Maycoll David Martinez Ruano, 38, wanted in connection with the 2009 homicide of his girlfriend, Yerika Hernandez, was escorted back to New Jersey from Guatemala by special agents of the FBI upon completion of the extradition process by Guatemalan authorities, announced Aaron T. Ford, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Newark Division. Ruano was arrested in January 2013 by Guatemalan law enforcement in the town of Jutiapa, Guatemala, located south east of Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Ruano, also known as Jose Delgado-Febres was indicted on January 20, 2010, by a grand jury in Mercer County with the stabbing death of his girlfriend, Yerika Hernandez. In addition to the murder charge, Ruano was indicted on one count of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon.

According to documents filed in this case, on April 28, 2009, Ruano, who was utilizing the identity Jose Delgado-Febres, stabbed his 27-year old girlfriend, Yerika Hernandez, during an argument at their apartment on Beatty Street in Trenton. Officers from the Trenton Police Department responded to the apartment where they found Hernandez lying on the floor. She was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead a short time later.

When it was determined that Ruano had fled the jurisdiction of New Jersey, the FBI initiated a federal fugitive investigation, and Ruano was charged federally with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution (UFAP). A federal warrant for his arrest was issued by the United States District Court, District of New Jersey.

Acting on information developed by investigators assigned to the case, the FBI’s Legal Attaché in San Salvador, in collaboration with the Transnational Anti-Gang unit of the Guatemalan National Police, located and apprehended Ruano in Jutiapa, Guatemala, on January 29, 2013. The successful capture of Ruano was the result of a well coordinated investigation by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI’s Newark Field Office, the FBI’s Legal Attaché in San Salvador, and the Transnational Anti-Gang (TAG) unit of the Guatemalan National Police.

After being deported by Guatemalan authorities, Ruano was escorted to the United States on Tuesday by special agents of the FBI’s Newark Division. Upon his arrival in Newark airport yesterday, Ruano was turned over to the Mercer County Sherriff’s Office. He was transported to the Mercer County Correction Center, in Hopewell, New Jersey, where he will await his bail hearing.

The FBI continues to work with local, state, and international law enforcement to apprehend violent criminals charged with state crimes who then flee the jurisdiction interstate or internationally. The FBI has legal attaché offices in more than 70 cities worldwide, providing coverage for more than 200 countries, territories, and islands. Each office is established through mutual agreement with the host country and is situated in the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in that nation.

The above are merely allegations, and the public should be reminded that all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.