PORT OF SPAIN– A court has approved the extradition of a 24-year-old United States citizen, wanted in the North American country on charges of second-degree murder and firearm offences.
Anthony Regis-Ash was arrested in October by Trinidad and Tobago police and US law enforcement officials and earlier this month, acting Chief Magistrate Christine Charles committed him for extradition after she said she was satisfied the US had met the requirements set out under the Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) Act.
Charles had also been advised of his right to apply for a writ of habeas corpus to challenge the legality of his detention.
Regis-Ash is wanted in Kings County, New York, for the murder of Sharif Richards on September 29, 2021, at Foster Avenue and East 80th Street, Kings County, Brooklyn.
According to the indictment filed on September 29, 2022, in the NY courts, he iss wanted on two counts of murder in the second degree, two counts of first-degree attempted robbery and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
It is alleged that New York Police Department (NYPD) investigators obtained video surveillance footage from an extensive canvass of the area beyond a mile from where Richards crashed his car after he was shot.
Videos allegedly obtained by the NYPD revealed that a male suspect and his female accomplice moved from their apartment to the scene of a fatal shooting. The alleged footage shows their return to the apartment afterwards, where they changed clothes.
The video allegedly captured events leading up to the killing, including a man and woman arriving on a block in Kings County, with the woman getting out of their vehicle to join Richards in his car.
Moments later, the male suspect approached the car, leaned inside, and fired a gunshot. Richards drove off but later crashed. The shooter picked up the woman a block away, fleeing the scene. Investigators tracked their vehicle using surveillance footage and ultimately recovered it.
Text messages between Richards and the alleged shooter uncovered a dispute over a marijuana deal. Autopsy results showed Richards died from a gunshot wound to the arm and torso, which punctured his lungs.
The female accomplice was arrested on January 5 at John F Kennedy International Airport as she tried to board a flight to Trinidad and Tobago.
Regis-Ash was arrested in central Trinidad on October 9. A release from the US Embassy in Port of Spain said federal agents from various agencies worked closely with local police to facilitate his arrest. (CMC)
