Police: suspect in 4 slayings fighting extradition

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — Police in Virginia say a suspect in the slayings of his wife and her three children is fighting extradition from South Carolina.

Newport News police spokesman Harold O. Eley said Monday that John Moses Ragin continues to insist he did not kill Crystal Ragin and her three children and is fighting his return to Virginia to face charges of first-degree murder.

Eley said police will now seek the 36-year-old suspect on a fugitive warrant. He said extradition proceedings could take a month or more.

Officials in Manning, S.C., could not say if Ragin has an attorney.

Crystal Ragin and her children, ages six to 15, were found Friday in their Newport News apartment.

Investigators found evidence of knife wounds and “exposure to fire.” An autopsy is not complete.