SoHo hotel murder suspect indicted by Manhattan DA
NEW YORK - Raad Almansoori, the man accused of beating and strangling a 38-year-old mother to death inside a SoHo hotel room, was indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney Friday.
He faces several charges, including first-degree murder.
The 26-year-old is also connected to multiple crimes in Florida, Arizona and Texas, according to the NYPD. Almansoori has a history of targeting women, some of whom are escorts, police said.
Almansoori was arrested in the Phoenix area in February, where he allegedly stabbed a woman, stole her car and drove to a suburban McDonald's, where prosecutors say he stabbed another woman. He remains in custody in an Arizona jail.
Arizona officials had balked at sending Almansoori to New York, claiming that keeping him in their state was "safer." Maricopa County District Attorney Rachel Mitchell, a Republican, criticized the progressive policies of Manhattan’s top prosecutor, Alvin Bragg, who is a Democrat, and suggested his record on crime is reason enough for denying New York’s extradition request.
Yet the unsealing of the indictment means Bragg's office can finalize materials needed for NY Gov. Kathu Hochul to formally request extradition.
"The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has repeatedly indicated its desire to proceed first with the Arizona cases," a statement from Bragg's office read. "Based on the Office’s analysis of New York and Arizona state law, and a thorough review of the facts and evidence available to us in both jurisdictions, we expect the warrant will act as a detainer, and Almansoori will remain in custody until he returns to New York for prosecution on the murder indictment after the Arizona case concludes, regardless of the outcome in that case."
FILE - Alvin Bragg, Manhattan district attorney, announces charges against Steve Bannon, former adviser to Donald Trump, during a press conference in New York, US, on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Bragg's office has previously fired back that Mitchell was "playing political games in a murder investigation," calling it a "slap in the face" to the victims in both states.
SoHo hotel murder
Almansoori was wanted in the killing of Denisse Oleas-Arancibia at the SoHo 54 Hotel in Lower Manhattan.
The 38-year-old Queens mother, who police say had been working as an escort, was found dead on a hotel room floor by staff on Feb. 8.
Denisse Oleas-Arancibia
Police alleged Almansoori strangled her and then crushed her skull with an iron before surveillance video appeared to show him stepping out onto the streets wearing her leggings. A broken iron was found at the scene.
While in police custody in Arizona, police say Almansoori admitted to killing Oleas-Arancibia, telling Arizona police to Google "SoHo 54 Hotel."