Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog
Lakshminivasa Rao Nerusu has been a suspect in the slayings of his wife and two children since their 2008 deaths in a suburban Detroit home; according to news reports, Nerusu has been on the run since that time, and was recently taken into custody in Andhra Pradesh in India, a city near Hyderabad, according to Novi Michigan police.
Nerusu, who is 46 years old, allegedly murdered his 37-year-old wife Jayalakshmi and two children who were 12 and 14 years of age at the time on October 13 of 2008. The bludgeoned bodies of the victims were found by police two weeks after their deaths while checking on the welfare of the family.
The Novi Police Department received word on Wednesday February 20 that the suspect had been taken into custody. Investigators from the department had been working with the State Department and the FBI in an effort to apprehend Nerusu, who was taken in on warrant issued by the Oakland County Prosecutors Office. The warrant was issued for Nerusu on three counts of first-degree murder.
According to CBS Detroit, it could take several years for Nerusu to be extradited to the U.S. if he contests the extradition, which is being handled by officials from the Department of State and U.S. Department of Justice.
Nerusu was reportedly an unemployed computer programmer at the time of the murders; he fled Michigan one day after the killings, boarding a plane in Detroit for a one-way trip to India. Novi police chief David Molloy said of the capture of Nerusu, “We look forward to Mr. Nerusu returning to Michigan to face the consequences of these horrific crimes.”
Michigan criminal defense attorneys know that individuals who are convicted on charges of first-degree murder face life in prison without the possibility of parole. Without effective and aggressive legal counsel, it is likely that the suspect in this case will spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
Individuals who have been arrested for or charged with a serious or violent crime including homicide, involuntary manslaughter, first- or second-degree murder or any criminal offense must secure the support and guidance of a capable Michigan criminal defense lawyer at once in order to protect your legal rights and freedom.