Phoenix murder fugitive returned after 25 years on run

A 65-year-old man wanted for more than 25 years in a Phoenix stabbing death was returned to Arizona on Thursday after being extradited from Mexico, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Abraham Rafael Pedroza-Garcia faces charges of murder, aggravated assault and burglary in the April 2000 stabbing of his former girlfriend. Investigators say he entered the woman’s home, fatally stabbed her and also stabbed her partner before fleeing the country.

A warrant was issued for his arrest in September 2000.

The case went cold until 2023, when the Phoenix Police Department and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office asked the U.S. Marshals Service to take over the fugitive investigation.

By 2024, investigators on the agency’s Mexico Investigative Liaison Team determined Pedroza-Garcia was living in Mexico.

A Mexican arrest warrant was issued in April 2026, and he was taken into custody by Mexican authorities the following month.

After months of coordination between U.S. and Mexican officials to complete the extradition, deputy marshals escorted Pedroza-Garcia across the border Thursday without incident.

“This case demonstrates that the passage of time and international borders will not prevent law enforcement from pursuing those accused of violent crimes,” Acting U.S. Marshal Van Bayless said.

Pedroza-Garcia was transferred to local authorities to face the pending charges.

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