A U.S. fugitive El Diablo also known as ‘The Devil,’ wanted for a deadly shooting outside an Ohio bar 20 years ago, has been captured in Mexico, where authorities report he had been working as a local police officer.
U.S. authorities arrested t, now 72, on Thursday in Zapotitlan Palmas and charged him with first-degree murder for a December 2004 shooting in suburban Cincinnati. Marshals Service news release. On Monday, a judge ordered Riano to be held without bond, as per report.
Riano fled the state and then the country after allegedly shooting and killing 25-year-old Benjamin Becarra two decades ago. The Butler County Sheriff’s Office placed him on their “Most Wanted” list, and the popular TV show “America’s Most Wanted” featured him.
After the case went cold, authorities finally discovered ‘El Diablo’ more than 2,000 miles away, working an unexpected job.
Riano Claims Innocence
The U.S. agency stated that authorities found Riano working as a local police officer when they arrested him in Mexico. They handed the suspect over to U.S. marshals in Mexico City on Thursday and charged him with first-degree murder.
Man wanted for 2004 murder in Butler County found working as police officer in Mexico. We ask him, “Why did you become a policeman?” His answer below…
WATCH: https://t.co/bLTAL9yxJP@Local12 pic.twitter.com/fD5m5qRiJM— David Winter (@DavidWinterTV) August 2, 2024
Riano was flown to Cincinnati and taken to the Butler County Jail, where he remains in custody.
As Riano was being taken into custody at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, he was asked him why he became a police officer. Riano replied in Spanish, ‘I wanted to help the people of Mexico.’
When asked by the station if he had killed Benjamin Becerra, Riano responded, ‘No, I did not.’
Fugitive Captured After Escape
On December 19, 2004, witnesses reported that Riano and Becarra had a heated argument at the Roundhouse Bar in Hamilton, Ohio, which is about 30 miles north of Cincinnati. The argument moved outside, where surveillance footage allegedly showed Riano fatally shooting Becarra in the face. Police also had video evidence of Riano buying bullets at Walmart hours before the shooting, and the murder weapon was reportedly discovered hidden under the floorboards in Riano’s home.
Despite having all the evidence needed and a direct charge against him, Riano managed to evade capture, first fleeing to New Jersey and then to his hometown in Mexico. The breakthrough in the case came earlier this year when Paul Newton, a former deputy now with the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office, found Riano’s Facebook page and learned he was living in Oaxaca, Mexico, working as a police officer. Becarra’s family was notified of Riano’s arrest and extradition, and Riano’s arrest was attributed to the persistent efforts and cooperation of the investigating agencies, according to Michael D. Black, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio.
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