California man facing murder charges extradited to South Korea

SEOUL, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A California man accused of killing a South Korean college student in 1997 was extradited to Seoul, but he said he is not responsible for the crime.

Jo Jung-pil was found dead on the restroom floor of a Burger King restaurant 18 years ago.

Arthur John Patterson, 35, arrived in South Korea early Wednesday to face charges in the unsolved murder case that has led to the conviction then release of another man who was with Patterson on the night of the slaying, The New York Times reported.

Edward Lee, the second suspect, is a Korean-American who was exonerated in 1998. Lee was reportedly with Patterson in the restroom when Jo was killed, and the two have accused each other of the South Korean man's death.

Lee was initially indicted in South Korea then sentenced to 20 years in prison. At the time, Patterson, the son of an American military contractor, was regarded as an accomplice and facing lesser charges, served a 18-month prison sentence. Lee was released in 1998 in an annual government amnesty then acquitted for lack of evidence after a retrial ordered by South Korea's Supreme Court.

During a reinvestigation that began in 1999, Patterson emerged as the prime suspect in the case but because Seoul had not renewed his travel ban, Patterson returned to the United States. He was detained in the United States in 2011.

South Korean television network KBS reported missteps by police and prosecutors were responsible for the delays in the case and in Patterson's extradition. Lee was indicted based on his heavier body mass, and a forensics expert had said 18 years ago it was unlikely the 5-foot-6 Patterson could have overpowered the taller Jo. Lee, by contrast, is nearly 6 feet tall and weighed 220 pounds.

The forensics expert who testified recently told press he regretted his past statement, and the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Command in South Korea said Patterson used to brandish a portable jackknife, showing it off to his friends. KBS reported Patterson also was known for his aggressive temperament and that the jackknife he used was tossed into a nearby sewage system on the night of the murder.

On Wednesday, Patterson said he is not responsible for the murder of Jo, and that he "always knew" it was Lee who killed the man.

"It's not right that I am here," Patterson said.