San Diego, California – A convicted murderer who escaped from custody in Central California last year was arrested Thursday night in Tijuana, ending a months-long international manhunt that turned deadly.
César Moisés Hernández, 35, had been serving an 80-years-to-life sentence for a 2019 first-degree murder in Los Angeles County when he escaped U.S. custody in December. He had been transported to the Kern County Superior Courthouse in Delano for a court appearance but managed to flee shortly after arrival.
After months on the run, Hernández was captured by Mexico’s State Investigation Agency in the Lomas de Matamoros neighborhood of Tijuana, Baja California prosecutors confirmed. Video footage from local news site Punto Norte showed him being transferred to a Tijuana prison shortly after midnight Friday.
His time as a fugitive took a violent turn earlier this month when he allegedly shot and killed a decorated Mexican police commander during an arrest operation. Cmdr. Abigail Esparza Reyes, 33, was a mother of two and head of the Baja California state police’s international liaison unit—an elite group known as the “Gringo Hunters” that specializes in capturing foreign fugitives.
On April 9, Esparza led a team attempting to apprehend Hernández in Tijuana’s Barcelona Residencial neighborhood. According to Mexican officials, Hernández opened fire and fatally shot her in the neck. She was rushed to a hospital but did not survive.
Surveillance footage later showed Hernández fleeing the scene in his underwear and changing into a yellow worker’s jacket to blend in with bystanders.
Following the deadly shooting, U.S. officials increased the reward for information leading to Hernández’s arrest to $35,000. “Commander Esparza will be remembered as a true hero who was killed while bravely supporting binational efforts to keep our countries safe,” said David Arizmendi, press attaché for the U.S. Embassy in Mexico.
Questions remain about the operation that led to Esparza’s death. Gen. Laureano Carrillo, Baja California’s secretary of security, admitted during a press conference that there were “operational errors,” including an insufficient number of officers and a failed initial response that allowed the suspect to escape.
Esparza’s unit had captured more than 400 fugitives during her eight years in command. Authorities on both sides of the border have vowed to cooperate closely to ensure Hernández is brought to justice for her death and his prior crimes.
