Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Brooke Wilberger: Suspect to be extradited to Oregon

I hope that Joel Courtney does not fight the extradition and delay the case too much more. Hopefully everything else runs smoothly, too. Of course, they still have to find Brooke.
Article from http://media.barometer.orst.edu/media/storage/paper854/news/2008/01/22/News/Kulongoski.Asks.For.Extradition.Of.Joel.Courtney-3160643.shtml:


Kulongoski asks for extradition of Joel Courtney
Orders will bring Joel
Courtney, accused of raping, killing Brooke Wilberger to Oregon for charges
Issue date: 1/22/08 Section: News
Oregon Gov.
Ted Kulongoski has signed an extradition order encouraging the return of Joel
Courtney, the man accused of raping and killing 19-year-old Brooke Wilberger in
2004.
According to The Associated Press, Courtney is currently in New Mexico.
Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson said he wanted Courtney returned
to Oregon within 90 days.
Last Wednesday, a Kulongoski spokesman said the governor's office sent the
extradition order to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. According to a Richardson
spokeswoman, the governor will expedite the process and does not intend to
decline the extradition.
"I am strongly encouraged by the level of cooperation between both
governors' offices," Haroldson said in an interview with The Associated
Press.
Joel Patrick Courtney, 41, was previously arrested in November 2004 for
allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a foreign exchange student at the
University of New Mexico. Courtney was sentenced to 18 years in prison last
month after pleading guilty to the charges against him.
Wilberger, a Brigham Young University student from Veneta, vanished while
cleaning lighting fixtures in an apartment complex parking lot near Oregon State
University in May 2004. Investigators found only her sandals and a pail of soapy
water left behind. Wilberger's body was never found despite an extensive search
effort. Little of the evidence connecting Courtney to Wilberger's presumed death
has been revealed by investigators.
Courtney was arrested more than a year after Wilberger's disappearance and
was charged with kidnapping, aggravated murder and rape. He is currently facing
14 separate counts of aggravated murder - one for each theory on how Wilberger
was actually killed, two counts of first degree kidnapping, one count of first
degree sodomy, one count of first degree rape and one count of first degree
sexual abuse.
A Benton County grand jury also indicted Courtney on charges of attempting
to kidnap and rape two other girls at around the time Wilberger vanished.
Haroldson intends to seek the death penalty and expects Courtney will
challenge the extradition.


If you know anything about Brooke's disappearance, please call the Corvallis Police Department at (541) 766-3522 or the Portland FBI at (503) 224-4181.

You can print a poster of Brooke at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200401499S.


Photo of Brooke from the Charley Project (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/wilberger_brooke.html). Visit the site for many more photos of Brooke.

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