TAYLORSVILLE, Utah, Nov. 25, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A man accused of murdering a Utah radio host in October 2021 was arrested on Thanksgiving Day this year in Chihuahua, Mexico, police said.
Taylorsville police say Manuel Omar Burciaga-Perea, 35, fled the country following the Oct. 17, 2021, death of Gabriela Sifuentes-Castilla, who hosted a local Spanish-language radio show as Gaby Ramos.
Sifuentes-Castilla, 38, was shot seven times in her head, chest and arm at her sister’s home near 2300 West and 5200 South, police said. Despite the efforts of first responders, she was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Burciaga-Perea and Sifuentes-Castilla previously had been in a romantic relationship, but were not together at the time of the shooting, police said.
Burciaga-Perea immediately fled to his hometown in Chihuahua, Mexico, after the shooting, according to police.
“Because Burciaga-Perea is a Mexican citizen and was in Mexico, TVPD did not have any authority to detain him despite his known location, which prompted further legal proceedings to have him arrested,” Taylorsville police said in a news release Friday.
Taylorsville police worked with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service in Utah, and the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., to coordinate with the Mexican State Attorney General’s Office and federal court in Mexico to execute a warrant for Burciaga-Perea’s arrest, the release states.
He was arrested Nov. 24 with the assistance of state and federal agents in Mexico and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the news release.
“This could not have happened without the teamwork, perseverance and cooperation between offices,” Taylorsville Police Chief Brady Cottam said. “The process was tedious and painstaking, but we are grateful for this significant step toward resolution and justice.”
Burciaga-Perea is being held at the Federal Justice Center in Mexico pending an extradition hearing, police said.
