Decades on the run
After two decades of eluding capture, Antonio “El Diablo” Riano, who has been one of “America’s Most Wanted” fugitives over the past 20 years, has been arrested in Mexico. Astonishingly, Riano, 72, was found working as a local police officer.
The Ohio murder
In December 2004, Riano fatally shot 25-year-old Benjamin Becarra at the Round House Bar in Hamilton, Ohio. Becarra, involved in a prior brawl, was asked to leave the bar. Riano, assisting the bartender, argued briefly with Becarra before shooting him in the head and fleeing the scene. Authorities later identified Riano through witness accounts and surveillance footage of him purchasing ammunition 45 minutes before the shooting.
Discovery of multiple identities
A subsequent search of a Hamilton home revealed that Riano had several aliases and documents for creating false identities. Police also found a Smith & Wesson Model 10.38 revolver with four live rounds and two spent casings, matching the ammunition purchased at Walmart.
Indicted on first-degree murder charges in February 2005, Riano failed to appear at his arraignment and fled to Mexico. He was placed on Butler County’s “Most Wanted” list and featured on “America’s Most Wanted.” He is believed to have traveled to New Jersey, where he had family living, before leaving for Mexico in Dec. 2004.
Arrest and extradition
In 2018, an affidavit for Riano’s extradition was filed, but no action was taken until his arrest in Mexico City. Handed over to the US Marshals, Riano was flown to Cincinnati and detained at Butler County Jail.
Authorities praised the cooperative efforts leading to Riano’s capture. “This type of apprehension would not be possible without the cooperation and due diligence of both the Prosecutor’s Office investigators, the United States Marshal Service, and the United States Department of Justice,” said Michael T. Gmoser, Butler County Prosecutor.
“The United States Marshal Service, through our violent fugitive task forces, assists our state and local law enforcement partners to apprehend the area’s most dangerous fugitives. This arrest is the result of the ongoing sharing of information between the agencies and the determination of the investigators who refused to give up on this case,” said Michael D. Black, US Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio.
Riano is scheduled to appear in Butler County Court on Monday, marking the end of a long pursuit for justice and closing a significant chapter in a case that spanned two decades and two countries.
