Aruba Orders Murder Suspect Released

Gary Giordano, the US businessman suspected in the August disappearance and presumed death of his traveling companion Robyn Gardner in Aruba, must be released from jail next week and will be free to leave the island, a judge ruled today. The 50-year-old employment agency owner from Maryland is scheduled to be freed Tuesday without any conditions.

He has spent nearly four months in custody while investigators have sought more time to gather and evaluate evidence in the death of 35-year-old Gardner, whose body has not been found. Prosecutor Taco Stein says he has appealed the judge's decision, but if Giordano leaves Aruba, prosecutors would later request his extradition from the US if they could find sufficient evidence to persuade a judge to order him rearrested.