American man wanted for murder back home asks Putin for Russian citizenship, claiming political persecution by US authorities

An American man who moved to Russia after allegedly murdering his girlfriend has appealed to President Vladimir Putin for citizenship, asking him for protection against “the arbitrariness of US authorities.”

Jeffrey Beier, 46, vanished in 2016 following the disappearance of his girlfriend Charlene Voight. He was later found living in Russia with a wife and child and ten months after an August 2019 US indictment for first-degree murder he was arrested.

The body of Voight, a 36-year-old who lived in Littleton, Colorado, was never found.

Now, according to Russian daily newspaper Kommersant, Beier hopes to obtain Russian citizenship. He claims to be the victim of political persecution and asserts that he is entitled to asylum. If the president opts to grant Beier a passport, it will be impossible for him to be extradited to the US. As per Russia’s constitution, it does not extradite its own citizens.

According to Beier, he was set up by corrupt officials and has been framed for murder. He has also pointed the finger at Coloradan prosecutor and Republican Party candidate George Brauchler, who he claims is hunting him for political reasons.

However, US investigators say he had been seen by multiple witnesses beating Voight. They also allege that, in the days following his girlfriend’s disappearance, he bought a gallon of lighter fluid, drove to an abandoned farm, and visited a landfill. Months later, at the same location, police found Voigt’s dog there, dead and wrapped in one of her sweaters.

If convicted, Beier faces a mandatory life sentence without parole.

Beier landed in Moscow in October 2016, just a few months after his girlfriend went missing. In less than two years, he had already gotten married and started a family.

After being indicted in the US, Beier was put on Interpol’s database, and was eventually picked up in Moscow. He is now in jail, awaiting Russia’s decision about extradition, which hinges on the Prosecutor General’s evaluation of the American case.

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