Man arrested for stabbing wife in 1991

A man wanted for a murder in the Falls Church area of Mason District 33 years ago was arrested Jan. 18 as he attempted to enter Costa Rica, the Fairfax County Police Department reported.

Ana Jurado, 24, of the 3100 block of Cofer Road, died from stab wounds to the upper body on April 30, 1991.

Investigators identified Jose Lazaro Cruz, 24, her estranged husband, as the alleged perpetrator. On May 10, 1991, detectives secured a felony murder warrant for Cruz. However, he managed to evade arrest by fleeing to El Salvador.

In 1999, FCPD detectives traveled to El Salvador to search for Lazaro Cruz. During this trip, they gathered crucial information about his whereabouts, which laid the foundation for a thorough investigation.

In 2022, the Department of Justice informed the police that Lazaro Cruz had been apprehended while crossing into Costa Rica from Nicaragua. He was detained by Costa Rican authorities.

It took a year and a half, but it was finally confirmed that Lazaro Cruz would be brought back to face charges in Fairfax County. On Jan. 18, he was surrendered to U.S. Marshals Service custody and extradited to the United States. 

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Lazaro Cruz from Costa Rica.

Learn more about FCPS cold cases here.