After a search spanning more than three decades, authorities announced at a press conference on Monday the 23rd that a man wanted in connection with a 1991 murder had recently been extradited from Costa Rica. The victim, José Lázaro Cruz, is accused of murdering his wife Ana Jurado.
Arrest of the suspect
José Lázaro Cruz was arrested in Costa Rica in 2022. Later, earlier this month, he was returned to Fairfax County, Virginia, where police say he will stand trial in the murder of a 32yearold. CNN has attempted to contact the Fairfax County District Attorney's Office and Public Defender's Office for further information about Cruz's attorney but has not yet received a response.
The case
On April 30, 1991, Fairfax County police responded to a knife attack and found 24yearold Ana Jurado dead on the sidewalk with injuries to her upper body, according to Fairfax Deputy Chief of Investigations Eli Cory. Lázaro Cruz, Jurado's thenhusband, was identified by police as the suspected murderer but managed to escape.
The landscape
According to Cory, Lázaro Cruz initially tried to leave for Canada but was blocked due to the use of forged documents. It was recorded that border officials noticed a “fresh cut” on his hand. After the failed attempt in Canada, Lázaro Cruz managed to escape authorities by going to Houston, Texas, and is believed to have used a smuggler to leave the country and thus reach El Salvador.
Changes in Salvadoran legislation
At the time, El Salvador had no policies or mechanisms allowing the extradition of Salvadoran citizens, which allowed José to remain free. This situation only changed in 2000, when the country finally amended its constitution and allowed the extradition of citizens to the United States. Ana Jurado left behind three small children, two living with her in the United States and one living in El Salvador.
The last shot
José Lázaro Cruz would be arrested in 2022 while attempting to enter Costa Rica. After the 1991 murder, he remarried, had several children and, according to Eli Cory, began a “new life” in El Salvador. He is currently in the Fairfax County Correctional Center awaiting trial.