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U.S.
Fugitive Extradited
Russell Earl Winstead, wanted
for the homicide of a family
member in Kentucky, was
arrested last May through the
efforts of the Diplomatic
Security special agent assigned
to the U.S. Embassy in San Jose,
Costa Rica,Costa Rican police,
Interpol, the FBI, the U.S.
Marshals Service; and the
Kentucky State Police.
Yesterday, Winstead was
extradited after spending almost
ten months in a Costa Rican
jail.
Russell Earl Winstead fled
Kentucky in June 2003, prior to
being charged with the murder of
a family member. The Kentucky
State Police's local
investigation lead them to
believe that Winstead had fled
to Costa Rica, and they
contacted the U.S. Department of
State's Bureau of Diplomatic
Security for assistance.
Winstead was featured on the
television show America's Most
Wanted in February 2005,
generating a tip that he had
been seen gambling in the
Horseshoe Casino in San José.
The special agent assigned to
the U.S. Embassy in San José
worked with the Costa Rican
police to locate and arrest
Winstead.
Winstead is wanted for murdering
his 86 year old aunt, Anne Mae
Branson, in January of 2003, in
Madisonville Kentucky. The now
41 year old man stabbed the
woman some 80 times.
According to police information,
Branson was a successful woman
with various financial
interests. The day she was
discovered dead, a us$12.000
cheque was missing.
Police suspected Winstead from
the beginning learning of
gambling habit. The police
investigation discovered that
Windstead had lost more than a
million dollars in a casino a
year earlier.
Winstead entered Costa Rica on
June 5, 2003 and was arrested on
May 3, 2005.
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