. David Cornbleet. The 29-year-old Peterson allegedly confessed to killing Cornbleet, his former dermatologist, due to a prescription drug that left him impotent. Despite pleas from U.S. senators Durbin and Obama, the French embassy returned a rejected verdict, with the explanation that they won’t sell out a French national. After the murder Peterson fled to St. Martin, and declared himself a national through his mother in May.

So what happens now? The appeals to France won’t stop, says Durbin, who has a staff member who knew Dr. Cornbleet. Jon, the late doctor’s long-suffering son, vows to not give up hope; he’s backed by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, whose spokesman affirmed that they “will use every legal and diplomatic means at our disposal to get this killer extradited back to the United States.” If all else fails, the trail will most likely go on in the Caribbean. We’ll be keeping a close eye on what develops, as there’s also the Law & Order-esque “the meds made me do it” defense, which never fails to confound on some level.

Self-edited image via about.com.