Facebook clue ends 20‑year hunt for fugitive killer turned cop

20 years—that's how long it took American police to catch a man accused of murder. The man fled to Mexico, where he found his calling among other uniformed officers. The murderer was tracked down thanks to Facebook.

Is there such a thing as the perfect crime? Experts in criminology are divided. Some argue that every criminal makes a mistake that can aid in identification. On the other hand, history has examples of such murderers as Zodiac, who, despite extensive investigations, was never identified. Sometimes, it turns out that the criminal starts an entirely new life, playing the role of a model citizen.

In 2004, Antonio Riano "El Diablo" argued with 25-year-old Benjamin Becerr at the Round House bar in Hamilton, Ohio. El Diablo allegedly shot Becerr in the face, leading to his death. A few weeks earlier, the suspect had caused a commotion in the bar and was asked to leave. After the incident, the man fled the scene of the murder.

On February 16, 2005, Antonio Riano was charged with first-degree murder, but he did not appear in court. For 20 years, El Diablo vanished without a trace. American police suspected that Riano had fled to Mexico, but they lacked concrete evidence. After committing the crime, the Butler County Sheriff's Office placed him on the "most wanted" list. His profile was also featured on "America’s Most Wanted."

In 2018, the American justice system filed a request for Antonio Riano's extradition, but the Mexican police did not pursue the matter. The situation changed on August 1, 2024, when the authorities arrested Riano. It turned out that the murder suspect had actively maintained a Facebook account the entire time, which an American detective noticed. Interestingly, in one of the videos, El Diablo is seen wearing a police badge.

During a press conference, Michael T. Gmoser, Butler County Prosecutor, said: "This type of apprehension would not be possible without the cooperation and due diligence of both the Prosecutor’s Office investigators, the United States Marshal Service, and the United States Department of Justice."

Michael D. Black, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio, added that through their task forces to combat violent criminals, the U.S. Marshals Service supports their state and local law enforcement partners in arresting the region's most dangerous fugitives. This arrest resulted from ongoing information sharing between agencies and the determination of the investigators who did not give up on this case.