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| | Extradition Hearing Postponed For Woman Accused Of Killing Marine By Jennifer Kay, Associated Press Writer - January 4, 2006WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ An extradition hearing for a California woman who allegedly poisoned her Marine husband to get breast enhancements and a more luxurious lifestyle was postponed Wednesday because the necessary paperwork hadn't arrived.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office told the judge that an extradition warrant had not been received from the office of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Circuit Judge Harold Cohen rescheduled the hearing for March 6 and sent Cynthia Sommer, who is fighting extradition, back to county jail, where she is being held without bond. Her attorney, Robert Gentile, did not return a call for comment.
Sommer, 32, is charged with first-degree murder for financial gain, a special circumstance that could carry the death penalty.
Marine Sgt. Todd Sommer, 23, died Feb. 18, 2002, in his home at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. His death was initially ruled a heart attack, but the San Diego County Medical Examiner concluded in October after a lengthy investigation by military and civilian authorities that the cause of death was acute arsenic poisoning.
Arsenic is a colorless and usually tasteless poison that causes stomach distress followed by death. Tests of Todd Sommer's liver showed arsenic levels 1,020 times above normal, according to court documents.
Only Cynthia Sommer had the motive or close access to poison him with arsenic, Navy Criminal Investigative Service agent Rob Terwilliger concluded in a court statement filed in November.
She was left a $250,000 lump-sum payment from Todd Sommer's life insurance policy and a $6,000 death gratuity, as well as $1,871 a month from the Department of Veterans Affairs, investigators said.
Ten days before her husband's death, Cynthia Sommer visited a plastic surgeon's office to inquire about breast augmentation, a surgery out of reach for a woman $23,000 in debt on a limited income, investigators said.
Her boisterous parties after Todd Sommer's death riled neighbors on the base, where she reportedly also showed off her enhanced breasts, according to military investigators. |