Abigail Esparza Reyes Obituary, Death;- A U.S. fugitive, sought for the murder of a Mexican police commander known as a “Gringo Hunter” during a shootout last week, has been apprehended in Tijuana, according to officials.
Cesar Hernandez, previously convicted of murder in California, is accused of killing Abigail Esparza Reyes, a member of a specialized Mexican state police unit tasked with tracking down foreign fugitives crossing the border, during the incident on April 9.
Surveillance footage analyzed by ABC News captured an individual, identified by authorities as Hernandez, changing into bright yellow work attire, seemingly attempting to blend in following the shooting in Mexico. The Baja California State Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed in a statement on Friday that Hernandez was arrested on Thursday evening.
“The successful apprehension reflects the exceptional intelligence and investigative efforts of the personnel from the State Attorney General’s Office, whose coordinated strategies, tactical analyses, and data collection enabled the precise location of the individual taken into custody today,” stated the Baja California prosecutor’s office.
Mexican officials indicated that Hernandez is currently undergoing criminal proceedings, and “his legal status will be determined in accordance with the law.” Hernandez escaped from custody on December 2, shortly after arriving for a court appearance in Delano, California, as reported by the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Upon his arrival, Hernandez “evaded staff custody, jumped out of the van, and has been at large since,” officials noted at that time.
He had been arrested in 2019 for murder in Los Angeles County and sentenced to 80 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole. His sentence included 25 years for first-degree murder, which was “doubled due to a second strike,” along with additional time for discharging a firearm during the crime. Hernandez also received five years for a prior offense. Reyes and her team of “Gringo Hunters” were featured in a documentary series.
