Fugitive husband returns to Virginia: 30‑year escape ends as Cruz faces 1991 murder trial
11:58 AM EST, January 23, 2024
Cruz is now facing prosecution in the USA for the murder committed on April 30, 1991. On that day, Fairfax County police responded to a call and found Ana Jurado, the 24-year-old victim, dead from stab wounds.
Suspicion quickly fell upon her estranged husband and father of her three children. However, Cruz disappeared before he could be questioned about the circumstances of his estranged wife's death.
Cruz captured in Central America after 30 years; to stand trial in the USA for murder
According to reports by CNN, it is now known that Cruz had tried to flee to Canada with the assistance of a smuggler who helped him cross the border. Eventually, he found refuge in El Salvador.
El Salvador was an effective hideout for Cruz. Until 2000, the United States had no procedures in place for extraditing fugitives, so Cruz, who investigators believed to be the murderer, escaped punishment for many years. He remained unfound even after new regulations permitted his extradition and prosecution.
In El Salvador, Cruz began a new life. He remarried and fathered several more children. This peaceful existence came to an end on July 29, 2022, when he was arrested while attempting to enter Costa Rica.
On Monday, the now 62-year-old Cruz found himself in a Fairfax County prison after being extradited back to the USA. He is now set to stand trial for a crime committed when he was just 32 years old.
