12/27/11— Joel Abraham Caudillo, a man suspected in the 2010 killing of a U.S. consulate employee, her husband, and another man was extradited by Mexico to the United States on December 20. The consulate employee, Leslie Ann Enrique Catton, husband Arthur Redelfs, and Jorge Alberto Salcedo Ceniceros, the husband of another U.S. consulate employee were all killed in Ciudad Juárez in March 2010; the Redelfs were shot in the street after leaving a children’s party, while Ceniceros was murdered in a separate shooting leaving the same party minutes later.
The Attorney General’s Office stated that suspect Caudillo is allegedly guilty of covering up or detroying evidence linked to the killings. He is also facing charges of racketeering, drug trafficking, money laundering and obstruction of justice. Caudillo is an alleged member of the Barrio Azteca gang, which is said to be associated with the Juárez cartel, that is believed to be responsible for the U.S. consulate killings. The U.S. grand jury has indicted a total of 35 Barrio Azteca gang members who have been linked to the killings, most of whom have been arrested. Caudillo now joins Miguel Angel Nevarez, who was also extradited to the U.S. last August.
In an unrelated incident, on December 20, Mexico also extradited Julian Zapata Espinosa, alias el Piolín, known as a prime suspect in the killing of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jaime Zapata, who was killed on February 15. To read more about this story, click here.
Sources:
“Mexico Extradites Suspect in US Consulate Slaying.” ABC. December 27, 2011.
Rutland, Joe. “Man linked to consulate killings extradited to US.” El Paso Times. December 27, 2011.
Muedano, Marcos. “Llega a EU acusado de 3 crimenes.” El Universal. December 27, 2011.
