Authorities say a man suspected of killing a Utah radio personality has been extradited from Mexico to Salt Lake City.
According to a press statement last Friday and published by local ABC4, Manuel Omar Burciaga-Perea, 36, was returned to Utah from Mexico City by the US Marshals Service after years of international attempts.
Burciaga-Perea was allegedly arrested by 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.
According to criminal records from 2021, Burciaga-Perea shot Castilla seven times in the chest, arm, and skull.First responders were unable to keep Castilla alive at her sister’s home, according to police.
“Burciaga-Perea and Castilla had been in a dating relationship but were not together at the time,” according to the TVPD.
Because Burciaga-Perea was at his house in Chihuahua, Mexico, police were unable to apprehend him due to his Mexican citizenship.
Law enforcement agencies in Utah, Mexico, and Washington, D.C. collaborated to catch Burciaga-Perea, who was apprehended on Thanksgiving Day last year.Burciaga-Perea was extradited to Utah and imprisoned in the Salt Lake County Jail after being detained in Mexico City for six months.
“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.”
