Investigators say they caught a man wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Utah on a bus headed to Mexico Sunday night.
The body of 31-year-old Talia Benward was found in a remote section of Tooele County early Saturday morning after family had reported her missing on Thursday, as CrimeOnline reported.
A police statement said “it appears the victim may have suffered from blunt force trauma and trauma to her neck area.”
Nestor Rocha-Aguayo, 24, was quickly developed as a suspect in the murder, and police launched an intensive search for him, asking for the public’s help but cautioning not to approach him.
Police officers and US Marshals took him off a bus in Fillmore Sunday night at about 7:30 p.m., KSL reported.
“We’re grateful that we could bring this person into custody safely. Our detectives will be diligent in working this continuing case,” said Unified Police Sgt. Aymee Race.
Court records showed a history of violent behavior form Rocha-Aguayo toward Benward, including ransacking her bedroom and taking items in August 2024, blocking her vehicle and pulling her out of it by the hair in December 2023, and preventing her from leaving her bedroom and destroying her phone the previous month. He was charged in all those cases and even barred from contacting her with protective orders, which he promptly violated.
