Man accused of William Baines murder to be extradited to Connecticut

William Baines

A man accused of shooting a man to death in front of the victim’s mother will be returned to Connecticut to face a murder charge.

Derek Bouknight, 23, of West Haven, had been jailed in New Jersey serving three years on a weapon possession charge.

Through an executive order, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and  Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy agreed that the accused killer be extradited to Connecticut to face charges in the Oct. 9, 2010, killing of William Baines, 27, of New Haven.

Bouknight fled the state after the killing, police said, and U.S. Marshals tracked him to Elizabeth, N.J., where he was arrested after a foot chase. Authorities seized a .38-caliber handgun.

New Haven Police Lt. Roger Young said Bouknight said Bouknight would be extradited but didn’t have a time frame for his arrival back in Connecticut.

City police said Baines was killed “without mercy” as he stood with his family outside of his residence at 330 W. Division St. A close friend allegedly pleaded with the shooter during the confrontation, saying that Baines’ mother was right there, to which the shooter responded, “So what. I don’t care,” according to the victim’s sister.

Detective, meanwhile, have been using a lull in homicides — there have been none in 2012 — to take renewed looks at older cases.

Sgt. Tony Reyes said homicide investigators reviewed old cases and identified ones that were the most solvable. He expressed optimism that the homicide squad could have arrests in at least three cases, one dating back to 2007.