The State : Accused Killer Is Extradited

A man arrested in Canada after he was featured on a U.S.-based television show about unsolved crimes has been sent back to California to face two murder charges, authorities said. Rudy Blanusa, 37, faces two counts of murder and two of kidnaping in the 1986 killing of brothers Gilbert and Joe Flores in Modesto. Blanusa was living in a Vancouver suburb when he was featured on the program “America’s Most Wanted.” Less than 24 hours after the program was shown, police stopped a car and arrested Blanusa. A judge in British Columbia ruled that Blanusa should be extradited to the United States. Under a 1976 extradition treaty, Canada has the discretion to refuse to extradite someone unless the U.S. promises not to seek the death penalty. Canadian authorities did not ask American officials for that assurance in Blanusa’s case.