Two men facing charges in connection with the murder of an Amherst man waived extradition in an Arizona courtroom Friday, meaning they can soon return to Massachusetts to be arraigned at Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.
Soknang Chham, 33, and Soksot Chham, 35, both of New Salem, appeared in a Coconino County courtroom in Flagstaff, Arizona, and waived extradition in connection with the October 15 shootings at the Southpoint Apartments in Amherst, which claimed the life of Jose M. Rodriguez, 31, and seriously injured another man.
Soknang Chham is being charged with one count of murder and one count of armed assault with intent to murder, while Soksot Chham is being charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder. The two men are believed to be brothers, according to the DA’s office.
It is unknown when the two men, taking into custody Tuesday by the United States Marshals Service near Flagstaff, will return to Massachusetts. They were taken into custody on arrest warrants after investigators learned they had left Massachusetts on a bus bound for Phoenix.
The incident remains under investigation by the Amherst Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Detectives Unit attached to the Northwestern district attorney’s office.
