Chapman Won’t Go to Mexico for Trial

Bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman said this week that he would not return to Mexico to complete a trial stemming from his capture of fugitive rapist Andrew Luster, claiming that he was mistreated while in custody.

Authorities in Mexico declared Chapman a fugitive this week after he failed to appear in a Jalisco state court as ordered by a judge.

In an interview Wednesday from his hotel in Los Angeles, Chapman spoke openly about his four nights in Puerto Vallarta jail cells after he captured the great-grandson of cosmetics legend Max Factor last month.

Luster said police awoke him and his four associates, including his 25-year-old son and 38-year-old brother, every two hours, taunted them with derogatory names and poured soft drinks on their cell floor to attract flies and maggots.

Chapman and his team arrived in the Mexican resort town after getting a tip that Luster was living there. Chapman said he was assisted by a Puerto Vallarta police officer during his capture of Luster. Chapman said he grabbed Luster on a street next to a taco stand, which caused a commotion that attracted police, who then arrested Luster as well as Chapman and his team.

Chapman said the officer who helped him later denied any role in the capture. He then allegedly told Chapman in private that he would acknowledge his role if Chapman gave him $8,000. Police in Mexico denied Chapman’s allegations. “He’s truly crazy,” Puerto Vallarta police spokesman Sebastian Zavala said. “We don’t have anything to hide.”

One of Chapman’s attorneys, Dallas-based Gary Lozow, said his client did nothing wrong by leaving Mexico while his trial was ongoing. Lozow said Chapman continues to cooperate with Mexican authorities.

“What is important is that [the case] ... is in the hands of a judge in Mexico, and the decision making in these issues is subject to the Mexican legal authorities,” he said. “Mr. Chapman’s counsel in Mexico continues to try to resolve that in Mr. Chapman’s best interest.”

Marco Roberto Juarez, the district attorney in Puerto Vallarta, said he is awaiting an order from Judge Jose Jesus de Pineda for Chapman’s “recapture.” Chapman’s trial cannot proceed without him in the city, and Mexico would be willing to request an extradition to complete the trial, Juarez said.