Following a near decade-long manhunt, Alejandro Rosales Castillo, the suspect wanted for the 2016 murder of Truc Quan 'Sandy' Ly Le in Charlotte, has been arrested in Mexico. As reported by QCNews, Castillo was apprehended in Mexico and is currently being held in Mexico City awaiting extradition to North Carolina. Castillo, who had previously dated and worked with Le at a Charlotte restaurant, is accused of her murder and was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list in 2017.
The long evasion of Castillo came to an end last Friday, according to The Mirror, which noted that Castillo had apparently managed to live a normal life in Mexico before being caught. The chase concluded in Pachuca, Hidalgo, a significant milestone for the case that has cast a shadow over the Charlotte community for years. Castillo is charged with first-degree murder, following allegations that he forced Le to withdraw money from an ATM and drove her to a wooded area before shooting her and fleeing in her car.
FBI Director Kash Patel remarked to People on the importance of the capture, saying, "Alejandro Castillo is the fifth FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive captured since last year, more than the entire previous four years combined." He credited the successful arrest to robust support for law enforcement and cooperative efforts between local and federal partners in both the United States and Mexico.
Further illuminating the journey to capture Castillo, FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. mentioned to QCNews that "The FBI and our partners at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have worked tirelessly to find and arrest Alex Castillo." Despite Castillo's efforts to elude capture and belief in his invisibility, persistence on the part of the investigators has finally led to justice being within reach for the victim’s family.
Along with Castillo, two other individuals have been charged in relation to the case. Ahmia Feaster, Castillo's girlfriend at the time of the crime, turned herself in two months after fleeing with Castillo in Le's car and was charged with felony accessory after the fact and felony larceny of a motor vehicle. Another accomplice, Felipe Ulloa, was charged with accessory after the fact of murder in connection with Le's death, as per reports from both The Mirror and People.
