PHOENIX — A Marine who was among the most wanted fugitives in the nation for the murder of a Phoenix woman has been arrested.
Raymond Samuel McLeod Jr. was placed on the US Marshals 15 Most Wanted list last year for allegedly killing his girlfriend.
Krystal Mitchell, 30, was from Phoenix but was found dead inside an apartment in San Diego in June of 2016.
The two had been dating and were in San Diego visiting friends when Krystal was killed. Police found evidence of foul play and discovered that McLeod was the last person to see her alive.
“He’s arrogant, he’s ruthless,” Michell’s mom Josephine Funes Wentzel said last year. “He’s a charmer, and that’s the danger.”
San Diego police launched a criminal investigation and asked for help from the Marshals office after McLeod fled the country.
EN ESPAÑOL: Arrestan a ex infante de marina en la lista de los más buscados por el asesinato de una mujer de Phoenix
Details are limited, but the Marshal's office confirmed that McLeod was arrested Monday afternoon by El Salvadoran police with help from US agents.
Authorities had received a tip that McLeod had been teaching English at a school in Sonsonate, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.
Josephine Funes Wentzel, the victim's mother, generated leads for law enforcement and helped spread the word on social media about the international manhunt for McLeod. Prosecutors say Wentzel, a former police detective, was instrumental in helping to solve the case.
A $50,000 reward had been offered for tips leading to McLeod’s capture.
Stay with 12News for more updates on this developing story.
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