A 56-year-old man was recently extradited to the US for a lingering murder case of 32 years. Precisely, the man is awaiting trial for stabbing his 24-year-old wife before fleeing from the US.
The murder falls under the jurisdiction of Fairfax County, Virginia, so the man was handed over to the authorities after his return to the US on January 19. Authorities have confirmed the circumstances surrounding his arrest in 2022.
Jose Larazo Cruz was probably also 24 when he fled the US in 1991. However, he was in the authorities’ net by 2022 end, while visiting Costa Rica.
The investigation started in April 1991 after Fairfax County Police found the lifeless body of Ana Jurado on the sidewalk of a street. After chatting to witnesses in the area, the police learned that Jurado was Mr Cruz’s estranged wife. Also, witnesses reported hearing raised voices and seeing Mr Cruz in the area.
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At the time of her murder, Jurado had three children: a seven-month-old baby and two toddlers, three and four years of age. However, the report does not say if the three kids are Mr Cruz’s.
After Jurado’s demise, Cruz tried to elude authorities by escaping to Canada. However, at the Canadian border, his application for entry was denied. Canadian law enforcement authorities cross-examined Cruz only to discover he was traveling with a fake ID. Likewise, a cut was visible on his hands.
Based on this premise, Cruz was denied entry to Canada. Seeing his plan A failed, Cruz turned back and headed for the South to cross the border there. So, he traveled to Houston, Texas, by bus.
On arriving in Texas, Cruz got in contact with a smuggler, who assisted him with an illegal crossing into Mexico. From there, he made his way to El Salvador.
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After the police in Virginia followed Cruz’s trail to El Salvador, they tried to obtain a warrant for his arrest and extradition. However, El Salvador’s constitution had no extradition policy at the time.
So, the US authorities sent a police detective to negotiate an insertion of an extradition clause in the El Salvadorian constitution. The diplomatic journey yielded fruits in 2000 when it became legal to extradite nationals of the Central American country.
Still, authorities did not arrest Cruz until 2022. Why did it take so long? Cruz started a new life and ditched his old identity. He started a thriving truck driving business in El Salvador, remarried, and had several children.
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Cruz’s true identity returned to the surface when he traveled to Costa Rica in 2022. He was probably trying to visit relatives there when Costa Rican authorities identified him.
Cruz is presently in custody at the Fairfax County Correctional Center. However, no criminal charges have been filed against him yet. The investigation of the Cruz murder case was indeed straightforward. Unfortunately, it took many years to prosecute and the intervention of the Department of Justice and local police.
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