(WGHP) — The wanted fugitive accused of killing a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy that escaped jail on Sunday has been captured in Mexico, according to the FBI.
Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo, 26, escaped from Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia, in the early morning hours of Sunday, according to the FBI. Surveillance footage showed the suspect climbing a fence to escape custody.
Agents say that Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo has ties to North Carolina and Mexico and that he was driving an early 2000 red/burgundy Ford Mustang with a 30-day North Carolina temporary tag. A federal warrant was issued for his arrest on Monday for escaping from custody.
Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo is described as a Hispanic man, standing 5-feet-6-inches tall, weighing 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
On Thursday, FBI agents say that Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo was taken into custody by Mexican authorities after 1 p.m. in the state of Guerrero. The investigation to determine exactly how he got from Virginia to Mexico is still ongoing.
Investigators are still in need of assistance in finding the Ford Mustang that was used in the escape. Contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov if you see the vehicle.
Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo was originally in custody after being charged with first-degree murder in connection to the August 2022 shooting death of Wake County deputy Ned Byrd.
The FBI initially offered a $50,000 reward for information on Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo. The U.S. Marshals Service added the additional $20,000 on Wednesday.
A woman, Adriana Marin-Sotelo, has been charged in connection with Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo’s escape.
According to a criminal complaint filed with the Middle District of North Carolina, between April 29 and May 1, Adriana Marin-Sotelo “committed the following federal offense: conspiracy to instigate or assist escape.”
Agents began reviewing phone calls that Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo and another suspected co-conspirator had made from the jail prior to the suspect’s escape.
According to the documents, on April 28, a co-conspirator, who has not been indicted, called their sibling, identified as “unindicted co-conspirator 2.”
During that phone call, the caller tells their sibling to “pick up the getaway car” in High Point. During a follow-up phone call later that day, the caller gave “co-conspirator 2” a phone number belonging to Adriana Marin-Sotelo, telling them to talk to her and arrange a pickup spot for the car and have it in place by midnight.
The next day, Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo allegedly called Adriana Marin-Sotelo and told her to get the car and $2,500 to co-conspirator 2, who was with her at the time of the call.
Co-conspirator 2 was seen on a video with the first caller that night, showing them that they were leaving the car, a red Mustang, in the parking lot of the jail. Then, early Sunday morning, Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo is allegedly seen climbing the fence and leaving in the red Mustang.
The first co-conspirator spoke with co-conspirator 2 later Sunday morning and they discussed not being able to get in touch with Adriana Marin-Sotelo for the additional $2,500 Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo had allegedly instructed her to pay them.
Investigators were told by co-conspirator 1 that Adriana Marin-Sotelo had bought the car for $3,000 and given it to co-conspirator 2 in order to leave it in the jail parking lot for Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo’s escape. Co-conspirator 2 told investigators that they met Adriana Marin-Sotelo at Palacios Automotive in High Point and got the car from her.
Adriana Marin-Sotelo was taken into custody in Guilford County.
