THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 25, 1995 TAG: 9505250482
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CURRITUCK LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
An extradition hearing for Geoffrey Kent Ferguson of Powells Point, accused of killing five men in Connecticut, was postponed for 30 days during a brief hearing on Wednesday.
Attorneys are waiting for a copy of a governor's warrant from Connecticut for Ferguson, who appeared before Currituck County General District Judge Nicholas Long.
Ferguson, 44, is charged with shooting three tenants and their two friends, all in their 20s, at Ferguson's Redding, Conn., home April 18 and then setting the place on fire.
Since April 28, Ferguson - who was arrested at his home in Powells Point - has been held at Central Prison in Raleigh. On Wednesday, Long recommended that Ferguson be placed in a smoke-free area of the prison.
Ferguson, an apparent non-smoker, has been ``in a section with 23 others, and 21 smoke,'' said his court-appointed attorney, H.P. Williams of Elizabeth City.
Prior to his appearance Wednesday in Currituck, Ferguson was allowed a 45-minute visit with his wife, Kerri, and their preschool-age daughter. He was returned to Raleigh after the hearing.
The former Westport, Conn., resident had tried unsuccessfully to evict the three men, who had accused him of violating health codes. A rent payment also had been disputed.
Connecticut authorities also have charged Ferguson with arson. Four bodies found within the house apartment were burned beyond recognition.
A fifth person escaped the blaze and identified Ferguson as his assailant before dying shortly afterward.
As with a previous court appearance, Ferguson remained silent. This time, however, he was dressed in a blue blazer and gray dress slacks instead of the previous orange jail uniform, handcuffs and shackles.
KEYWORDS: MURDER ARREST EXTRADITION SHOOTING by CNB