Soho hotel slay suspect won’t be extradited to NYC to face murder charges, Arizona judge rules

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In a major blow to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an Arizona judge said Monday that the brute accused of viciously beating a Queens mom to death inside a Soho hotel room won’t be sent back to the Big Apple to face murder charges.

Court Commissioner Barbara Spencer said Raad Almansoori, 26, refused to consent to extradition and will stay in Arizona to stand trial for attempted murder, dashing Bragg’s hopes of getting the accused killer back to Manhattan over the objections of Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, KSAZ-TV reported.

Manhattan prosecutors said they now plan to petition Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to intervene.

“Nothing can happen on the fugitive case other than there could be what’s called a governor’s directive which is the document that would hold you instead of the governor’s warrant or you would choose to sign a waiver,” Spencer told Almansoori in court.

Raad Almansoori, in court in Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday, will not be extradited to New York to face murder charges in the death of Queens mom Denisse Oleas-Arancibia in a Soho hotel room, court commissioner Barbara Spencer ruled.
Raad Almansoori, in court in Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday, will not be extradited to New York to face murder charges in the death of Queens mom Denisse Oleas-Arancibia in a Soho hotel room, court commissioner Barbara Spencer ruled.
Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, was working as an escort when she was beaten to death in a Soho hotel room on Feb. 7. GoFundMe
Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, was working as an escort when she was beaten to death in a Soho hotel room on Feb. 7. GoFundMe

Almansoori, the only suspect in the Feb. 7 beating death of 38-year-old Denisse Oleas-Arancibia at the Soho 54 Hotel, fled to Arizona after the slaying and faces attempted murder charges for attacking two women there days later.

Bragg and Mitchell have since been embroiled in a legal scuffle over who would get the first shot at Almansoori — with Manhattan prosecutors claiming their murder case took precedence over the lesser charges of attempted murder.

“Seeking justice for victims and survivors is our priority at the Manhattan D.A.’s Office,” a spokesperson for Bragg said in a statement following Monday’s ruling.

“We do not stand on ceremony but prioritize the integrity of the process,” the spokesperson said. “We are proceeding as we do in each and every case involving an out-of-state arrest: Following the facts and the law to ensure justice is served.”

Bragg’s office has argued that extradition decisions between “professional” prosecutors in other states are typically worked out with simple telephone calls — and that murder cases routinely take precedence over lesser charges.

But Mitchell said last month that she would keep Almansoori in her county, citing Bragg’s reputation as a soft-on-crime prosecutor in the Big Apple.

“We’re gonna keep him here,” she told reporters on Feb. 19. “Having observed the treatment of violent criminals in the New York area by the Manhattan DA there, Alvin Bragg, I think it’s safer to keep him here.”

Almansoori could have waived extradition to New York but refused to do so.

Almansoori was arrested by cops in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Feb. 18 after a violent two-day crime spree, officials said. Scottsdale Police Department
Almansoori was arrested by cops in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Feb. 18 after a violent two-day crime spree, officials said. Scottsdale Police Department
Raad Almansoori is the prime suspect in the Feb. 7 beating death of Denisse Oleas-Arancibia in a Soho hotel room. Mark Henle/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Raad Almansoori is the prime suspect in the Feb. 7 beating death of Denisse Oleas-Arancibia in a Soho hotel room. Mark Henle/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Oleas-Arancibia was found beaten to death at the Soho 54 Hotel. Matthew McDermott
Oleas-Arancibia was found beaten to death at the Soho 54 Hotel. Matthew McDermott

Police in Arizona said he confessed to the New York slaying as well as two assaults on women in Phoenix and Surprise during a crazed two-day crime spree.

Almansoori, who was indicted last week in the Arizona cases, is charged with carjacking and stabbing a woman in Phoenix on Feb. 17 and attacking and sexually assaulting another woman at a McDonald’s where she worked the following day.

He was nabbed by cops in the parking garage of a Scottsdale mall later on Feb. 18.

He is due back in court on March 25, the outlet reported.