A man arrested nearly 33 years after a West Falls Church murder has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the stabbing death of his wife, a young mother of three who was found lying on Cofer Road.
Fairfax County police issued a felony warrant in May 1991 for Jose Lazaro Cruz, but he went on the run after April 30, 1991, murder of 24-year-old Ana Jurado, fleeing to El Salvador. He eventually remarried and had another family.
Fairfax County police continued to pursue the West Falls Church murder case, and in 2022, the federal justice department said Cruz was picked up when he tried to enter Costa Rica from Nicaragua. He was extradited in January 2024.
In August, Cruz, now 60, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. A Fairfax County judge sentenced him this week.
Under state guidelines, he will be eligible for geriatric parole in five years.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
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