He is now being extradited from Zapotitlan Palmas to the Butler County Jail
A Mexican citizen and one of “America’s most wanted” fugitives 20 years ago, he was captured in Mexico while working as a police officer. According to New York Post Office, Antonio ”El Diablo” Riano was turned over to a deputy U.S. marshal in Mexico City and charged with first-degree murder stemming from a fatal 2004 shooting outside an Ohio bar.
On December 19, 2004, a deadly altercation occurred at the Round House Bar in Hamilton, Ohio, resulting in the tragic death of 25-year-old Benjamin Becerra. A few weeks earlier, Becerra was involved in a fight at the same bar and was asked to leave.
On the day of the shooting, Becerra returned to the bar, where Riano was helping the bartender. A brief argument between them ensued, resulting in Riano’s death from a gunshot to the head by Mr. Becerra at approximately 2:20 p.m.
Riano fled the scene in his van but was later identified through witness statements and surveillance footage that showed him purchasing ammunition at a Walmart just 45 minutes before the shooting. A Grand Jury indicted him for first-degree murder on February 16, 2005, but he failed to appear for his scheduled arraignment. Instead, he fled to Mexico to escape prosecution.
He was placed on the Butler County Sheriff’s Office’s “Most Wanted” list and was also portrayed in a 2005 episode of “America’s Most Wanted.”
On Thursday, Riano was detained in Mexico, where he worked as a police officer, and turned over to a deputy U.S. marshal in Mexico City.
”More than 20 years after the shooting, the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office joined the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, who worked with law enforcement partners in the Mexico to secure Riano’s arrest and extradition. When Riano was arrested in Mexico, it was discovered that he worked as a local police officer,” the U.S. Marshals Service said.
He is now being extradited from Zapotitlan Palmas to the Butler County Jail, according to the U.S. Marshals Service and the Butler County District Attorney’s Office.
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
