Six years ago, a man allegedly killed his wife in front of their children then fled to Mexico. Now, he's been caught.
June 29 2021, Published 4:27 p.m. ET
Police have arrested a suspect who fled to Mexico after allegedly killing his wife in front of their two children in Idaho six years ago.
Mexican Federales, with the help of US Marshals, took Erasmo Diaz, 51, into custody in Mexico on June 26, officials from Canyon County, Idaho, said during a press conference.
Diaz has been wanted for murder by the Canyon County Sheriff's Office since 2015 when an active warrant was put out for his arrest, KTVB reported.
Authorities say Diaz shot and killed his wife, Amparo Godinez Sanchez, 39, around 11 p.m. on June 11, 2015. The murder allegedly took place in front of their two children at their Wilder, Idaho, home.
Prosecutors filed second-degree murder charges against Diaz shortly after the alleged murder. His arrest warrant did not have a bond.
Sanchez’s family offered a $10,000 reward for Diaz’s capture soon after the murder.
"We want him to know that we're not going to stop until my sister gets justice," Lucia Godinez, Sanchez's sister, told KTVB at the time. "He robbed us of so much and we are never going to stop until he gets caught."
Diaz is a Mexican national, but Canyon County officials did not say where he was taken into custody in Mexico.
At the press conference held on June 28, Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue said he was contacted early June 26 and told Diaz was located in Mexico. Donahue said all involved parties are relieved that Diaz was finally located after six years, calling the search process a “tremendously long team effort.”
"This is, yet again, a domestic violence homicide that did not just have one victim," Donahue said. "We're very proud to say we now have this person in custody. [Diaz] will face accountability and he will face the justice system."
Authorities say that Diaz’s extradition will be “more complicated” because he has rights that extend to another country.
"We do not forget," Brent Bunn, the US Marshal for the District of Idaho, said. "If we have a warrant for you, we're never gonna quit looking for you."
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