Army deserter, foreign fighter, extradited from Ukraine to face charges in Florida couple’s double homicide
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - A former Army soldier was extradited from Ukraine and is now back in the U.S., facing charges of killing a Hernando County couple in 2018.
Federal prosecutors said Craig Lang and Alex Zwiefelhofer killed and robbed the couple during a gun sale that would fund an international crime spree.
It's been nearly six years on the run for Lang, but he is now in a U.S. jail. He faced a federal judge in Fort Myers on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to killing Danny and Deana Lorenzo.
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Investigators said in 2018, the Lorenzo’s responded to an online ad to purchase firearms. The couple had a history of buying guns, refurbishing them and reselling them.
Investigators found a red pickup truck was riddled with bullets with more than 60 shell casings around the truck.
The Lorenzos, both veterans themselves, were killed.
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Court documents show Lang and Zwiefelhofer posed as those online gun sellers and killed the couple for the $3,000 in cash the couple had brought with them to buy the firearms.
Investigators said it was money they planned to use to join resistance fighters in Venezuela, trying to overthrow the government.
Months after the murder, law enforcement said Lang then fled to Ukraine, where he has been ever since.
According to FBI records, Zwiefelhofer, of Wisconsin, and Lang, of North Carolina, are both army deserters who first met in Ukraine in 2017, where they joined extremist groups.
Court records also say the pair tried to enter Sudan to fight with rebels there but were deported back to the US prior to the 2018 murders.
Lang has been the subject of much intrigue and was featured in Buzzfeed articles, documenting his involvement with Ukrainian far-right groups fighting the Russians as he fought extradition back to Florida to face trial for the Lorenzo murders.
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Lang faces two counts of murder, along with armed robbery, identity theft, among other charges. He also faces federal charges for violating the Neutrality Act, which is the conspiracy to kill, kidnap, or maim persons in a foreign country.
In a statement, attorneys with the Department of Justice said:
"Lang’s alleged conduct is shocking in its scope and its callous disregard for human life. His wrongdoing, however, was no match for the efforts of dedicated law enforcement personnel."
Zwiefelhofer was convicted of all charges in March. His sentencing is scheduled for August. A tentative date for Lang’s trial has been set for next month.