Murder Suspect to Return to L.A.

A 65-year-old con woman serving a lengthy sentence in New York for the death of a wealthy Manhattan socialite is expected to be returned to Los Angeles in the next few days to stand trial for murder in the killing of a former business partner three years ago--a trial that could lead to a death sentence.

Sante Kimes, who is charged along with her son Kenneth with the 1998 killing of Granada Hills businessman David Kazdin, gave up her yearlong battle against extradition at a hearing Wednesday in White Plains.

Authorities say Kazdin, 62, was shot in early 1998 after he found out that Kenneth and Sante Kimes had forged his name to get a loan.

Kenneth Kimes, 26, was returned to Los Angeles in March to stand trial. He pleaded not guilty to the charges last month.

Los Angeles authorities have been trying to get both Kimeses returned to California since last May, after they were convicted of murdering 82-year-old widow Irene Silverman in an effort to take ownership of her Manhattan mansion. They were sentenced in the high-profile trial to 120 years in prison.

The mother-and-son duo are suspected of being involved in a cross-country crime spree that ended when they were picked up by New York City police in July of 1998 shortly after Silverman vanished.

Los Angeles police believe say they believe the two went to New York to kill Silverman in July of 1998, four months after shooting Kazdin to death and throwing his body in a dumpster near Los Angeles International Airport.

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Associated Press contributed to this story.