A murder fugitive who had been on Ohio’s “Most Wanted” list for nearly two decades was taken into custody after being spotted working as a police officer in his native Mexico, authorities said.
Antonio Liano, who had been wanted since 2004 for the shooting death of Benjamin Becarra, 25, was arrested on August 1 in Zapotirán Palmas, Oaxaca, Mexico, where he was working as a police officer. According to US Sheriff.
Liano, now 72, was listed as one of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office’s “Most Wanted” and was featured on the television series “America’s Most Wanted” in 2005.
Police said Liano shot and killed Becala on Dec. 19, 2004, after an argument outside the Roundhouse Bar in Hamilton, Ohio. NBC News reported..
Authorities said at the time that Liano ran into the bar to try to help Becarra after the bartender asked him to leave after they had been fighting there a few weeks earlier.
As Liano and Becarra argued, the bartender told them to leave, after which shots were fired and Becarra was found face-down on the sidewalk.
Security camera footage showed Liano fleeing the scene, but authorities were unable to locate him and at the time it was believed he had fled the country to avoid prosecution.
Paul Newton, chief investigator for the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office, said U.S. marshals tried to arrest Liano with a warrant in 2006, but Liano escaped because he was at a friend’s house across the street, NBC News reported.
He said he was able to track down Riano earlier this month using Facebook and other social media.
Liano was flown from Mexico City to Cincinnati and transported to the Butler County Jail, where he is being held pending court proceedings.
He is being held on two counts of murder and one count of felony assault.
He is due to appear in court again later this month.
