U.S. ‘Most Wanted’ Fugitive Caught in Mexico

[Hisroyalhighness]

One of the U.S. Marshals Service’s 15 most wanted fugitives has been arrested in the Mexican sea resort of Cancun after almost 24 years on the run, the service said.
Vincent Legrend Walters, 45, was taken into custody on Friday in a joint operation by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Mexico City Foreign Field Office and Mexican law enforcement authorities, and transferred to Mexico City to await extradition to the United States.
“Thanks to the hard work of our Deputy U.S. Marshals, local law enforcement and Mexican law enforcement partners, we were able to bring Walters in to face the consequences for his laundry list of accused crimes,” said David Harlow, Assistant Director of the U.S. Marshals Investigative Operations Division.
Walters, who faces murder, drugs and weapon possession charges in San Diego, resided in Cancun under assumed identity of Oscar Rivera and worked at the Cancun International Airport, the U.S. Marshal’s Service said.
He is wanted for the kidnapping and murder of Christina Reyes, who was killed in September 1988.
Walters and his brother, Martin, took three people hostage in a drug trafficking deal that went bad.
The brothers later released two hostages, but Reyes died when she was gagged with a chemically saturated rag that killed her almost instantaneously.
Martin Walters was caught soon after the crime and is serving 25 years to life in prison.
The U.S. Marshals Service's 15 Most Wanted Fugitives Program was established in 1983 in an effort to prioritize the investigation and apprehension of high-profile offenders who are considered to be some of the country’s most dangerous fugitives.
The 15 Most Wanted Fugitives list is similar, but not identical to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

http://en.rian.ru/crime/20120715/174610073.html

A great day for Justice.

[muck]

When did Mexico start to extradite fugitives back to the United States? Or was the abscence of such an agreement but a movie cliché?

[skyeye]

When did Mexico start to extradite fugitives back to the United States? Or was the abscence of such an agreement but a movie cliché?

I think Mexico will extradite if the US does not ask for the death penalty.

[Gus]

The US has had an extradition treaty with Mexico since the 1970s. Maybe longer. Even if there is no treaty a host country may choose to revoke a fugitive's visa and kick them out of the country pushing them to a place where the country they are wanted in can get their hands on them.

Most of what people 'know' about extradition is movie cliche. In fact, no country wants to become a refuge for murderers and criminals from other countries. A few things that might foul things up are the fugitive's actual citizenship, criminal charges in the host country or the death penalty. Sometimes public outcry in a host country against the death penalty will make the extradition a political hot-potato.

Here are a couple of interesting cases.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referen...Ng_Extradition
http://www.insightcrime.org/insight-...of-the-pacific