A former associate producer of the popular U.S. television series Survivor has lost a bid for release from custody in a state criminal court proceeding.
In November 2010 Bruce Beresford-Redman was charged with murdering his wife, Mónica Burgos, while the two were on vacation here in April of the same year. A local judge conducted a preliminary hearing last February and found sufficient evidence to hold the ex-producer for a full trial (Feb. 16 - Former producer of Survivor bound over for trial in Cancún murder).
But Beresford-Redman's Mexican attorneys challenged that ruling before another court and asked that he be freed. Yesterday the court denied the request, known as an amparo petition. Amparo, the functional equivalent of a writ of habeas corpus in Anglo-American law, is designed to short-circuit the legal process by testing the strength of a case at an early date, often before all of the evidence has been presented. It's commonly sought by defendants in this country's criminal justice system, but less commonly granted.
Prosecutors allege that Beresford-Redman killed Burgos during a heated argument. Her body was found in a drainage lagoon near the hotel after Beresford-Redman reported to authorities that she was missing. Both the cause and time of her death are hotly disputed by the defense. Prosecutors allege that an ongoing affair with another woman was one of Beresford-Redman's motives.
After the discovery of his wife's body Cancún police told Beresford-Redman that he was a suspect in the case, and instructed him not to leave the city. He did so anyway, fleeing to Los Angeles. He was arrested there in late 2010 on an international warrant, and waged a long but unsuccessful fight to avoid extradition to Mexico. Beresford-Redman was returned to Cancún in chains early this year. He is not entitled to bail under Mexican law.
Legal proceedings in the case, which could land Beresford-Redman in prison for decades, will resume at a later date.
Feb. 13, 2013 - Mexico moves towards greater recognition of criminal defendants' legal rights
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