Convicted sex criminal Jeffrey J. Marsalis is anxious to come back to Idaho, his defense attorney reported Wednesday in Blaine County 5th District Court.
"He's in supermax custody in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections," said Hailey attorney Douglas Nelson. "He can't wait to get out of that place and come to Blaine County."
Once Marsalis gets here, he faces a Sun Valley felony rape charge for allegedly drugging and raping a self-proclaimed lesbian in October 2005. The woman was 21 at the time of the alleged assault.
In a case that has received national news media attention, Marsalis, a 34-year-old former Wood River Valley resident, is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence in Pennsylvania. He was convicted last summer in Philadelphia of two counts of felony sexual assault and one misdemeanor charge of unlawful restraint.
His prison sentence followed a lengthy jury trial that concluded last June. He had been charged with date raping seven women, most of whom he met on Match.com, an Internet dating service.
Extradition of Marsalis was discussed Wednesday morning in 5th District Court before Judge Robert J. Elgee.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matt Fredback, who has only been a prosecutor for a few months, reported that he's uncertain about how to arrange extradition but assured the court that Marsalis will be brought to Blaine County for trial.
"I'm not sure how we'll deliver him to Blaine County, but he will be extradited," Fredback said.
Nelson, who participated in the hearing by telephone, offered his advice.
"If I were prosecuting this case, I'd just have the sheriff call the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and say we need him here for trial," said Nelson, himself a former prosecuting attorney.
Nelson confirmed to the court that Marsalis waived extradition as a condition of his release on bond following his arrest in Sun Valley.
Elgee said that Pennsylvania is required under an interstate compact to return Marsalis for trial now, rather than waiting until he's released from prison.
"Pennsylvania has to acquiesce in letting him go," Elgee said. "So I'm going to leave the ball in the prosecutor's court on how to get him here."
Jeffrey J. Marsalis
