Aurora Murder Suspect Back In U.S. After 'Difficult' 5 Year Fight
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - The suspected killer of an Aurora woman is back in Colorado after five years of police work.
Javier Aguirre, 35, was extradited from Mexico and is set to appear in Adams County Court next week on first degree murder charges.
He is accused of stabbing Lyndsay Pham to death in March 2010 in her office at an apartment complex.
Tenants found her body in an office at the Descanso Plaza Apartments at 11102 E. 16th Avenue in Aurora. Pham was the manager and co-owner of the building at that time.
Investigators believed because Pham dealt largely in cash the crime may have been begun as a burglary attempt. Their attention turned to the office assistant and Aguirre, that woman's boyfriend.
When a warrant was issued for Aguirre's arrest, he fled to Mexico.
Adams County district attorney Dave Young worked with Mexican authorities on the extradition effort.
"It's difficult to bring them back, especially on first degree murder charges," Young said.
In order to do so, investigators first had to find Aguirre and prove their case against him to the Mexican government. Young also had to agree he would not seek the death penalty.
"I'm thankful that we were able to get through all those hoops and to get him back here and hopefully we'll have closure for the family one day," Young said.
CBS4 interviewed Pham's husband on Tuesday about the news of the extradition.
"I was very angry that somebody that we know would do this," Michael Pham said.
Pham says he is thankful for the DA's efforts, and while closure is certainly something his family is looking for, justice for Lyndsay is what they want.
"We know he's going to be behind bars and he's not going to be able to do this kind of thing to anybody else," Michael Pham said.
"I still miss her," he said.
