BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (TCN) — A man who has been on the run from law enforcement for 20 years and was once profiled on “America’s Most Wanted” was located and arrested in Mexico last week.
The U.S. Marshals Service announced Aug. 1 that Antonio Riano, who was wanted for allegedly shooting and killing 25-year-old Benjamin Becarra in 2004, was found in Zapotitlan Palmas in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Riano was reportedly working as a police officer in his hometown when marshals and Mexican police forces took him into custody.
Following his arrest, he was flown to Cincinnati and taken to the Butler County Jail, where he is in custody on two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault.
According to WKRC-TV, Riano and Becarra reportedly got into a fight at a bar on Dec. 19, 2004. Video footage allegedly showed Riano pull out a gun and shoot Becarra in the face during the dispute. Investigators learned Riano bought bullets at Walmart that same day, and that the gun believed to be used in the killing was discovered at his home under the floorboards.
Butler County court records show Riano was indicted on Feb. 14, 2005. The U.S. Marshals allege Riano fled the country to avoid prosecution.
WKRC reports Riano was previously given the moniker “El Diablo” or “The Devil.” A local news station in Mexico reportedly asked him why he worked as a police officer, and he responded, “I wanted to help the people of Mexico.”
Prior to his arrest, Riano was added to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office Most Wanted list. His case was also featured on a 2005 episode of “America’s Most Wanted.”
U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio Michael Black told WKRC, “In every violent crime, there’s a victim. We want to bring closure to this case and give that family some peace, knowing that we didn’t stop and that we kept looking for this violent fugitive and were able to catch him and bring him back.”