1991 Virginia Murder Suspect Extradited from Costa Rica After 30 Years

Jose Lazaro Cruz, who evaded arrest by fleeing to El Salvador, is now in Fairfax County jail awaiting trial for the murder of his estranged wife.

Jose Lazaro Cruz, who was accused of murdering his estranged wife, Ana Jurado, in Virginia in 1991, has been extradited to the US from Costa Rica to face charges.
Cruz was identified as the prime suspect shortly after the murder but evaded arrest by fleeing to El Salvador, where he started a new family and worked as a truck driver.
Despite El Salvador's lack of an extradition mechanism at the time, Fairfax County police traveled there in 1999 to gather information on Cruz's whereabouts.
Cruz was arrested in 2022 while trying to enter Costa Rica from Nicaragua and, after a year-and-a-half-long extradition process, he was returned to the US.
Cruz is currently being held at the Fairfax County jail as he awaits trial.