Colombian fugitive convicted in wife’s 1994 death found using fake name in US, FBI says
A Colombian fugitive convicted in the 1994 murder of his wife evaded arrest for 27 years — until he was caught living under a fake name in the U.S. on April 13, the FBI says.
He was also wanted in the attempted murder of his daughter, whom he shot after fatally shooting his wife during a “domestic violence incident” while living in Medellin, Colombia, the FBI said in a news release. His daughter had tried to stop the dispute.
William Hernando Usma Acosta, 61, was found living in Belmont, Massachusetts, using the fake name Carlos Alberto Rendon and was arrested on his way to work, according to the FBI. He fled Colombia soon after killing his wife and arrived in the U.S. in 1995 after illegally crossing the Mexican border, officials said.
Then, Usma Acosta created a new life in Massachusetts where he married another woman, whom he had a son with, in 1998, the FBI detailed. The marriage allowed him to obtain “lawful, permanent resident status.”
In June 2020, FBI special agents received a tip that Usma Acosta was living in the Boston area, the release said. This is the same year that Usma Acosta applied to become a U.S. citizen under the name of Rendon and submitted an application with his fingerprints.
“The FBI compared Rendon’s fingerprints against those of Usma Acosta which were provided by the Colombian National Police and determined they were an exact match,” the agency said.
“Investigators also determined that the Colombian birth certificate that Rendon submitted was fraudulent.”
In 1996, after Usma Acosta escaped Colombia, a court in Medellin initially sentenced him to “45 years in prison on the charges of aggravated murder, aggravated attempted murder, and illegal possession of a firearm,” but that sentence was reduced to 28 years, according to the FBI.
The Colombian government proceeded to issue an international arrest warrant soon after.
“William Hernando Usma Acosta is a convicted cold-blooded killer who thought he could evade justice by entering the United States and creating a new identity for himself so he could live under the radar,” FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta said in a statement.
“He needs to face justice for what he did, and today’s arrest ensures that he will.”
Belmont is roughly 10 miles outside of Boston.
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Colombian fugitive convicted in wife’s 1994 death found using fake name in US, FBI says."
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