RALEIGH, N.C. - A Marine corporal accused of killing a pregnant colleague and then fleeing to Mexico has exhausted his extradition appeals and is expected back in the United States this week, a district attorney said Wednesday.

Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson said authorities at Camp Lejeune in southeastern North Carolina advised him that the highest Mexican court had denied the appeals of Cpl. Cesar Laurean who was fighting extradition.

Laurean, 22, who has dual citizenship, was arrested in Mexico last April. He is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, of Vandalia, Ohio.

Lauterbach's charred remains were found in January 2008 buried in the backyard of Laurean's home near Camp Lejeune, located about 125 miles southeast of Raleigh. She had accused Laurean of rape, and was pregnant when she was killed.

Laurean was expected to be transferred from Mexican custody to U.S. law enforcement but Hudson did not have a firm date except by the end of the week. Laurean will remain in federal custody until he can be transferred to Onslow County authorities in Jacksonville, said Maj. Cliff Gilmore, a Marine spokesman.

Hudson said he expected the first stop for Laurean would be Houston. He expected to have more information after talking to the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday and added he was pleased the case was advancing to the next phase.

"I was confident all along that they would come to this conclusion," Hudson said. "I'm not surprised. I'm certainly happy."

Defense attorney Dick O'Neil said the end of the extradition phase means he can begin developing a case.

"This gives us an opportunity to begin putting together a defense," O'Neil said. "At this point, it has been very frustrating because there's been no communication with the Mexican attorneys.

O'Neil said his client will likely plead not guilty.

"It's very rare that any defendant is going to plead guilty to first-degree murder if he's facing life without parole," he said.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)