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Woman accused of murdering Air Force husband in 2007 is back in US

WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – Claudia Hoerig, the woman accused of murdering her husband, Air Force Major Karl Hoerig, in 2007,  has returned to Trumbull County after prosecutors say she fled to Brazil.

Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins said she is now in Trumbull County Jail.

Hoerig is scheduled to appear before Judge Andrew Logan in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court for her arraignment at 10 a.m. Friday. She is still, at this point, innocent and will be given a fair trial.

Karl Hoerig was an Air Force major at the air base in Vienna. State Rep. John Boccieri, who worked with Karl at the air base, received a call from U.S. Marshals about the extradition. He said, “After many years of waiting, justice is finally served.”

It’s been 11 years since a warrant was issued for Hoerig’s arrest on an aggravated murder charge.

Karl’s body was found inside his Newton Falls home in March of 2007, covered with a tarp at the bottom of the stairs. He had been shot twice in the back and once in the head.

Prosecutors say Hoerig killed him and then left for her native Brazil on the same day.

She was being held in prison there but in March of 2017, the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil voted to send her back to the U.S. for trial.

The local story was featured on 48 Hours in November.

Watkins said he’s ecstatic about Hoerig’s return to Trumbull County – so much so, that words cannot describe his happiness.

He credited work by county, state and federal law enforcement, the Brazilian government, the media, elected officials – including Congressman Tim Ryan, Rep. Bill Johnson and John Boccieri – and Karl Hoerig’s family for bringing her back to the U.S.