EDINBURG, Texas (AP) — A man who disappeared on the last day of his 2008 murder trial has been captured in Mexico and returned to Texas, authorities said.
Hidalgo County prosecutors said in a news release Friday that 35-year-old Oscar Davila Rodriguez was returned to the U.S. Wednesday. The statement didn't include details about how or where he was captured.
"The tireless work of dedicated law enforcement on both sides of the border ensured that justice was served," Criminal District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez Jr. said in the news release.
Oscar Davila Rodriguez was free on $100,000 bond during his murder trial in the 2005 killing of his 19-year-old ex-girlfriend, Nydia Maldonado. Authorities say he broke into her home in McAllen, stabbed her multiple times and strangled her.
Though Rodriguez failed to appear for the last day of his trial, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison. The trial was in Edinburg, which is about 15 miles from the Texas-Mexico border.
Assistant District Attorney Michelle Puig, who served as lead prosecutor on the case, said Rodriguez' capture will bring closure to Maldonado's family. "Justice will finally be served and will give peace to Nydia and all those who loved her," Puig said.
The 2008 trial was the second time Rodriguez was found guilty of killing Maldonado. Rodriguez, who was free on bond throughout his first trial because he had no criminal record, was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to 55 years in prison. He remained free when a judge threw out that murder conviction because a witness mentioned a polygraph test that was supposed to have been barred from evidence.
