Bruce Beresford-Redman, a reality-TV producer charged with killing his wife while on a family vacation in Mexico, has been ordered back to Quintana Roo to stand trial on a count of aggravated homicide.
A federal judge, agreeing with prosecutors that there was probable cause to merit his extradition south of the border, issued her ruling today.
Monica Beresford-Redman's battered body was found in a sewage receptacle at the Cancun hotel where she was staying with Bruce and their two kids.
Cause of death was ruled to be asphyxiation and the body also showed signs of head trauma--and her husband maintains that he had nothing to do with it.
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Beresford-Redman's attorneys have argued that Mexican authorities rushed to implicate him in the crime and hastily brought charges based on alleged motive--the suspect wanted to ditch his wife for another woman--instead of physical evidence.
U.S. prosecutors told the court that, per the police investigation, fellow guests at the hotel heard a loud argument--and, at one point, a woman's screams--coming from the couple's room and detectives later found blood spatter in the bathroom, on furniture and on a balcony that led out to a garden.
He had also taken out a life insurance policy on his wife in the weeks before their trip, prosecutors argued.
The defense originally wanted Bruce and Monica's 6-year-old daughter to testify, but withdrew its request after concerns arose about the little girl being put on the stand. A therapist's report filed with the court suggested that the child would have said that she never saw her dad act violently toward her mom.
Beresford-Redman has been behind bars in Los Angeles since his arrest in November on a fugitive warrant issued in Mexico. He's facing up to 30 years in prison if convicted of killing his wife.
Monica's family, for its part, is ready to get the legal show on the road.
"They know there will probably be appeal after appeal," attorney Alison Triessl said on behalf of the family. "It's an important day for justice. It's an important day so they can rebuild their lives."
Before being locked up and denied bail, he had been living in nearby Rancho Palos Verdes with his parents, who currently have custody of his and Monica's two children.
Along with Survivor; Beresford-Redman's reality-TV production credits include The Restaurant, Pimp My Ride and The Contender.