Saturday, February 19, 2011

Slow Saturday Special: Elevating Ecuador to the Front Page

"Man who fled after Brockton killings arrested in Ecuador; Lived with slain woman, child; caught in a sting" by Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff / February 19, 2011

Ecuadoran authorities arrested yesterday a roofer wanted for questioning in the brutal slayings of a woman and her 2-year-old son in Brockton, acting on a tip from the man’s estranged wife in the United States who had allegedly been beaten by him in the past.

Luis A. Guaman Cela, 40, was arrested in Cuenca, Ecuador, and charged with possessing and using a fake Ecuadoran passport, apparently the same document he used to leave the United States less than three hours after the bodies of his housemate Maria Avelina Palaguachi-Cela and her son, Brian, were found Sunday in a trash bin behind their house....

It was unclear last night whether US authorities would have opportunities to question Guaman or bring him back to the United States. He faces multiple arrest warrants in the United States on various charges. Ecuador’s constitution prohibits the extradition of its citizens to other countries....

Guaman apparently used a fake passport to board a flight at John F. Kennedy airport in New York, bound eventually for Ecuador. He is wanted on multiple warrants in New York and Massachusetts, including more than one accusing him of assaulting his estranged wife. It was unclear why he was not arrested despite the pending warrants.

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Also see: Figure in killing of mother and son may have fled to Ecuador

Ecuador offers aid in slaying investigation

Update: Man sought for questioning in Brockton slayings held in Ecuador