A fugitive on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list surrendered this week in El Salvador and is in the custody of U.S. authorities. The FBI confirms Edwin Ernesto Rivera Gracias turned himself in to Salvadoran authorities on Tuesday, and on Wednesday arrived in Denver, Colorado where he faces murder charges for the August 17, 2011 death of 69-year-old Richard Limon. Limon’s body was found alongside a road on Lookout Mountain.
Rivera Gracias is accused of beating, choking and stabbing Limon 9 times with a steak knife while at least one other suspect held the man down. The suspect who held Limon down has already pleaded guilty along with two other suspects involved in the crime. According to court documents, Limon was the stepfather of Rivera Gracias’ girlfriend. Rivera Gracias believed Limon had molested his girlfriend.
At the time of the murder, Rivera Garcias was in the U.S. illegally. Authorities believe he fled to El Salvador soon after the killing. The FBI added him to the Most Wanted Fugitives list last March. A $100,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest. It is unclear if the reward will be collected.
Rivera Garcias is believed to be a member of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as MS-13. The gang, which was labeled a criminal organization by President Obama last year, has been linked to drug and sex trafficking and contract killings.
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