He is now being extradited from Zapotitlán Palmas to the Butler County Jail.
A Mexican citizen and one of America's “most wanted” fugitives for 20 years was captured in Mexico while working as a police officer. The New York Post, Antonio “El Diablo” Riaño was turned over to U.S. Marshals Service agents in Mexico City and charged with first-degree murder stemming from a 2004 fatal shooting outside a bar in Ohio.
On December 19, 2004, a fatal altercation occurred at the Round House bar in Hamilton, Ohio, resulting in the tragic death of 25-year-old Benjamin Becerra. Mr. Becerra had been involved in a fight at the same bar a few weeks earlier and had been asked to leave.
On the day of the shooting, Mr. Becerra returned to the bar, where Riano was assisting the bartender. A brief argument ensued between them, which ended with Riano fatally shooting Mr. Becerra in the head at approximately 2:20 p.m.
Riano fled the scene in his pickup truck, but was later identified through witness statements and surveillance video that showed him buying ammunition at a Walmart just 45 minutes before the shooting. A grand jury indicted him for first-degree murder on February 16, 2005, but he failed to appear for his scheduled arraignment. Instead, he fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution.
He was placed on the Butler County Sheriff's Office's “Most Wanted” list and also appeared in a 2005 episode of “America's Most Wanted.”
On Thursday, Riaño was arrested in Mexico, where he worked as a police officer, and handed over to agents of the U.S. Marshals Service in Mexico City.
''More than 20 years after the shooting, the Butler County District Attorney's Office partnered with the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs, who worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure Riano's arrest and extradition. When Riano was arrested in Mexico, it was discovered that he was working as a local police officer,'' the prosecutor said. The U.S. Marshals Service said.
He is now being extradited from Zapotitlán Palmas to the Butler County Jail, according to the U.S. Marshals Service and the Butler County District Attorney's Office.