"Cold-blooded" fugitive accused of killing wife, shooting daughter in Colombia found living in Boston suburb after three decades on the run
A Colombian man who has been on the lam for nearly three decades since he was convicted in absentia of killing his wife has been located in a Boston suburb, the FBI said.
William Hernando Usma Acosta, 61, was arrested by federal authorities on Wednesday, the FBI said in a statement. Acosta, who has been living locally under the alias Carlos Alberto Rendon, was arrested on his way to work in Waltham, authorities said.
According to authorities, he fatally shot his wife, Laura Rose Agudelo, in Medellin, Colombia, in June 1994, and tried to kill his daughter when she intervened.
He fled Colombia shortly after the killing and was convicted in 1996, according to the FBI.
He crossed into the U.S. from Mexico illegally in 1995 and married an American citizen in 1998 to obtain lawful, permanent resident status, authorities said.
He has most recently been living in Belmont under the name Carlos Alberto Rendon, the FBI said.
When he applied for U.S. citizenship, the FBI compared Rendon's fingerprints against those of Usma Acosta provided by Colombian police and determined they were an exact match. Investigators also determined that his Colombian birth certificate was fraudulent.
His wife and son in Belmont told CBS Boston Wednesday that none of the allegations are true.
Residents in the Belmont neighborhood where he lived were shocked to hear of the arrest.
"I didn't even know he lived there," one woman said. "It's a very safe neighborhood."
"It's a little bit scary," another neighbor said. "It's just a dose of reality, but it's also just crazy."
He is in the custody of U.S. immigration authorities. It could not be determined if he had an attorney.
"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. He needs to face justice for what he did, and today's arrest ensures that he will," FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Joseph Bonavolonta said in a statement. "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will not be a safe haven for those wanted in their native countries, and the FBI will continue to leverage our international partnerships to remove dangerous fugitives like him from our communities."
