Over three decades after a San Diego homicide case went cold, a suspect has been extradited from El Salvador to face justice. San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan reported Alfredo Hernandez, 66, has been arraigned in San Diego Superior Court for the 1991 murder of Terri Bistodeau, aged 39. According to official statements, if convicted, Hernandez could be sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison.
On the fateful day of August 4, 1991, police officers were called to a residence on Geneva Avenue in the Emerald Hills, where they discovered Bistodeau strangled in her bedroom. Despite exhaustive efforts, the original probe did not yield an arrest, and the trail eventually went cold. It wasn't until revived investigation efforts and advancements in DNA technology, culminating in 2019, that investigators - including District Attorney Investigator Tony Johnson - managed to link Hernandez to the crime scene. Hernandez was charged in 2021, and an arrest warrant was issued, triggering an international extradition that recently came to fruition when El Salvador consented to hand him over, as detailed in the press release.
"The family and friends of Terri Bistodeau have waited 33 years for the moment when her killer was linked to the crime through DNA evidence and returned to San Diego to finally face justice," District Attorney Summer Stephan mentioned. She underscored the dedication of the specialized investigators and the success of collaborative relationships with local and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the San Diego Police Department, in tackling cold cases with new forensic evidence technology.
