1994 Texas Family Murder Case's Suspect Found, Extradited From Mexico

A suspect for the murder of a family of three in Texas that happened over 28 years ago was finally captured and extradited from Mexico on Monday as the man faces arraignment and trial for the murders that may grant him the death penalty.

Arturo Ortega Garcia was extradited from Mexico City on Nov. 4 by authorities after he was identified as a suspect for the Santoni family murder in 1994 through technological advances that allowed the local authorities to reopen the case in 2015, according to the Latin Post.

The Santoni Family Murder case happened in August 1994, where 59-year-old Francisco Santoni, 28-year-old Maria Concepcion “Connie” Villa, and 3-year-old Dante Santoni were found dead inside their home near a local high school, the New York Post reported.

All of the members of the family were stabbed repeatedly by the suspect, including Francisco, who reportedly had just come home at the time. The suspect and murderer at the time had stolen clothing and jewelry from the house, with the suspect removing some of the clothing and objects in the closet of the master bedroom to put in the Dodge Colt before fleeing.

At the time, despite a plethora of evidence that could potentially be linked to the murderer, the technological limitations of the time forced the Satoni murders to become a cold case. Once the case was reopened in 2015, however, Garcia was found to be the prime suspect of the crime.

While a warrant was issued for his arrest, Garcia was nowhere to be found by authorities, and eluded their grasp for years. Finally, in 2020, he was discovered to have been arrested in Mexico City, where he remained until November of this year when he was finally extradited.

It is unclear as of writing this what crime he was arrested for in Mexico.

Garcia’s bail has been set to $5 million by El Paso Judge Ruben Nunez, and his conviction could result in life in prison without parole or the death penalty.