Arizona Governor Approves Famalaro Extradition : Justice: Painter accused of murdering Denise Huber must face a court hearing as early as Monday.

Arizona’s governor signed extradition documents Friday that could force house painter John J. Famalaro to return to Orange County to face charges he murdered a young Newport Beach woman and kept her nude, handcuffed corpse in a freezer for nearly three years.

Gov. Fife Symington signed the extradition papers after they were forwarded to him by California Gov. Pete Wilson as part of a lengthy process to move a criminal defendant over state lines, said Douglas Cole, Symington’s spokesman.

An extradition hearing for Famalaro is scheduled for Aug. 29, but Yavapai County Counsel Thomas Lindberg said Friday the governor’s signature means the hearing could be held as soon as Monday.

Famalaro is accused of murdering 23-year-old Denise Huber, who vanished after her car broke down on the Corona del Mar (73) Freeway in June, 1991. Arizona authorities discovered Huber’s body last month in a running freezer in the back of a stolen rental truck parked in Famalaro’s driveway. Investigators now suspect she was killed in a Laguna Hills storage bin and are planning to move the case to Orange County for trial.

On Friday, Lindberg filed a legal motion to dismiss a single felony theft charge remaining against Famalaro in Arizona to help smooth extradition. The charge stems from the stolen rental truck.

Lindberg said that he expected Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Raymond W. Weaver to schedule an extradition hearing Monday or Tuesday to determine whether Famalaro wants to continue fighting extradition.

“From there, it’s just a matter for Orange County or Costa Mesa police to arrange to pick him up,” Lindberg said.

Famalaro, who has pleaded not guilty, could face the death penalty if convicted.

A search of Famalaro’s Prescott Country Club home turned up 3-year-old Orange County newspapers that carried stories about Huber’s disappearance and her parents’ futile attempts to find her. Huber’s clothing and purse were found in Famalaro’s garage in a box marked “Christmas.”

Orange County Deputy Public Defender Leonard Gumlia could not be reached to comment about extradition late Friday. But he said this week that a therapist has begun visiting Famalaro in the Yavapai County Jail. Gumlia said a team of psychologists and psychiatrists is lined up to examine Famalaro when he arrives in Orange County.

Gumlia said the move does not indicate he plans an insanity defense. The attorney said he routinely requires psychiatric examinations at the outset of serious cases.

This week, Ventura County authorities said they no longer suspect Famalaro in the abduction and death of Nancy Huter of Thousand Oaks, who disappeared March 3, 1992. Famalaro was considered a suspect because the circumstances were similar to the Huber case.

As in the Huber case, authorities found Hurer’s abandoned car after her disappearance and officers found no sign of a struggle near her vehicle. Huter’s body was found near Malibu more than a year after she vanished.

“I think we have been fairly able to establish that he was not connected to this case,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Husband said.