Corwin murder suspect to return to California soon

Murder suspect Christopher Lee has decided to waive the extradition process back to San Bernardino County to face charges for the death of his former neighbor and alleged lover Erin Corwin.

The decision was made at a hearing in Anchorage Thursday morning.

Reporters with KTVA tell us that it’s now just a matter of San Bernardino County authorities coming to pick him up. News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 spoke to Cindy Bachman with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, and she said investigators are currently in Alaska and hope to bring Lee back to California in the next couple of days.

Lee, 24, initially told authorities in Alaska he wanted an attorney to fight the process of extradition that would bring him back to California, but Anchorage Deputy District Attorney Clint Campion said Lee seems to have changed his mind.

The decision could avoid weeks of court dates and legal meetings to get the accused murder back into the state where he allegedly killed 19-year-old Corwin, then dumped her body 140 feet down a mineshaft near the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base.

Lee was being held on $2 million bail in Alaska, but now there’s no bail because he will be in custody in San Bernardino County.

Continue to follow CBS Local 2 and News Channel 3 as the case moves forward in court.