American wanted for stepdad’s murder nabbed in Leyte

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is preparing the deportation of an American national wanted in his country for murdering his stepfather seven years ago.

Tipton Shea McMahon, 30, was arrested by members of the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) last Tuesday at his home in Barangay (village) Balinsasayaw, Abuyog, Leyte.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente on Friday said the US embassy in Manila sought McMahon’s capture from a pending arrest warrant that was issued against the latter by a US district court in Harris County, Texas.

“His passport was already canceled by the US government, thus he will be deported for being an undocumented and undesirable alien,” the BI chief added.

McMahon was charged with murder for stabbing to death his stepfather Peter O’Shea at his home in Cypress, Texas on Aug. 2, 2010.

Police arrested the then 23-year-old McMahon after the incident.  His mother told police that he saw her son holding a knife while standing above the lifeless body of the 52-year-old victim.

Apparently, the suspect went into hiding after he was freed on bail, prompting the court to order his arrest.

BI intelligence officer Bobby Raquepo, BI-FSU acting chief, said McMahon arrived in Manila on Oct. 2 last year and did not leave the country since then.

Raquepo said McMahon eluded arrest in the US for six years before he fled to the Philippines.

“We will put him in our blacklist to prevent him from re-entering our country,” the BI official added. IDL