DALLAS -- The woman suspected to be behind a murder-for-hire plot that killed a local dentist was extradited back to Texas on Thursday.
Brenda Delgado, who has been on the run since last September, arrived at the Dallas County Jail late Thursday evening, where she will stay until her trial.
Brenda Delgado arrives at Dallas County jail. She will be here until her murder trial in death of Kendra Hatcher pic.twitter.com/DrKWotuMZa
— Rebecca Lopez (@rlopezwfaa) October 7, 2016
Photos released by Mexican authorities show her in the custody of law enforcement there before being flown to North Texas.
Delgado is accused of hiring a gunman to murder her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend, Dr. Kendra Hatcher, in an Uptown apartment parking garage last year.
Afterwards, police say she fled to Mexico. Delgado is a citizen of Mexico and a naturalized U.S. citizen.
"The truth is, she realized she is facing a potential death sentence in a country that is not her home country, and she did not have a lawyer and didn't have means to defend herself, so she went to her home country,” said Delgado’s attorney, George Milner.
Dallas police say she’s been hiding to avoid prosecution for her role in the murder.
On Sept. 2, 2015, Hatcher, a pediatric dentist, was shot dead. Police say Kristopher Love was hired by Delgado to murder Hatcher and they say Delgado got her friend, Chrystal Cortes, to drive the getaway car.
Police say Delgado was jealous the victim was dating her former boyfriend.
“That is certainly a fact that is not in my favor — that there is a connection between her and Dr. Hatcher — but that doesn't mean my client conspired with anyone to kill her,” Milner said.
Delgado was charged with murder and a world-wide warrant was issued for her arrest. The FBI put her on the 10 Most Wanted list, which has included terrorists like Osama Bin Laden in the past.
Sources say authorities knew where Delgado was when she was added to that most wanted list, and Delgado’s attorney says he had already negotiated her surrender at that point.
"If everyone had done it the way I wanted to do it — which was to have her voluntarily walk across the bridge in Laredo, Texas, in March — she would have been back six months ago at much less government expense,” Milner said.
Delgado was arrested in April 2016 in Mexico. The country does not have a death penalty, so her extradition agreement includes language that says she will not face execution, if convicted.
Delgado's attorney, George Milner, says his client is expected to be on a flight to Dallas Thursday, but didn't say what time.
The suspected gunman, Kristopher Love, and the alleged getaway driver, Chrystal Cortes, have both been charged for their alleged roles in the murder.
