One of America’s most wanted fugitives has been found hiding in plain sight after nearly two decades on the run.
Antonio ‘El Diablo’ Riaño, 72, was arrested Thursday in Zapotitlán Palmas, ending a 20-year manhunt during which he appeared on ‘America’s Most Wanted.’
The fugitive was found working as a police officer in his hometown in Mexico and told reporters he wanted to “help the people of Mexico.”
The Oaxaca, Mexico, native was charged with first-degree murder in the 2004 shooting death of 25-year-old Benjamin Becarra at an Ohio bar.
He was charged with shooting Becarra to death at the Round House Bar in Hamilton, Ohio, after a brief argument.
Antonio ‘El Diablo’ Riaño, 72, was arrested Thursday in Zapotitlán Palmas, ending a 20-year manhunt during which he appeared on ‘America’s Most Wanted.’
The fugitive was found working as a police officer in his hometown in Mexico and told reporters he wanted to “help the people of Mexico.”
According to witnesses, he shot Becarra at point-blank range in the face before fleeing the scene.
He was identified when police discovered he had purchased ammunition at Walmart just 45 minutes before the shooting.
When police searched Riano’s home, they discovered a set of false identities and the murder weapon: a Smith & Wesson .38 with two bullets fired.
But before justice could be done, ‘El Diablo’ disappeared into thin air.
For two decades, he managed to evade the law, even when his face was broadcast to millions on ‘America’s Most Wanted’ in 2005.
But the law finally caught up with Riano.
“When Riaño was arrested in Mexico it was discovered that he was working as a local police officer,” the U.S. Marshals Service said in a news release.
The Oaxaca, Mexico, native was charged with first-degree murder in the 2004 shooting death of 25-year-old Benjamin Becarra at an Ohio bar.
Riano was handed over to U.S. Marshals in Mexico City and flown to Cincinnati.
Video footage captured Riano being detained at Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Asked why he became a police officer, Riaño told WKRC-TV in Spanish: “I wanted to help the people of Mexico.”
Asked if he killed Becerra, he said, “No, I didn’t.”
Butler County District Attorney Michael T. Gmoser praised the joint effort.
Riano was handed over to U.S. Marshals in Mexico City and flown to Cincinnati.
“This type of arrest would not be possible without the cooperation and due diligence of investigators from the Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Department of Justice,” Gmoser said.
“The United States Marshals Service, through our Violent Fugitive Task Forces, assists our state and local law enforcement partners in apprehending the area’s most dangerous fugitives,” said Michael D. Black, United States Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio.
“This arrest is the result of continued information sharing between agencies and the determination of investigators who refused to give up on this case,” Black added.
