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Suspect in 22-year-old murder case extradited to Guam
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Posted on Nov 17 2000
Murder suspect Joseph Juan M. Dela Cruz was extradited to Guam yesterday to face trial for a crime he allegedly committed 22 years ago.
Two Guam police officers, Sgt. Steve Ignacio and Officer Anthony V. Camacho, arrived on the island to escort Mr. Dela Cruz, 55, who was brought to the court to face extradition hearing before taking the 6:00 p.m. Continental Micronesia flight.
Mr. Dela Cruz, who was born on the island-municipality of Tinian, has been in hiding in Saipan since 1978. He was arrested on Oct. 4, 2000 on Saipan, where he lives with his family.
Five days after he allegedly shot and killed Antonio Navarro Atoigue on April 12, 1978 in the Mangilao area in Guam, Mr. Dela Cruz murdered an employee at the Aldan Gas Station in Susupe. He was convicted for robbery and homicide charges and spent nine years in jail.
When the Guam Department of Public Safety created the Team Closure Task Force last August to focus on unsolved crimes, the police officers decided to look at the Dela Cruz case.
“He was surprised when he saw us because he never expected that the Guam Police will ever come looking for him,” said Sgt. Ignacio. The police officers immediately informed the family members of the victim about the capture of Mr. Dela Cruz.
The police officers have also found two witnesses, one in California, to get their testimonies in preparation for the trial. “We would not have solved the case if not for the assistance of the Criminal Investigation Section,” said Sgt. Ignacio. (Lindablue F. Romero)
