Suspect in 1986 Murder Is Captured in Mexico
A man whom police sought for nearly two decades in connection with a North Hollywood slaying has been captured in Mexico and will be tried there, Los Angeles detectives said Thursday.
Merced de los Santos, 56, was charged with murder in 1986 by Los Angeles County prosecutors after witnesses identified him as the man who shot an acquaintance, 26-year-old Francisco Esparza, during an argument.
Police pursued De los Santos for years, until a North Hollywood resident saw the case profiled on “America’s Most Wanted” and gave police an address in Mexico.
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