JACKSONVILLE - A Marine charged with killing a pregnant colleague who had accused him of rape was active online for months as a fugitive, according to court documents released Wednesday.

The documents offer a comprehensive look at the months-long search for Cpl. Cesar Laurean, who is charged in the death of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, of Vandalia, Ohio.

Laurean fled to Mexico in January, but his constant contact with his wife and family eventually led to his arrest in April.

According to motions filed by prosecutors, he frequently logged into an e-mail account belonging to his wife, Christina, and left her messages. A person using a computer in Mexico City also accessed the couple's joint bank account. The wife refused to help him and has cooperated with authorities.

Police had a few close calls tracking Internet cafes where they think Laurean went online, but they did not catch him until they used phone records from a calling card that had been given to him by a confidential witness working with authorities. He was arrested April 10 in San Juan de la Vina in the Mexican municipality of Tacambaro.

When FBI agents searched his home computer shortly after he fled, prosecutors said, they found online research into buying property and finding a job in Mexico. They also found Laurean was following online news coverage of the search for Lauterbach before her burned remains were found in a shallow grave in his backyard in North Carolina.

Laurean had told friends that he would flee to Mexico if it appeared he would be convicted of rape. But Onslow County Sheriff's Capt. Rick Sutherland said evidence suggests he didn't start planning to flee until after Lauterbach's disappearance.

Laurean is awaiting extradition, which could take a year or longer. His attorney, W.H. Paramore III, was in court Wednesday and unavailable for comment, an employee in his office said.

The remains of Lauterbach and her fetus were found Jan. 11. Investigators said she likely was killed in mid-December. Few details have been released on how Lauterbach was killed.

Laurean and Lauterbach were assigned to the same logistics unit at Camp Lejeune. She accused him of rape a year ago, but investigators were unable to corroborate the allegation. She claimed he was the father of her child but later recanted.

The Marines have said their regimental commander was intent on taking the case to a hearing that could have led to a trial.

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