The University of Maine football player accused of stabbing a man to death in Florida appeared for an extradition hearing in Georgia to determine whether he would willingly go back to Florida to face murder charges there.

Zedric Joseph, 23, was advised of his rights and told the judge that he wanted to consult with his lawyer in Florida before making a decision about whether to fight extradition.

The hearing will resume on Friday.

Joseph was arrested in Richmond County, Ga., early last week. He is accused of stabbing to death Ricardy Chery, 23, on March 7. He also is accused of stabbing Vashti Laurore, 23, his former girlfriend, in the hand.

If Joseph waives extradition, he will be returned to West Palm Beach to face charges of murder and aggravated assault. If he chooses to fight extradition, there will be a subsequent hearing on that issue.

Joseph was identified as a suspect early in the investigation, but wasn’t found until several days later, in Georgia, about 500 miles north of West Palm Beach, where the stabbing occurred.

David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

dhench@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Mainehenchman


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.