Illegal immigrant deported after ties to Philadelphia teen’s murder in 1994
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Immigration officials recently announced they had deported an illegal immigrant linked to the brutal 1994 murder of a 16-year-old boy who was beaten to death on the steps of a Philadelphia church.
Bou Khathavong was deported to Laos on Sept. 2 after years of legal proceedings, according to the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Philadelphia.
Khathavong, an illegal immigrant and dual citizen of Laos and Thailand, was convicted of criminal conspiracy in connection with the 1996 death of high school student Eddie Polec, who was beaten to death by a gang of suburban teenagers in Philadelphia’s Fox Chase neighborhood.
He was sentenced to a minimum of five years and a maximum of 10 years in prison.
ICE deported Bou Khathavong to Laos in September.
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Polec was reportedly attacked with baseball bats and other weapons as he lay defenseless on the steps of Saint Cecilia Church, according to authorities. Despite desperate calls for help, the attack continued until Polec died.
Khathavong was arrested on Nov. 11, 1994, and initially charged with two counts of murder, possession of an instrument of crime and criminal conspiracy, according to ICE.
The 1994 murder happened at St. Louis in the Fox Chase neighborhood of Philadelphia. It happened on the front steps of Cecilia Church. (Google Maps)
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Nearly two years later he was convicted of criminal conspiracy and sentenced to prison.
The former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) filed an immigration detainer against Khathavong at Philadelphia’s Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility a month after his conviction.
On September 1, 1998, the INS served a notice to appear before an immigration judge, charging him as an aggravated felon under Section 237 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
ICE deported an illegal immigrant prisoner decades after the brutal murder of a Philadelphia high school student. (Getty Images)
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The law contains a list of serious crimes that could lead to deportation of an illegal immigrant.
An immigration judge in York ordered Khathavong to be deported from the United States to Laos in December 2004, but he was later released on a probation order in 2005.
He was finally sent back to Laos in September.
“We sincerely hope that Bou Khathavong’s removal can finally help the Eddie Polec family and the city of Philadelphia recover from one of the most horrific crimes in Philadelphia history,” David O’Neill, acting director of ICE ERO’s Philadelphia field office, said in a statement. “ICE works every day to protect the American people and bring justice to the families of those harmed by illegal aliens.”
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ICE said Khathavong’s removal marks the culmination of efforts by ERO Philadelphia and ICE’s Removal Management Division to enforce U.S. immigration laws and ensure public safety.
