Murder suspect to be extradicted back to Allen County

May 16—LIMA — A man charged with murder in the March 10 death of Lima resident Chrislande Auguste will be extradited from Rhode Island to Allen County later this month.

Gervens Justilien was arrested March 29 in Providence, Rhode Island, as the principal suspect in Auguste's death. His capture followed a collaborative investigation by the sheriff's office and the U.S. Marshals Service's Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force.

Justilien has been in custody in Rhode Island pending the completion of paperwork for his extradition to Ohio. Detective Nick Burke of the Allen County Sheriff's Office on Thursday said the governor of Rhode Island signed the warrant to extradite Justilien. The date scheduled for his return is May 30.

Justilien, 31, is charged with a single count of murder in connection with the death of the 26-year-old Auguste. Both are natives of Haiti and reportedly were living with a group of fellow Haitians on Makley Drive in American Township at the time of the incident. Auguste was found dead on a bed in the residence after officers responded to a 911 call. An autopsy determined she died from strangulation and suffered blunt force injuries.

Investigators said Auguste had traveled from Haiti to the United States in October 2022 and had been granted a temporary employment authorization card while awaiting an asylum hearing. A spokesman for the sheriff's office said authorities believed believed everyone living in the Makley Drive residence was in the United States legally.