A North Carolina man who was kicked out of the US military and then flew to Ukraine to become a hero mercenary in its war against Russian-backed insurgents is wanted for the murder of a Florida couple in April 2018.The United States has formally requested that Ukraine extradite Craig Lang, 29, so that he could face trial in Florida for his role in the murders of Serafin ‘Danny’ Lorenzo Jr, 53, and Deana K. Lorenzo, 50.The couple was found dead in a parking lot near the Galleria plaza in Estero, Florida, in April of last year.Danny, 53, had been shot seven times and his wife Deana, 51, had eleven bullet wounds, court documents revealed at the time.Two former American GIs, Alex Zwiefelhofer, 22, and Lang are accused of robbing and murdering the couple in order to get money to travel to Venezuela.Danny and Deana had traveled to Lee County in order to buy guns from the soldiers after responding to an online advertisement from a man 'named Jeremy', a federal indictment said.The couple had withdrawn $3,000 in cash for the purchase of four Glocks, two 9mm pistols and nine high-powered rifles. It is believed the soldiers then lured Danny and Deana to the Galleria parking lot, where they were robbed and killed.The pair, who had both been discharged from the military, hoped to 'participate in an armed conflict against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela', a federal criminal complaint revealed. Share this article Share They allegedly wanted the $3,000 in order to fund their journey, and had every intention of taking the guns with them.Authorities found Danny’s cell phone at the scene. It reportedly showed recent text messages with a person who claimed to want to sell him a firearm.The text message was traced to a Walmart burner SIM card used by Zwiefelhofer, according to investigators.A search of Zwiefelhofer’s Google and Facebook histories showed he was traveling with Lang in Miami, according to court documents. WINK Privacy Policy Privacy Policy During that time, he searched phrases like ‘Classified Miami Handguns,’ ‘Hotwire Boat Ignition Switch,’ and ‘How to Smuggle Myself to South America.’An associated of Lang’s told investigators that Lang said he ‘gunned down some people in Miami’ with ‘some guy who is from Wisconsin’ after they ‘unloaded both of their clips into the “dude’s” red truck,’ according to the criminal complaint.Zwiefelhofer and Lang had reportedly been previously detained by Kenyan authorities after they tried to enter South Sudan in 2017.When interviewed by a Customs and Border Protection officer, Lang said the pair fought with the 'Right Sector' - a Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary movement.Zwiefelhofer made his initial appearance in Madison, Wisconsin, and Lang has been held in custody in Ukraine.The FBI is now hoping to to extradite both men back to Florida.Zwiefelhofer, who is the son of the chief of police in Bloomer, Wisconsin, has pleaded not guilty.But it might be a while before Lang is made to answer to the charges
Man wanted for murder of Florida couple is hero mercenary in Ukraine
A North Carolina man who was kicked out of the US military and then flew to Ukraine to become a hero mercenary in its war against Russian-backed insurgents is wanted for the murder of a Florida couple in April 2018.The United States has formally requested that Ukraine extradite Craig Lang, 29, so that he could face trial in Florida for his role in the murders of Serafin ‘Danny’ Lorenzo Jr, 53, and Deana K. Lorenzo, 50.The couple was found dead in a parking lot near the Galleria plaza in Estero, Florida, in April of last year.Danny, 53, had been shot seven times and his wife Deana, 51, had eleven bullet wounds, court documents revealed at the time.Two former American GIs, Alex Zwiefelhofer, 22, and Lang are accused of robbing and murdering the couple in order to get money to travel to Venezuela.Danny and Deana had traveled to Lee County in order to buy guns from the soldiers after responding to an online advertisement from a man 'named Jeremy', a federal indictment said.The couple had withdrawn $3,000 in cash for the purchase of four Glocks, two 9mm pistols and nine high-powered rifles. It is believed the soldiers then lured Danny and Deana to the Galleria parking lot, where they were robbed and killed.The pair, who had both been discharged from the military, hoped to 'participate in an armed conflict against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela', a federal criminal complaint revealed. Share this article Share They allegedly wanted the $3,000 in order to fund their journey, and had every intention of taking the guns with them.Authorities found Danny’s cell phone at the scene. It reportedly showed recent text messages with a person who claimed to want to sell him a firearm.The text message was traced to a Walmart burner SIM card used by Zwiefelhofer, according to investigators.A search of Zwiefelhofer’s Google and Facebook histories showed he was traveling with Lang in Miami, according to court documents. WINK Privacy Policy Privacy Policy During that time, he searched phrases like ‘Classified Miami Handguns,’ ‘Hotwire Boat Ignition Switch,’ and ‘How to Smuggle Myself to South America.’An associated of Lang’s told investigators that Lang said he ‘gunned down some people in Miami’ with ‘some guy who is from Wisconsin’ after they ‘unloaded both of their clips into the “dude’s” red truck,’ according to the criminal complaint.Zwiefelhofer and Lang had reportedly been previously detained by Kenyan authorities after they tried to enter South Sudan in 2017.When interviewed by a Customs and Border Protection officer, Lang said the pair fought with the 'Right Sector' - a Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary movement.Zwiefelhofer made his initial appearance in Madison, Wisconsin, and Lang has been held in custody in Ukraine.The FBI is now hoping to to extradite both men back to Florida.Zwiefelhofer, who is the son of the chief of police in Bloomer, Wisconsin, has pleaded not guilty.But it might be a while before Lang is made to answer to the charges
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