Craig Austin Lang biography: 13 things about US Army veteran from Surprise, Arizona

Craig Austin Lang is an American man from Surprise, Arizona, United States. He is a former soldier.

Who is Craig Austin Lang?

Lang was born in Ayden, North Carolina, USA. He previously lived in El Paso, Texas, USA and Fort Riley, Kansas, USA.

Aside from Ayden, Lang has lived in other parts of North Carolina including Cameron, Sanford and Winterville. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. In 2002, his intoxicated father tried to kill his stepmother. He had to live with her after his father was incarcerated.
2. From 2008 to 2014, he served as an infantryman for the U.S. Army.
3. In 2013, he deserted his posting at Fort Bliss, Texas, USA and drove nonstop with all his military equipment in an alleged attempt to kill his wife amid their divorce proceedings. After his incarceration and dishonorable discharge from the U.S. Army, she earned a restraining order and sole custody of their child.
4. In 2015, he started living in Ukraine. In 2016, he met his fellow U.S. Army soldier Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer, then 19, of Bloomer, Wisconsin, USA in Ukraine. The both joined Right Sector, an ultranationalist group fighting Russia-backed separatists. 
5. On June 21, 2017, he, Zwiefelhofer and former U.S. Marine William Wright-Martinovich and were arrested by Kenyan authorities when they tried to enter South Sudan. They were deported to the U.S. after being incarcerated in Nairobi, Kenya for two months.
6. On April 9, 2018, he and Zwiefelhofer allegedly fatally shot their fellow former U.S. Army soldiers Serafin “Danny” Lorenzo Jr., 52, and Deana Kaye Loomis Lorenzo, 50, in Florida, USA and stole the victims’ $3,000 cash. He and Zwiefelhofer were each charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, robbery interfering in commerce and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. In addition, he was charged with conspiring to kill, kidnap, or maim persons in a foreign country and a violation of the Neutrality Act. He fled to Kyiv, Ukraine where he married a Ukrainian woman and had two children with her.
7. On August 21, 2019, he was arrested while reentering Ukraine from Moldova. He was later released on his own recognizance. On September 25, 2019, the U.S. requested his extradition from Ukraine under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. 
8. On October 17, 2019 and on November 4, 2019, he asked the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine to request assurances that he would not be sentenced to death for any offences and that he would have an opportunity to request a reduction of any life sentence, if imposed, for any offence. 
9. In February 2020, the U.S. expanded its request to extradite him from Ukraine by adding additional charges brought against him. On August 4, 2020, U.S. officials agreed not to seek the death penalty or a life sentence without the possibility of parole. On August 8, 2020, the GPO granted the request to extradite him from Ukraine.
10. On March 15, 2021, he applied for interim measures under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court. On March 22, 2021, the GPO requested the U.S. Department of Justice to provide additional information on safeguards available to him under U.S. law., which were provided on March 24, 2021.
11. On November 9, 2023, the European Court of Human Rights cleared the way for his deportation from Ukraine.
12. In April 2024, he turned 34.
13. On June 3, 2024, he made his initial court appearance in Fort Myers, Florida after being extradited from Ukraine to the U.S.