Murder suspect to be extradited

A man who recently had murder and 10 other felony charges against him reinstated has been arrested in Spokane.

The U.S. Marshals Service said 25-year-old Joseph Roberts was taken into custody Friday in Spokane without incident. He appeared in Spokane County Superior Court Tuesday, but will be extradited to Arizona.

A judge had dropped charges against Roberts without prejudice last year. The judge said Roberts’ trust in the system was betrayed when the county attorney’s office discussed a plea deal with him without legal representation.

An appellate court reversed that decision and sent the case back to Apache County Superior Court for a trial.

Roberts did not appear at a hearing last week in St. Johns, Ariz., resulting in a warrant for his arrest.

He’s accused of fatally shooting a man and helping a friend mutilate and bury another man’s body.

His wife of four years, Grace Roberts, said the two moved to Spokane after the charges were dropped to start a new life.

“They say he’s a fugitive, but he wasn’t hiding,” she said. “They accused him of something he didn’t do.”