A 20‑year manhunt ends: U.S. fugitive caught posing as Mexican cop

20 years – that's how long it took American police to catch a man accused of murder. The man fled to Mexico, where he found his calling among other uniformed officers. The murderer was tracked down thanks to Facebook.

Is there such a thing as the perfect crime? Experts in criminology are divided. Some argue that every criminal makes a mistake that can help in identification. On the other hand, history knows examples of such murderers as Zodiac, who, despite extensive investigations, was never identified. Sometimes, it turns out that the criminal starts a completely new life, playing the role of a model citizen.

In 2004, Antonio Riano, "El Diablo," argued with 25-year-old Benjamin Becerr. The incident occurred at the Round House bar in Hamilton, Ohio. El Diablo allegedly shot the 25-year-old directly in the face, leading to his death. A few weeks earlier, the suspect had caused a commotion in the bar and was asked to leave. After the incident, the man fled the scene of the murder.

On February 16, 2005, Antonio Riano was charged with first-degree murder, but he did not appear in court. For 20 years, El Diablo vanished without a trace. American police suspected that Riano had fled to Mexico, but they lacked concrete evidence. After committing the crime, the man was placed on the "most wanted" list by the Butler County Sheriff's Office. His profile was also featured on "America’s Most Wanted."

In 2018, the American justice system filed a request for Antonio Riano's extradition, but the Mexican police did not pursue the matter. The situation changed on August 1, 2024, when the authorities arrested Riano. It turned out that the murder suspect had actively maintained a Facebook account the entire time, which was noticed by an American detective. Interestingly, in one of the videos, El Diablo is seen wearing a police badge.

During a press conference, Michael T. Gmoser, Butler County Prosecutor, said: "This kind of arrest would not have been possible without the cooperation and diligence of both the investigators from the prosecutor's office and the United States Marshals Service and the Department of Justice."

Michael D. Black, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio, added that through their task forces to combat violent criminals, the U.S. Marshals Service supports their state and local law enforcement partners in arresting the region's most dangerous fugitives. This arrest resulted from ongoing information sharing between agencies and the determination of the investigators who did not give up on this case.