Jose Lazaro Cruz was extradited from Costa Rica to face trial in the USA in connection with the 1991 murder of his wife.
He was caught in Costa Rica in 2022 and sent to Fairfax County, Virginia, earlier this month to stand trial in the 32-year-old murder case.
It's unknown whether Lazaro Cruz has an attorney. CNN contacted the Commonwealth Attorney for Fairfax County and the Fairfax County Public Defender Office to inquire about his legal representation.
On April 30, 1991, Fairfax County police officers responded to a stabbing report and discovered Ana Jurado, 24, dead in the street from upper-body injuries, according to Eli Cory, Fairfax County's deputy chief of investigation.
Lazaro Cruz, Jurado's estranged husband, was recognized as the alleged killer by police, but he disappeared, according to Cory. First, Lazaro Cruz attempted to travel to Canada but was denied admission due to fraudulent papers, according to Cory, who added that border officers observed a "fresh cut" on his hand at the time.
After being denied entry into Canada, Lazaro Cruz fled to Houston, Texas, and is thought to have utilized a smuggler to leave the country, eventually arriving in El Salvador, according to Cory.
Cory stated at the time that El Salvador had no methods or policies to extradite him to the United States. In 2000, the government modified its constitution to allow for the extradition of Salvadoran people.
Jurado was a mother to three little children. Her 3-year-old and 7-month-old girls lived with her in the United States, while her 4-year-old son was in El Salvador at the time of her death.
While official charges are still pending, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis stated that this is not a "traditional cold case" because Lazaro Cruz was identified immediately; he was "on the lam."
According to Cory, Lazaro Cruz was arrested on July 29, 2022, when he attempted to enter Costa Rica.
Lazaro Cruz remarried and had numerous children after the 1991 murder and "definitely started a whole new life in El Salvador," according to Cory.
He is currently in the Fairfax County Correctional Centre, awaiting trial.
