HOUSTON, Texas–38-year-old Maycoll David Martinez Ruano, also known as Jose Delgado-Febres, was recently extradited to New Jersey from Guatemala. Ruano was wanted in connection to the 2009 murder of his girlfriend, 27-year-old Yerka Hernandez.
According to a press release from the FBI, Ruano was arrested in southeast Guatemala in January 2013. Three years prior, Ruano was indicted on the stabbing of Hernandez and on one count of possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes. Hernandez was murdered in her Trenton, New Jersey apartment that she shared with Ruano.
A criminal complaint obtained by Breitbart Texas said, “Prior to the evening [of the murder], the Victim had been angry with the Defendant for going out drinking. The Victim and the Defendant argued on the telephone before the Defendant came home.”
Once Ruano returned home, Hernandez’s son heard the pair arguing and then “heard the sound of someone falling to the floor.” Ruano, who had apparently stabbed Hernandez to death, then fled the scene and the son subsequently called police.
Officers quickly arrived on the scene and transported Hernandez to the hospital–she was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
In the apartment investigators later found a Guatemalan passport in the name of Maycoll David Martinez Ruano and a social security card issued in the name of Jose Delgado-Febres–both with the same photo–it was inferred that Ruano had “purchased the identity of Jose Delgado-Febres.”
It was determined that Ruano had fled New Jersey. At this point in the investigation, the FBI claims that it “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.”
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI’s Newark Field Office, the FBI’s Legal Attaché in San Salvador, and the Guatemalan National Police all worked together to ultimately apprehend Ruano. He was arrested on January 29, 2013.
Ruano was brought to New Jersey on Tuesday and turned over to the Mercer County Sherriff’s Office. According to the FBI, he is currently at the Mercer County Correction Center where he awaits his hearing.
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.