For Immediate Release
July 24, 2009
Matt Hershey, Deputy U.S. Marshal
Public Affairs Officer (602) 920-4841

U.S. Marshals led Investigation Leads to Capture of Mexico Murder Suspect

Phoenix, AZ – On July 21, 2009 Deputy U.S. Marshals and officials from the DHS Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Detention and Removal Operations (ICE-DRO) located Humberto Lerma-Velazco in Bullhead City, Arizona. He was apprehended in a coordinated effort by Bullhead City Police.

Humberto Lerma-Velazco, 51, was wanted by authorities in Baja, California, Mexico in connection with a murder that occurred there in October of 2005. Lerma-Velazco was allegedly involved in a physical altercation, which turned deadly when Lerma-Velazco allegedly shot the individual, killing him. In 2007 the State Attorney Generals Office in Baja, California, Mexico requested the assistance of the United States Marshals Mexico Investigative Liaison in locating Lerma-Velazco, as it was believed that he had fled to the United States after the incident. On July 21, 2009 Lerma-Velazco was arrested in Bullhead City, AZ by Officers with the Bullhead City Police Department for being in the United States illegally, after information had been developed by Deputy U.S. Marshals that Lerma-Velazco was living there with a relative. On July 23 he was ordered deported to Mexico and transported from Arizona by ICE-DRO and U.S. Marshals where he was turned over to Mexican law enforcement officials at the Calexico Port of Entry in Calexico, California.

United States Marshal David Gonzales added, “Criminals wanted in other jurisdictions will not find safe havens in Arizona. Our cooperative efforts with our international, state and local partners are strong and we will continue to work together to find and arrest dangerous fugitives such as this.â€