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FBI: Fugitive Marine arrested in Mexico

A Marine suspected of killing a pregnant colleague told police he slept in fields and survived by eating fruit that he found during a three-month manhunt that ended with his arrest in western Mexico, authorities said.

FBI agents and police in the small town of Tacambaro arrested Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean, 21, on Thursday. He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, who had accused him of rape. Her burned remains were found in January in the back yard of his home near Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Bearded, thin and chained at the wrists and ankles, Laurean spoke briefly while being held at the Michoacan state Attorney General’s Office in Morelia, the state capital. He appeared slightly disoriented and stared straight ahead, his eyes occasionally filling up with tears as he answered a reporter’s questions in terse phrases.

“You know my name. You know who I am,” Laurean said. Asked if he wanted to say anything, Laurean answered, “Proof,” but wouldn’t explain.

Asked what he would do next, he replied, “Do I have a choice? ... I don’t know.”

The FBI said Laurean is awaiting extradition to the U.S., although local prosecutors in North Carolina cautioned the process could take a year or more if he decides to fight it.

Magdalena Guzman, a prosecutors’ spokeswoman, said police carrying out an anti-kidnapping operation stopped Laurean as he wandered on a street because they thought he looked suspicious.

When they realized he didn’t speak Spanish well, they became even more suspicious. After running his name through a computer — and recognizing his distinctive tattoos — they realized Laurean was wanted in the U.S. to face charges in Lauterbach’s death.

Guzman said Laurean told the arresting officers he had only 10 pesos — about $1 — in his pocket when arrested.

U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said in a statement that “Laurean fled to Mexico early this year in the hope of avoiding justice” and called the arrest “a clear message to all would-be fugitives from U.S. law that Mexico will not provide them refuge.”

Laurean, of Las Vegas, was born in Guadalajara, but family members there have said he moved to the U.S. more than 10 years ago. He had told members of his unit that he would flee to Mexico if it appeared he would be found guilty of rape. Authorities think he entered Mexico on a bus on Jan. 14.

Maria Lauterbach and Laurean were both personnel clerks in Combat Logistics Regiment 27 at Lejeune. Detectives think Laurean killed Lauterbach, who was 20 and eight months pregnant, on Dec. 14 after forcing her to remove money from her bank account. Lauterbach was soon due to testify about her rape accusation.

Detectives have said Laurean left behind a note for his wife in which he denied killing Lauterbach but admitted to burying her remains. In the note, Laurean said Lauterbach committed suicide by cutting her own throat.

Authorities rejected the assertion, saying evidence indicates Lauterbach died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Lauterbach accused Laurean of rape last spring, a charge he denied and one that naval investigators were unable to corroborate. Even though Lauterbach later told investigators she did not think Laurean posed a danger or threat to her, the two were separated on base. The Marines have said their regimental commander was intent on taking the case to a hearing that could have led to a trial.

Earlier this week, Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, accused the Corps of not doing enough to protect Lauterbach after she reported the rape. In March, Turner asked Commandant Gen. James Conway to provide further details about the Corps’ handling of the case.

On Wednesday, he released the Corps’ reply, which indicated that Lauterbach gave investigators conflicting statements.

“On November 5, 2007, Lance Cpl. Lauterbach informed the military prosecutor she was certain the child was not Cpl. Laurean’s based upon a recent Obstetrics Gynecological examination and recalculation of the conception date,” reads the letter from Lt. Gen. Richard S. Kramlich, director of Marine Corps Staff.

The nine-page letter echoed previous statements from Lejeune commanders, who said they properly handled the initial rape allegation in May and the subsequent investigation into Lauterbach’s disappearance.

Turner said the letter only confirmed his concerns.

“Unfortunately, the response from General Kramlich demonstrates that the actions taken by the Marine Corps to protect Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach were totally inadequate,” Turner said.

He pointed to two incidents in May, shortly after Lauterbach lodged the rape allegation, in support of his allegations.

Lauterbach reported that a man approached her in a parking lot and punched her in the face. She also told authorities that someone “keyed” her car, leaving a gash in the side of the exterior.

Marine officials said Lauterbach’s commander issued a Military Protective Order — similar to a civilian restraining order — prohibiting contact between Lauterbach and Laurean. However, Laurean was never detained, and the Corps did not contact civilian authorities about any such order.

Officials had planned to conduct an Article 32 hearing sometime after Lauterbach’s disappearance.

“At the time of her disappearance, there was no evidence to indicate that Cpl. Laurean had anything to do with Lance Cpl. Lauterbach’s unauthorized absence status,” Kramlich’s letter said.

Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson has agreed not to seek execution in order to win the cooperation of Mexico, which refuses to send anyone back to the U.S. unless provided assurance they will not face a death sentence.

Tipped by the note, and not long after authorities went public in their search for the Lauterbach, detectives discovered the charred remains of the missing Marine and her fetus in a shallow grave in Laurean’s backyard.

A woman who answered the phone at the home of Laurean’s father-in-law, Bruce Shifflet, near Prospect, Ohio, hung up without commenting when told of the arrest.

Lauterbach’s parents, who live in Vandalia, Ohio, have not returned messages seeking comment. But family attorney Merle Wilberding said Friday that Lauterbach’s mother, Mary, was surprised and gratified to receive the call Thursday informing her of the arrest.

“We also recognize this is the first step in a lengthy process,” Wilberding said. “The family and we plan to continue to assist in the proceedings on the extradition and prosecution in any way we can.”

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Staff writers Andrew Tilghman and C. Mark Brinkley and Associated Press writer Traci Carl contributed to this report.

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