Murder suspect Marcus Bebb-Jones will be extradited

A professional gambler from the Midlands accused of killing his wife and dumping her body in an American national park will be extradited to the USA to stand trial.

Marcus Bebb-Jones, who denies murdering his 31-year-old wife, Sabrina, in Colorado, could now face the death penalty, if convicted, after losing an appeal at London's High Court.

Home Office officials had ordered his extradition to the USA last year but the 47-year-old of Merton Close, Kidderminster, launched a legal challenge in a bid to block the process.

But at the High Court yesterday Bebb-Jones signed a consent order withdrawing his appeal.

Bebb-Jones later attempted to withdraw the consent order but Lord Justice Gross and Mr Justice Davis rejected the application and formally dismissed his appeal.

He now faces a flight across the Atlantic and potentially the death penalty, or mandatory life imprisonment without parole, if convicted.

Bebb-Jones is well-known on the Midlands gambling circuit for winning thousands of pounds in poker tournaments in the region.

He ran a hotel in Grand Junction, Colorado, with his wife before her disappearance in 1997. Her skull was found in 2004 by which time Bebb-Jones had returned to the UK. He is accused of murdering her on September 16 1997.

In a hearing at the High Court last year, lawyers said he had not reported his wife missing and is alleged to have told a hotel worker not to report the disappearance.

He is also alleged to have given differing accounts of his wife's whereabouts and on September 17 1997, is said to have embarked on a spending spree in Las Vegas.

The previous hearing was told this culminated in him shooting himself with a pistol — although he escaped life-threatening injuries.

Bebb-Jones has said he went to Las Vegas to look for his wife.

At yesterday's hearing, Lord Justice Gross said: "To avoid any further reflection, we pronounce the dismissal of the appeal."