A man accused of murdering a Utah radio host has been extradited from Mexico to Salt Lake City, authorities said.
Manuel Omar Burciaga-Perea, 36, was taken back to Utah from Mexico City by the U.S. Marshals Service following years-long international efforts, according to a press release last Friday and reported by local ABC4.
Burciaga-Perea was reportedly placed into the custody of the Taylorsville City Police Department (TVPD).
“Officers with TVPD took Burciaga-Perea into custody at the Salt Lake City International Airport and upon his arrival following the 4.5-hour commercial flight escorted by the Marshals Service and transported him to the Taylorsville Police Station,” law enforcement said.
“There, he declined to be interviewed by Taylorsville officers prior to his booking into the Salt Lake County Jail late Friday night,” authorities added.
Burciaga-Perea allegedly killed Gabriela Sifuentes Castilla, aka Gaby Ramos, a Spanish radio host he had dated, at her sister’s home on Oct. 17, 2021.
Burciaga-Perea shot Castilla seven times in the chest, arm and head, according to 2021 charging documents.
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Police said first responders weren’t able to keep Castilla from succumbing to her wounds at her sister’s home.
“Burciaga-Perea and Castilla had been in a dating relationship but were not together at the time,” the TVPD said.
Police said because Burciaga-Perea was at his home in Chihuahua, Mexico, they had not been able to arrest him because of his Mexican citizenship.
Law enforcement agencies in Utah, Mexico and Washington, D.C., worked in tandem to apprehend Burciaga-Perea, and he was ultimately arrested on Thanksgiving Day last year.
Burciaga-Perea’s extradition to Utah and imprisonment in Salt Lake County Jail followed six months in custody in Mexico City.
“This could not have happened without the teamwork, perseverance, and cooperation between offices,” TVPD Chief Brady Cottam said in the statement, according to ABC4. “The process was tedious and painstaking, but we are grateful for this significant step toward resolution and justice.”
