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First fox: Raymond “RJ” MacLeod, one of the top 15 US Marshals most wanted for the 2016 murder of Crystal Mitchell in San Diego, was arrested after years on the run in Central America. I was.
Mitchell’s mother, former detective Josephine Wenzel, retired to help track down her daughter’s murder suspect. We arrested him around 4:30 pm on Monday after receiving information that he was teaching.
Fox Nation host Nancy Grace highlighted McLeod’s hunt earlier this year “Wanted: The Nancy Grace Investigation”
“Justice at last!” Grace told Fox News Digital. “After a global manhunt, a thug who murdered an innocent young woman has been arrested, leaving his victim, Crystal Mitchell, and her grieving family to spend a day in court. “
Nancy Grace’s new ‘wanted’ special is about the search for America’s most violent fugitive
The marshal described him as armed and dangerous, “an avid bodybuilder and a heavy drinker”.
“RJ McLeod doesn’t deserve to be called a U.S. Marine Corps,” Grace added. “He brutally murdered Krystal, then fled like a coward.”
With a whopping $50,000 bounty, McLeod was the first suspect to be among the top 15 on the U.S. Marshal’s Most Wanted list. According to the marshal, he already had a history of domestic violence when he was ousted.
“He enjoys hurting women for its own sake,” psychologist Dr. Michael Burke told Grace while filming the special. Not the one doing it, he just enjoys it.”
Marshal Francisco Barajas and Marshal Luis Ramirez flew to El Salvador around 4:30 pm Monday afternoon to help local and state police apprehend him and escort him to the United States.
Mitchell’s mother, Wenzel, praised regional U.S. Marshals task force chiefs Frankie Sanchez and Barajas for their “excellent work” Monday night.
“I trusted them, and ever since I met Francisca Barajas, I was absolutely sure that this day would come and that he would get him.” You are my hero. We are bound for life.'”
Mother seeks justice for daughter’s murder allegedly by fugitive ex-Marine
San Diego police found Mitchell, 30 at the time of his murder on June 10, 2016, dead, officials said. She dated McLeod for several weeks.
Investigators said the scene showed “signs of struggle”.
Authorities say MacLeod and Mitchell are from Phoenix, Arizona and had traveled to California to visit friends.
San Diego prosecutors quickly obtained a murder warrant, but by December 2016, McLeod was still eluding arrest. Local investigators enlisted the help of the marshal and launched a search in Sonsonate that ended Monday.
Authorities believed early on that MacLeod had fled south, first through Mexico, and then hiding somewhere in Central America, using aliases that could include “Matt” and “Matteo.” It was said that
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He was spotted in Guatemala in 2017 and Belize a year later, but continued to evade capture.
In April 2021, when McLeod was named Most Wanted, Field Marshal Steve Stafford of the Southern District of California said, “Time will not deter him from investigating McLeod’s escape.” rice field. “If anything, it boosts our resolve. We will take all steps until he is brought to justice.”
The determination paid off.
“Thank you to the U.S. Marshals for never giving up,” said Grace, who has handled the case closely. “And now, finally, may Josephine Wenzel, Crystal’s mother and friend of mine who has tracked down her daughter’s killer, rest in peace. We Fox Nation welcomes the opportunity to help U.S. Marshals seek justice.”
Fox News’ Kelly Skehen and Jenna Miller contributed to this report.