Hoerig is charged with murder in the 2007 death of her husband, Karl, in their Newton Falls home

Staff report

WARREN

An important step has been taken in the extradition of Claudia Hoerig from Brazil to the United States to stand trial in Trumbull County for the death of her husband Air Force Maj. Karl Hoerig.

According to a Facebook posting by U.S. Rep. Timothy Ryan of Howland, D-13th, the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil voted 4-1 in favor of extraditing Claudia, which Ryan called “good news,” and a “big step forward” in the extradition process.

Ryan said on his Facebook post, however, there are potentially more steps in the process.

“Claudia’s lawyers may still have opportunities to appeal, and even after her case is out of the Brazilian court system, that nation’s executive branch has a say in whether extradition proceeds, much like the United States State Department has final say in extraditions of U.S. nationals. We must keep up the fight and keep the world’s attention focused on bringing Claudia to justice,” Ryan said.

In April 2016, the Brazilian Supreme Court stripped Hoerig of her Brazilian citizenship, which was thought at the time to also remove her protection and allow her return to the U.S. to stand trial.

Claudia is charged with aggravated murder in the March 12, 2007, death of her husband who was found dead in their Newton Falls home.

“This is a man who bravely served our nation, with nearly 200 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. We owe it to him to ensure that his killer, Claudia Hoerig stands trial for her heinous crime,” Ryan said previously.

Karl, a Newton Falls native, was 43 when he died and Claudia was 42.

Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins, not available for comment Tuesday, was previously critical of Brazil’s anti-extradition stance in the case.

He said, however, at the time of the Brazilian Supreme Court’s decision to revoke her citizenship, that it was a “positive thing,” and said it showed Brazil was taking action favorable to bringing Claudia back for trial.

Early on in the case, Watkins wrote to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, asking for help in getting Brazil to return Hoerig.

He urged U.S. officials to restrict visas of Brazilian nationals to the U.S. and to deny or limit aid to Brazil as a way to get that nation’s cooperation in the Hoerig case.