Sen. Kerry Seeks Ecuador Extradition Of Brockton Killer

Sen. John Kerry has again asked Ecuadorian authorities to extradite a man sentenced in Ecuador to 25 years in prison for a double murder in Brockton last year.

On Tuesday, Luis Guaman was given the sentence in his native country for the beating deaths of Maria Avelina Palaguachi, 25, and her 2-year-old son in February 2011.

Kerry, concerned that Guaman could serve far fewer years than his sentence, on Thursday sent a letter to Ecuador’s ambassador to the United States. According to the Brockton Enterprise, it said, in part:

I join Avelina’s family in expressing profound concern that this cold-blooded killer — convicted in Ecuador but still wanted in the United States — could serve as little as ten years of his sentence, and then would be set free.

Prior to a brief trial in Ecuador, officials here had sought to extradite Guaman back to Massachusetts, where a similar conviction would have resulted in life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

But, the Associated Press reports, "Ecuador insisted on trying him in his homeland because its new constitution bars extradition of its citizens."

In the letter, the AP reports, a "deeply disappointed" Kerry said there are ways to extradite Guaman back to the U.S. without violating the South American nation's constitution.