Man Extradited to Scotland to Face Attempted Murder Charge

BOSTON – A Princeton, Mass. man was extradited to Scotland on Friday, May 8, to face trial on attempted murder charges.  The surrender comes after extended litigation regarding the request by the United Kingdom (UK) for the extradition of Alexander Hilton in relation to allegations that he poisoned Robert Forbes on March 5, 2011.  Hilton had returned to the United States shortly after the attempt and after being questioned by investigators in Scotland about the incident.

On Feb. 13, 2013, Hilton, 24, was arrested for purposes of extradition in response to the UK request.  On March 5, 2013, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer Boal released Hilton on conditions, including cash bond and home detention.  During extradition proceedings, Judge Boal found that Hilton was subject to extradition to the UK, after reviewing the UK request and hearing additional evidence from Hilton regarding his mental health.  Thereafter, Hilton challenged the extradition certification decision but his petition for a writ of habeas corpus was denied.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed the decision.  Hilton’s core argument was that his extradition to Scotland would result in his suffering from an increased risk of suicide due to his mental health condition, and for that reason, U.S. officials would infringe upon his due process rights by authorizing the extradition.  The Court held that the decision whether to extradite him as a consequence of these concerns was properly entrusted by law to the U.S. Secretary of State, not the courts, as part of the Secretary’s final determination of whether to grant international requests for extradition.  Thereafter, the Secretary of State considered Hilton’s case and granted the UK’s request to extradite Hilton to face trial for attempted murder in a Scottish court.

U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and U.S. Marshal John Gibbons of the U.S. Marshals Service, District of Massachusetts, made the announcement today.  The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore Heinrich of Ortiz’s Drug Task Force Unit, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division.  The transfer was coordinated and carried out by the U.S. Marshals Service.