After 3 decades on the run, man arrested in 1991 death of estranged wife

A man wanted in connection to the 1991 killing of his estranged wife in northern Virginia has been arrested and extradited to the United States from Costa Rica, police said Monday.

After three decades on the run, Jose Lazaro Cruz was arrested in 2022 in Costa Rica and was returned to the United States to face murder charges earlier this month, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Lazaro Cruz is accused of killing his wife, Ana Jurado, 24, in 1991 in West Falls Church, Virginia, a community just east of Arlington.

“He avoided accountability for something he did nearly 33 years ago,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said during a news conference Monday. “We’ve never forgotten the family. We’ve never forgotten the seriousness of this crime.”

Lazaro Cruz is currently being held in the Fairfax County Correctional Center awaiting trial.

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Jose Lazaro Cruz identified as suspect in estranged wife's stabbing

On April 30, 1991, police responded to a report of a stabbing and found Jurado "lying on the curb of the street" with upper body trauma, according to Eli Cory, Fairfax County’s deputy chief of investigation. Emergency personnel declared Jurado deceased at the scene.

Jurado was the mother of three children, Cory said. At the time of her death, her 3-year-old and 7-month-old daughters were living with her in the United States while her 4-year-old son lived in El Salvador.

Cory said witnesses reported hearing a scream and seeing a man who matched the description of Lazaro Cruz — who was 24 years old at the time — leaving the scene. On May 10, 1991, police said detectives secured a felony murder warrant for Cruz.

Cruz had attempted to flee the country and cross the border into Canada but was denied entry due to his fraudulent identification, Cory added.

"When the border agents pushed him away and sent him back into United States, they noticed that there was a what appeared to be a fresh cut to Mr. Cruz's hand," Cory said. "From there, we believe Mr. Cruz fled on a bus to Houston, Texas."

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Suspect established a new life in El Salvador

With the help of a smuggler, Cory said Lazaro Cruz was able to illegally cross the border and establish himself in El Salvador. At the time, according to Cory, El Salvador did not have policies in place to extradite suspects sought by the United States.

Police said detectives pursued the case for years and traveled to El Salvador to locate Lazaro Cruz.

"During this trip, they gathered crucial information regarding Lazaro Cruz’s whereabouts and their meticulous efforts continued to lay the foundation for a thorough investigation," Fairfax County Police said in a news release.

Cory said investigators believe Lazaro Cruz started a "whole new life" in El Salvador. He remarried, had several children, and was working as a truck driver, according to Cory.

In 2022, Lazaro Cruz was detained by authorities when he tried to enter Costa Rica. After a lengthy extradition process, authorities confirmed that he would be brought back to face charges in Fairfax County and he surrendered to U.S. Marshals Service custody on Jan. 18.

"We believe that he was crossing the border to go see some family members when he got caught... 30 years later, I can imagine that he probably got a little comfortable," Cory said.