Two women were murdered in Utah on Feb. 9 — but years apart. Police say they just arrested the cold-case killer.
Jan. 10 2022, Published 2:25 p.m. ET
Two women were found murdered in Utah on Feb. 9, but years apart. A decade later, police say they have caught the cold-case killer.
Juan Arreola-Murrillo, 41, has been charged with aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, KUTV 2 reported.
Court documents show that investigators have known Arreola-Murrillo’s identity since 2016, when a fingerprint found at one of the murder scenes was matched to him.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to KUTV-2 that Arreola-Murrillo was extradited from Mexico to Utah last week.
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On Feb. 9, 2006, 29-year-old Sonia Mejia was attacked in a home invasion in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was beaten, raped and strangled to death, according to police and reported by FrontPageDetectives.
Mejia was six months pregnant with her second child at the time of her death.
Exactly two years later, 57-year-old Damiana Castillo was strangled to death in her apartment. She lived only a few blocks from Mejia.
Investigators have not revealed how the date of Feb. 9 is significant or whether it is at all.
Arreola-Murrillo is being held in the Salt Lake County Jail, according to KUTV-2.
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