Suspect in beating of elderly Baltimore man extradited back from Africa

BALTIMORE, Md. (WMAR) - It took five years but a woman accused in the beating a 90-year-old Baltimore man is now back in the city to face potential prosecution.  Anastacia Oluoch fled to Africa in 2007 after being named a suspect in the beating that was captured on tape. 

In the parking lot of the Baltimore Police Department, Jaki Taylor sobbed in the arms of a friend who cried out, “Justice prevails”.  Taylor was shedding tears as she got her first look in five years at the woman suspected in the savage beating of her father, John Taylor, who has since passed away.

After fleeing the country in 2007, Anastacia Oluoch is back in Baltimore to face charges.  Taylor says, “It’s a wave of emotions, a wave of emotions.  I just really wish my dad was here to see this.  I know he's in heaven smiling right now because his daughter did not let him down."

Taylor has fought for years to get peace for herself and her father, because what happened to the 90-year-old has been her heartbreak.  Police say a camera Taylor put up to monitor his care captured Oluoch beating John Taylor as he lay helpless in bed.  Jaki explains, "In a situation like this, with anyone who has a parent that loves them and something happens to them, you will fight to the bitter, bitter end to get justice."

Taylor wasn't alone in her fight.  Baltimore police, with help from the FBI and even some of Oluoch’s relatives, tracked the caregiver to Kenya and Nairobi, eventually taking her into custody in August 2011 in Nairobi.  Bringing her back Baltimore took half a decade but Detective Julie Pitocchelli never lost faith.  She says, "I knew she was coming back.  I knew we were going to bring her back."

It is the first time ever the Baltimore Police Department has extradited a fugitive internationally.  Police wanted to bring back a fugitive and send a message.  According to department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, "It's a monumental moment for what this signifies, that we will stop at nothing to bring fugitives to justice in Baltimore."

This moment of pride for the BPD means even more to Jaki Taylor.  It’s the chance to release the feelings she’s held in for so long, taking the first step to put her family's pain in the past.          

Oluoch's case will now play out here in the Baltimore City court system.  She's charged with second degree assault, reckless endangerment and vulnerable abuse of an adult.  Guglielmi says the case now goes to the Baltimore State's Attorney’s office, indicating prosecutor Gregg Bernstein has seen the video of the beating and that the agency is committed to prosecuting this case.