TIJUANA, Mex. – A Kern County fugitive wanted for murder was arrested in Tijuana late last week. Cesar Hernandez, who escaped from authorities in Kern County four months ago, was apprehended eight days after allegedly killing a Mexican police officer.
The U.S. Marshals Service and the Baja California State Police allege Hernandez shot and killed Abigail Esparza Reyes, the commander of a specialized Mexican police force, when she and her unit attempted to apprehend him on April 9 in a residential Tijuana neighborhood.
Hernandez fled following that incident and was on the loose until investigators with the Baja California Attorney General’s Office tracked him down last Thursday night in a residential neighborhood of TIjuana, where Hernandez had a loaded gun and stolen car, according to Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez.
“This individual's arrest is to answer for the acts he is accused of in Mexican territory, for the death of the state agent of the Citizen Security Force. That is why the arrest warrant was issued,” she said.
Andrade Ramirez said her agency’s investigation led them to Hernandez, without cooperation from U.S. authorities, though the U.S. Marshals Service had offered a $35,000 reward for any information on his whereabouts.
“The investigation was carried out directly and solely by the Baja California Attorney General's Office,” she said. “The individual committed the crime on Mexican soil, and we, the Mexican authorities, specifically those of Baja California, are in charge of the investigation.”
Before Esparza Reyes’ death, Hernandez was wanted by U.S. authorities for escaping from custody last December while serving an 80 years to life sentence at Kern Valley State Prison. Prison officials reported Hernandez jumped out of a van while being transported from the prison to a court hearing in Delano.
Andrade Ramirez said Hernandez will be tried for murder in Mexico. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of up to 60 years.
This story was produced with support from the California Newsroom, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state, with NPR as its national partner.
