Fugitive wanted for murder in U.S. found as police officer in Mexico 20 years later
A Mexican national wanted for murder in the U.S. has been found 20 years later working as a police officer in his hometown in Mexico.
Antonio Riano (El Diablo), 72, was taken into custody by Deputy U.S. Marshals on Thursday after Mexican authorities arrested him in Mexico City.
He is being extradited from Zapotitlán Palmas in Mexico to the Butler County Jail, the U.S. Marshals Service and Butler County Prosecutor’s Office were quoted.
Riano had been on the Bulter County Sheriff’s ‘Most Wanted’ list for years for murder and was profiled on the “America’s Most Wanted” television series in 2005.
He was indicted after the 2004 shooting and murder of his victim 25-year-old Benjamin Becerra. Police records indicate that Riano shot his victim in the face after a brief argument inside and outside a bar around 2.20 pm on December 19, 2004.
Bacerra was said to have been asked by the bartender to leave after he showed up at the bar on the day following a raucous involving him weeks earlier.
An argument ensued between Bacerra and Raino after the latter stepped in to help the bartender, shortly after which shots were fired.
The victim was found lying face down minutes after and Raino drove off in his van. According to 25news, the incident was captured by a surveillance camera footage from the bar.
The murder weapon was also found 10 days after in Raino’s apartment but he could not be found, and for years.
Through efforts of Chief Investigator Paul Newton and Butler County Chief Criminal Assistant Prosecutor Brad Burress, the fugitive was discovered in 2023 working as a police officer. Newton had pursued evidence of the existence of Raino even through the internet over the years, leading to the discovery of Raino who had gone underground.
They teamed up on the case with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, which worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico.
Through extensive legal processes and coordination between local, federal, and Mexican authorities, Raino was retrieved after years and handed over to the Chief Investigator at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport on Thursday.
Raino is being held without bond and will be processed for court on August 5 before Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Oster Jr.
