International Search For Bucks Co. Man Wanted In Girlfriend's Stabbing Death Ends In Arrest

DOYLESTOWN, PA — An international manhunt for a Telford man wanted in the brutal stabbing death of 23-year-old Maria Bernarda Popol Garcia ended on Monday with his arrest in Honduras, Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan announced.

Darwin David Espinal-Del Cid was placed in custody by Honduran agents with the Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation (ATIC) during a coordinated operation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). His arrest happened early Monday in Pespire, Honduras.

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Espinal-Del Cid, 27, is currently being held in Tegucigalpa pending extradition to Bucks County to face charges of criminal homicide, possession of an instrument of crime, theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, and abuse of a corpse.

The victim, Maria Bernarda Popol Garcia, moved to the United States from Guatemala for a better life and worked as a server at a local Latin American restaurant and grocery in Telford. Friends and co-workers remembered her as a bright, gentle spirit with a kind heart.

The investigation began on March 13 when the Palisades Park Police Department in New Jersey received a report from family members who said they had not heard from Popol Garcia for a week. They told police she lived in Telford Borough, Bucks County, with Espinal-Del Cid.

Maria Bernarda Popol Garcia.

Telford Borough Police went to her residence at 139 N. Main Street, but no one answered the door. The next day, police returned and discovered her body wrapped in a blanket, covered in clothing, and stuffed inside a bedroom closet.

Garcia would have turned 23 years old just one day before her body was found. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death was homicide resulting from an edged cutting weapon.

Authorities allege Espinal-Del Cid slashed her throat, moved her body into the closet to conceal the crime, and stole her Android cellular phone along with $400 in cash before fleeing.

Investigators learned Popol Garcia had been taking steps to leave Espinal-Del Cid. On March 6, she told a co-worker she was moving out and began transporting her belongings to a new apartment.

In the early hours of March 7, neighbors reported a loud argument inside the apartment: the last time Popol Garcia was known to be alive.

In the days following the murder, investigators said Espinal-Del Cid engaged in a series of deceptions to conceal her death and secure travel funds, even posing as the victim via text messages to create the illusion she was still alive.

Financial and flight records show Espinal-Del Cid purchased a one-way ticket to Honduras and fled the country on March 9, investigators found.

“The tragic loss of a young woman on the threshold of her adult life is another sobering reminder of the often lethal nature of domestic violence,” Khan said. “Our hearts break for Maria's family and loved ones. Distance will not offer refuge to those who commit acts of violence in our community, and we remain relentless in our pursuit of justice for Maria.”