A Marine fugitive hunted for three months for allegedly killing his pregnant colleague after previously raping her wrote an e-mail to authorities offering to give up, about a week before he was captured.

Cpl. Cesar Laurean, 21, wrote an e-mail to the Onslow County Sheriff saying he was willing to surrender as long as he would not face a military court-martial or be sent to a chain gang.

It was not yet confirmed that the e-mail came from Laurean, but it appeared to have been sent from Mexico, where he had fled to. The Marine’s name in the e-mail is misspelled as “Lauren.” But Sheriff Ed Brown said he took the matter seriously, because the mail could have been a real attempt by Laurean to give up.

“Can you assure immunity from a military court martial if I come back? , I know they will convict me with no evidence, I can’t risk Leavenworth or a chain gang, what can you do for me?” the e-mail said.

Brown replied to the message, encouraging Laurean to surrender and assuring him he was an honest man and would not try to mislead him.

“Mr. Lauren, turning yourself in would be a very positive step, the wisest thing you could do,” Brown wrote back. “My opinion is based on experiences observed through nearly forty years of law enforcement.”

Brown said on Friday that Laurean would be treated like all his other in-mates in jail.

“Cesar Laurean is not an animal. He's a human, and he's not a trophy,” he declared.

The extradition process could take between two months and a year, depending on whether Laurean opposes it.

Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean was arrested Thursday night in Mexico, after a joint operation which included the FBI and Mexican police. He was charged with murder in the death of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20.