The two highest ranking officials of the British Virgin Islands are asking CNN talk show host Larry King for "equal time" to rebut statements made by a New York man whose acquittal of killing another American was reversed earlier this year.

In a letter released Thursday, the officials raised strong objections to what they called "falsehoods, gross exaggerations and erroneous statements" made by Alexander Benedetto during an interview which aired Monday night.

"You are a fugitive of not guilty," CNN's Larry King told Benedetto.

The interview was taped March 22, the day Benedetto failed to return to the eastern Caribbean island of Tortola to answer a conspiracy to obstruct justice charge. Benedetto told King that he did not return to the British dependent territory because he feared he would be arrested. Authorities in Tortola re-indicted the New Yorker on murder charges earlier this month.

During the "Larry King Live" interview, Benedetto related how he and his three vacationing friends were arrested on suspicion of murder within hours of the discovery of Lois McMillen's body on the rocky shores of Sir Francis Drake Channel. Benedetto, who dated McMillen in 1997, had an alibi — he was on the other side of the island at a bar during the time police believe she was killed.

Benedetto was acquitted last May, but in January, a three-judge panel concluded that the trial judge erred when he ruled that there was insufficient evidence to convict Benedetto and two other defendants. The same judges upheld the May 10 murder conviction of William Labrador, a 38-year-old New Yorker and longtime friend of Benedetto's. Labrador is serving a life sentence for the murder.

Victim Lois McMillen

In his first national television interview, Benedetto described his prosecution in Tortola as an "epic ordeal" and "surreal."

The British Virgin Island officials, however, asked to appear on the show to refute "the many unfair and inaccurate statements uttered by Mr. Benedetto."

Chief Minister Ralph O'Neal and Gov. Frank Savage wrote that they were particularly concerned that Benedetto's remarks could harm tourism in the Caribbean island chain that locals call "Nature's Little Secrets."

During the interview Monday, King implied as much.

"We are going to kill tourism for Tortola tonight," King told Benedetto.

"Well, I don't mean to do that, Larry," Benedetto replied, to which King retorted, "Well, you ain't going to help."

"It's a beautiful place and the people are good people," Benedetto replied. "It's just we got — what happened was — the low-down is they made a really bad mistake."

A spokeswoman for CNN said the cable network had received the letter but had yet to decide whether to grant the officials their request.

Benedetto told Courttv.com Thursday that he appreciated the opportunity to tell his side of the story to Larry King's audience and used it to describe his treatment by police and prosecutors, not to bad mouth the British Virgin Islands.

"This has to do with justice, or the lack thereof, not tourism," he said.

The officials' letter did not cite specific objections to Benedetto's remarks but the writers promised to forward "detailed objections" to King's staff by week's end. A spokesperson for the government said neither official would comment beyond the letter.

Benedetto has yet to file a planned appeal of the January ruling that reinstated the murder charge. And England's highest court has yet to announce whether it will hear Labrador's appeal.

CNN is owned by AOL Time Warner, a partial owner of Court TV and Courttv.com