Good deed in Spain leads to suspect’s arrest

Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004 | 8:45 a.m.

A 33-year-old man accused of killing an aspiring Las Vegas rap singer in 2000 was found in Spain because he was a good Samaritan, his lawyer said Monday.

At Christopher Berarducci's scheduled arraignment Monday in the death of Andre Collins, attorney Pete Christiansen shared the unusual story of how Berarducci was arrested in Spain.

Berarducci had been living in Calella, a resort town on the Mediterranean coast, but shortly after he was shown on America's Most Wanted, he "saw a woman he knew being robbed at knife point ... and came to her rescue," Christiansen said. After Berarducci helped the woman, his picture and name appeared in the town's local paper, Christiansen said.

Christiansen said Spanish authorities arrested Berarducci shortly after, on Jan. 3, 2002, proving the adage that "no good deed goes unpunished."

Before Spain would extradite Berarducci to the United States, U.S. authorities had to agree not to seek the death penalty against him. Spain, like all the other nations in the Eurpoean Union, considers the death penalty to be barbaric. The death penalty was abolished decades ago in all European Union countries.

Berarducci was returned to Las Vegas on Nov. 15, almost 22 months after his arrest.

On Monday, Berarducci's arraignment before District Judge Sally Loehrer was rescheduled for Nov. 29, at which time he is expected to enter a plea and have a date set for his trial on a charges of killing Collins, 31, son of former Nevada Assemblyman Gene Collins.

Authorities allege Berarducci shot Collins in the Green Room, a recording studio in the 800 block of East Sahara Avenue, on April 25, 2000.