Prime suspect in Soho hotel killing indicted in Arizona in two twisted attacks on women — as battle to extradite him to NYC heats up

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
·4 min read

The hulking career criminal suspected in the brutal murder of a Queens mom inside a Soho hotel room has been indicted on attempted murder, assault, and sex assault charges in Arizona — and is due back in a Phoenix courtroom on Wednesday.

Raad Almansoori, 26, remains locked up in an Arizona jail for two violent attacks on women while prosecutors there continue to refuse to extradite him to the Big Apple to face murder charges.

Almansoori is charged in Arizona with carjacking and stabbing one woman on Feb. 17 and kidnapping and stabbing a McDonald’s worker the following day, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, a Maricopa County grand jury indicted him on two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of attempted sexual assault, and one count each of attempted robbery and theft of means of transportation, or carjacking, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Raad Almansoori, 26, has been indicted for attempted murder, assault, and sexual assault in Arizona — but prosecutors there still refused to extradite him to New York to face murder charges in the slaying of a Queens mom in Soho. Mark Henle/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Raad Almansoori, 26, has been indicted for attempted murder, assault, and sexual assault in Arizona — but prosecutors there still refused to extradite him to New York to face murder charges in the slaying of a Queens mom in Soho. Mark Henle/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, was working as an escort when she booked a date with accused killer Raad Almansoori at the Soho 54 Hotel on Feb. 7, authorities said.
Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, was working as an escort when she booked a date with accused killer Raad Almansoori at the Soho 54 Hotel on Feb. 7, authorities said.

Police said Almansoori was in the midst of a violent crime spree that began on Feb. 7, when he allegedly beat and strangled Queens mom Denisse Oleas-Arancibia inside the Soho 54 Hotel.

Oleas-Arancibia, who was working as an escort, died after a vicious attack, with the accused killer later complaining to cops that “she just wouldn’t die,” Surprise, Arizona, police officer Jeremy Goebel testified in court this week.

Authorities said Almansoori hopped on a plane to Arizona after Oleas-Arancibia’s murder.

On Feb. 17, he carjacked and stabbed a woman in Phoenix, and the following day went after an 18-year-old McDonald’s employee in Surprise, crawling into her stall in the restaurant’s bathroom, pepper-spraying her and stabbing her in the neck, according to police.

Police cornered him in the parking garage of a Scottsdale shopping mall on Feb. 18 and took him into custody, with the arrest caught on dramatic bodycam footage.

Goebel testified in court that Almansoori confessed to both the Arizona cases and the Manhattan murder after his arrest — and said he planned to continue the violent spree by killing an Uber driver and then his own parents.

Police said Raad Almansoori argued with Denisse Oleas-Arancibia over the time he paid for her as an escort, prompting him to allegedly beat her to death. Matthew McDermott
Police said Raad Almansoori argued with Denisse Oleas-Arancibia over the time he paid for her as an escort, prompting him to allegedly beat her to death. Matthew McDermott
NYPD surveillance video captured Raad Almansoori leaving Soho 54 Hotel on Feb. 8 wearing the pink tights that belonged to murder victim Denisse Oleas-Arancibia. DCPI
NYPD surveillance video captured Raad Almansoori leaving Soho 54 Hotel on Feb. 8 wearing the pink tights that belonged to murder victim Denisse Oleas-Arancibia. DCPI

“He stated that he’s been seeking to find love his whole life and hasn’t been able to find it,” Goebel testified. “He has said numerous times throughout my occasion in my interview with him that nobody loves him. His mother doesn’t love him. His family doesn’t love him. That every attempt he’s made with the opposite sex has not been successful.”

The cases took an unexpected turn last week when Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced she would not extradite Almansoori to New York to face murder charges, telling reporters she didn’t trust Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to keep him locked up.

“We’re gonna keep him here,” Mitchell said last Wednesday. “Having observed the treatment of violent criminals in the New York area by the Manhattan DA there, Alvin Bragg, I think it’s safer to keep him here.”

Raad Almansoori was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Feb. 18 while in the midst of a violent crime spree, police said. Scottsdale Police Department
Raad Almansoori was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Feb. 18 while in the midst of a violent crime spree, police said. Scottsdale Police Department

Bragg fired back that Mithcell was “grandstanding” and “playing politics” with a murder case, and said extradition between states is a common process typically arranged over the telephone by prosecutors.

“County DA Mitchell has, I don’t know how to say it, has gotten it wrong at every single turn,” he told reporters. “I don’t know how they do it in Arizona, but I know in this county, New York County, we routinely seek and get remand, which means the person is in custody in our murder cases. Those are the facts.”

The legal dispute remained unresolved this week, as Almansoori was denied bail in Arizona on Monday and is due to return to court following the indictment.