A United States fugitive lasted 20 years as a police officer without raising suspicion. Per CBS, Antonio 'El Diablo' Riano was wanted for a fatal shooting. At a bar in Ohio, Riano shot Benjamin Becarra in the face after a heated argument. WXIX went on to further report on the horrific circumstances of the shooting.
"Becerra was in a brawl at the bar a few weeks earlier, so when he showed up again that day, the bartender asked Becerra to leave, according to Paul Newton, the prosecutor's chief investigator," the publication notes. "Riano stepped in to help the bartender and an argument ensued between the two men, according to Newton. When Riano and Becerra began to argue, the bartender told them to take it outside. Minutes later, gunshots rang out."
Riano got into his van and seemingly disappeared. When investigators searched his apartment, they found a secret compartment in his kitchen. Within it was the murder weapon. By then, however, Riano had already fled the country.
According to Newton, Riano was "the most challenging just in the simple fact that he really dug in then and went underground. He moved after that. We really didn't see any evidence of him until 2023. I think he thought he was home free."
A Fugitive Is Finally Arrested After 20 Years Of Being A Police Officer
20 years later, Newton would randomly try his luck in 2024. "In January of this year, we started actively looking for Mr. Riano again," Newton said to news outlet WKRC-TV. Newton did a computer search, and sure enough, he found Riano! "I'm like, 'My God, there he is!' A little bit grayer, a little bit older, but it was him."
Riano had a Facebook page, and he was living in Oaxaca, Mexico, working as a cop at the Zapotitlan Palmas Police Department. When Riano was finally arrested, he was asked why he decided to become a cop. His response? "I wanted to help the people of Mexico." An odd poetic twist in a conclusion to a sordid case. Riano is back in Hamilton at the Butler County Jail. He will soon be facing the murder charges he's evaded for two decades.
