Bruce Beresford-Redman Arrives In Mexico To Face Murder Charges
CANCUN, Mexico (CBS) — Bruce Beresford-Redman arrived in Mexico Wednesday tonight to face murder charges in the death of his wife, Monica.
He landed at about 10:40 p.m. at the airport in Cancun where he was escorted away in a motorcade under tight security.
"It was a relief. We have been waiting for that for two years," said Carla Burgos, the victim's sister.
Nearly two years ago Burgos' sister Monica was found murdered at a Cancun resort.
Monica's husband, reality show producer Bruce Beresford-Redman, has been charged in the killing. He will face a judge in Mexico.
"It has been hell. It has been so difficult," Burgos said.
It was in April 2010 when prosecutors say Beresford-Redman lured his wife to Mexico to patch up their failing marriage. After her murder, he left Mexico with the couple's two children.
He had been in U.S. federal custody for more than a year, before deciding not to fight extradition.
"He is presumed guilty until proven innocent, which is a stark difference from American law. He'll get a lawyer, a Mexican laywer and he'll probably have an American lawyer there too," said CBS2 Legal Analyst Steve Meister.
He said there will not be a jury trial.
"The judge is one of the presenters of the evidence and then he or she rules on their own presentation. So it's hard for American ears to think that could possibly be fair, but that's how a lot of the world does it," Meister said.
Although Meister said that Mexican jails are harsh, he surmises that Beresford-Redman will receive special treatment, including extra security and a solitary cell.
The couple's two children remain with his parents. They along with their son released a statement through a spokesperson.
"Many reports have been false and misleading and Bruce eagerly wants to set the record straight, confront the charges in a fair trial and return to his children. That's why their son waived his right to appeal the ruling here because he knows the truth will end in his acquittal," the spokesperson, Stephen Jaffee, said.
Because of a treaty between Mexico and the United States, if Beresford-Redman is convicted, he could appeal to serve his prison sentence in the U.S.
