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New York widow seeks Aust justice

Police in Sydney used DNA from drink cans and cigarette butts to arrest the alleged killer of a New York shopkeeper.

A New York widow is pleading with Australian and US authorities to bring her husband's accused killer to justice.

Rita Tolstykh told the New York Post she was puzzled and frustrated why the accused, competitive wrestler Abakar Gadiyev, was yet to be extradited from Australia to the US despite his 2014 arrest in Sydney.

Gadiyev and another man, Arsen Bashirov, allegedly beat shopkeeper and father of four, Vladimir Tolstykh, to death in Brooklyn in 2009 and fled with his payroll bag containing $US32,000 ($A44,575).

Gadiyev was arrested in 2014 after police in Sydney allegedly collected his DNA from drink cans and cigarette butts he discarded.

The DNA was allegedly matched to a mask found near the Brooklyn murder scene.

"I know it's not going to bring my husband back, but it would give me some kind of closure and peace of mind," Ms Tolstykh, hoping Gadiyev will be extradited, said.

A spokesman for Australian Attorney-General George Brandis said such matters "may take some time".

Bashirov allegedly fled to Turkmenistan, which - unlike Australia - does not have an extradition treaty with the US.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



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