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Kerry Pushing Ecuador To Extradite Man Accused In Brockton Murders

BROCKTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Kerry is pushing authorities in Ecuador to extradite a man sentenced there to 25 years in prison for the bludgeoning death of a woman and her toddler son in Brockton.

Luis Guaman was sentenced Tuesday for the February 20100 killing of 25-year-old Maria Palaguachi-Cela and her 2-year-old son, Brian. Their badly beaten bodies were found in a dumpster.

Massachusetts prosecutors sought Guaman's extradition, hoping to put him in prison for life without parole. But Ecuador insisted on trying him in his homeland because its new constitution bars extradition of its citizens.

Kerry says in Thursday's letter to Ambassador Nathalie Cely that there are ways to return Guaman to the United States for trial without violating Ecuador constitution, noting that the crime occurred in this country and the victims were U.S. citizens.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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