Man Wanted In Bethesda Woman's 2010 Murder Caught In Mexico

BETHESDA, MD — A man wanted in connection with the 2010 death of an American University accounting professor from Bethesda has been found in Mexico and taken into custody, according to Montgomery County authorities.

Montgomery County police said Jorge Rueda Landeros was arrested this month, 11 years after he was charged in connection with the murder of Sue Marcum, who was found dead in her Bethesda home on Oct. 25, 2010.

Authorities found Landeros living in Guadalajara and working as a yoga instructor, El Pais Mexico reported.

"We are happy they were able to snatch him after all the years," Marcus Jones, chief of the Montgomery County Police Department, told The Washington Post. "This is a fabulous outcome to get this guy in custody."

• Related: Suspect In Bethesda Woman's 2010 Murder Awaiting Extradition In Mexico

According to the FBI, Marcum was found dead in the basement of her home, which also looked like it had been burglarized. Authorities said Landeros had both a personal and financial relationship with Marcum, an accounting professor at American University.

On April 16, 2011, an arrest warrant was issued in Montgomery County District Court after Landeros was charged with first-degree murder. A federal arrest warrant was issued on June 2, 2011, after Landeros was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Authorities said Landeros was a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States. The FBI believed he fled to Mexico after the murder.

Landeros, 52, was reportedly living under the name León Ferrara, El Pais reported.

"I'm innocent," Landeros told El Pais during a phone call from the Reclusorio Sur in Mexico City. "I suppose not for everything, but obviously for what they are accusing me of."

Over the years, Landeros repeatedly denied his involvement in the killing during interviews with The Washington Post. He said he and Marcum were involved in an intimate relationship, which explained why his DNA was found in her home.

"I understand what they see from their end," Landeros told The Post. "They’ll find me all over the place if they look hard enough … I drank wine from glasses there. I drank water from the glasses there. I’ve eaten with the forks there. I slept in that bed and the sofa."

"It doesn’t look good," Landeros added. "That’s why I’m here in Mexico."

Authorities said the FBI office in Baltimore received information this month that Landeros was likely living in Guadalajara, located in the state of Jalisco.

On Dec. 13, the FBI, the Legat, Mexico Task Force and the Jalisco State Police apprehended Landeros and took him into custody without incident, authorities said.

Landeros is in Mexico City awaiting extradition to the United States.