A man police believed to have stabbed and killed his estranged wife in Pacoima nearly nine years ago, and who had fled to El Salvador, has been extradited back to the US and is being charged with murder and torture, according to the LA County District Attorney’s Office.
Napoleon Eduardo Castro — also known as Juan Flores, Luis Sanchez, “Trouble” and “Napo” — is scheduled to be arraigned March 6 at the San Fernando courthouse in connection with the torture killing of his estranged wife, Olga Martinez, 30, in her garage.
If convicted, Castro faces a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole, which includes the special circumstance allegations of murder involving the infliction of torture and murder by means of lying in wait, along with the allegation that he used a knife in the commission of the crime.
Castro was taken into custody by members of the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force, according to the FBI, which also announced that a reward had been paid in connection with the investigation.
The suspect allegedly attacked Martinez in the garage of her condominium building in the 11000 block of Glenoaks Boulevard in the early morning hours of May 1, 2010. Her body was found in a pool of blood at the entrance to the garage, according to the FBI. She had been stabbed multiple times.
Authorities had named Castro as the suspect in the killing shortly after the crime, and state and federal warrants were subsequently issued for his arrest. The wanted poster distributed by the FBI noted that he had the name “OLGA” tattooed on his chest.
He was turned over to Los Angeles police on Feb. 14, and is being held without bail.
City News Service contributed to this report.