U.S. Officials Move To Bring Suspected Murderer Back To Brockton

BrocktonPost
BROCKTON--Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz today announced
arrest warrants have been issued charging a fugitive in Ecuador with the murders of a mother and son found dead in a Brockton dumpster last month.
U.S. officials are seeking Luis Agustin Guaman, 40, through international diplomats and law enforcement agencies to try and bring Guaman back to the U.S. for the murders of Maria Avelina Palaguachi-Cela and her 2-year-old son Brian.
During a press conference earlier today, Cruz said a copy of the arrest warrant was hand delivered to Ecuadorian embassy officials in Boston at about 10:30 p.m. on Friday, February 18
Investigators immediately provided a copy of the warrant to the FBI in order to obtain an Interpol warrant for Guaman.
"Over the last ten days, investigators have worked closely on this issue with the FBI," Cruz said in the statement.
Late Tuesday afternoon investigators were notified an Interpol warrant for Guaman had been issued, he said.
Bridget Norton-Middleton, spokeswoman for Cruz's office, said evidence against Guaman allegedly includes a blood-stained sledgehammer, Guaman's fingerprints on the bags in which the bodies were found inside the dumpster, blood-covered clothing officials said belong to Guaman, rings believed to be Guaman's, and a pair of sneakers Guaman was seen to have been wearing days before the killings.
A copy of Cruz's local and federal warrants have been forwarded to the Interpol office in Ecuador.
In addition to pursing Guaman’s return with Ecuadorian embassy officials, Cruz said a formal request to the Department of Justice has been made that the agency seek Guaman’s return to the U.S to stand trial for the murders.
On Sunday, February 13, the bodies of 25-year-old Palaguachi-Cela and her son, Brian
were found in a dumpster near their apartment at 427 Warren Ave.
An autopsy determined both mother and child died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and brain.
On Monday, February 14 at approximately 12:01 a.m., Guaman--who authorities say was illegally in the U.S. and used at least two different aliases--left John F. Kennedy airport in New York City on a flight to Ecuador.
The flight was just 2 1/2 hours after an anonymous tip led Brockton Police to the dumpster.
Guaman is reportedly being held by law enforcement officials in Ecuador after relatives of Palaguachi-Cela helped capture Guaman about a week after he arrived in his homeland.
Until today's press conference, Cruz had said Guaman was wanted for questioning.