Fugitive Groom Added To FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List

BURBANK, IL — Her wedding day was supposed to be the happiest of Estrella Carrera’s life, but within 24 hours of getting married at city hall, she would be found stabbed to death in her Burbank condo. Days away from the seventh anniversary of her death, the bridegroom believed responsible for her murder has been elevated to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List. Arnoldo Jimenez, is the 522nd fugitive added to the FBI’s infamous fugitives list since its debut in 1950. He is believed to be on the lam in Mexico.

On Friday, May 11, 2012, Jimenez, then 30, married 26-year-old Estrella Carrera in a spur-of-the-moment ceremony at Chicago City Hall. The couple celebrated with family and friends at a restaurant in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, and later, at a nightclub on the city’s North Side. The couple was last seen around early the next morning as they headed home to Carrera’s Burbank condo.

Carrera’s family became concerned when she did not pick up her two young children the next afternoon as planned. A family member asked the Burbank Police Department to conduct a well-being check at Carrera’s condo in the 7800 block of South Rutherford Avenue. Carrera’s lifeless body was found in the bathtub, wearing the same silver sequined cocktail dress she wore celebrating her wedding with her family. Jimenez, the father of Carrera’s youngest child, was nowhere to be found.

The FBI believes Jimenez stabbed Carrera to death in his black Maserati as they were traveling home from the reception in the early morning hours of May 12, 2012. The Cook County Medical Examiner determined Carrera died of multiple stab wounds. Her death was ruled a homicide.

“We believe she was stabbed in the vehicle and then dragged back into the apartment and left bleeding in the bathtub,” Special Agent Steve Barnard, who is working the case out of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office, said in news release.

Jimenez was charged with first degree murder by the Circuit Court of Cook County,
and a state warrant was issued for his arrest on May 15, 2012. A federal arrest warrant was issued by the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, on May 17, 2012, after Jimenez was charged federally with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, the FBI said.

According to a 2012 federal warrant, Jimenez contacted his sister, telling her that he had a “bad fight” with Carrera and left her bleeding. He is also said to have had another conversation with someone described as a “close associate,” stating that he was leaving Illinois. The Texas-born Jimenez reportedly told his associate, that if the police came looking for him, to tell law enforcement that he was heading to Mexico.

Records placed Jimenez’s cellphone in Hidalgo, Texas, near the Mexican border, at 10:45 p.m. on May 13, 2012. That's the last time police were able to track the phone

Burbank police said Jimenez had prior arrests for domestic abuse, though not with Carerra. Those close to the couple said there had been incidents of violence the past few years, but Carerra had never filed a complaint against Jimenez.

“The case is very much active and with the help of the FBI, we are more confident than ever that Arnoldo Jimenez will be located,” said Division Chief Mike Dudlo, of the Burbank Police Department. “This was such a horrific crime. The victim, Estrella Carrera, was brutally murdered on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. To see Arnoldo make the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list is another step closer to bringing him to Justice.”

The FBI believes Jimenez may have fled to Durango, Mexico, specifically in the area of Santiago Papasquiaro. He may also frequent Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. He has previously resided in Chicago. Jimenez also uses the aliases “Arnoldo Gimenez” and “Arnoldo Rochel Jimenz.”

Jimenez has black hair and brown eyes. He’s been known to use the birth date of Feb. 19, 1982. He stands around 6 feet tall and, when last seen, weighed between 200 and 225 pounds. The FBI said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

In addition to putting Jimenez on the Top 10 Most Wanted List, the FBI also upped the reward to $100,000 for information leading to Jimenez’s arrest. Anyone with information concerning Jimenez should immediately contact the nearest FBI office or local law enforcement agency.

All information can remain anonymous and confidentiality is guaranteed. Individuals from outside of the United States should contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Calls may also be directed to 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). The FBI’s Chicago Field Office may be reached at 312-421-6700.

The fugitive investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force in Chicago. Formed in 1999, the task force is composed of 58 south and
southwest suburban departments, along with partners from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department, Illinois State Police and federal partners.