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It wasn’t a DNA match or a new piece of forensic evidence that finally unraveled an eight-year-old murder mystery Arizona – This was a message sent through a GoFundMe page.
That online tip led investigators to the man who police say stabbed 25-year-old Evin Paulos surprise more than 30 times before disappearing across the border Mexico Back in 2017.
on monday, surprise Police announced the arrest of 34-year-old Michael Anthony Arredondo, giving Paulos’ family hope for long-awaited justice.
Police say Paulos and Arredondo were friends and traveling together when a fight broke out inside their vehicle on June 3, 2017. The fight spilled out onto the street, where Arredondo allegedly stabbed Paulos multiple times before fleeing.
“Shortly after the incident we learned he had fled to California,” said Det. Dominic Rostenberg said of Arredondo. “He spent some time there and eventually ran away MexicoWhere he has been living for the last eight years.
But no answer was received in those eight years.
“It’s like being trapped in a room,” Paulos’ sister, Evian Paulos, said at a press conference Monday. “It’s black. You have no answers, nowhere to go, nothing. It’s just this feeling of emptiness.”
Then came an unexpected break for the family – a message from a stranger Mexico Who claimed that Arredondo was living in the country. When Paulos’ mother received the email, she became concerned it might be a scam, Evian said.
Avianne was also hesitant about the tip, so she approached the Mexican national and asked for proof.
“I said to him [the Mexican citizen]’Please, I don’t know if this is a scam or not. Can you send me some kind of proof, send me a picture?” Avien said. ”And this was it [Arredondo]He was just living life for eight years.
Avián said he’s not sure how the man found out about his brother’s case and it’s unclear how exactly he knew about Arredondo, but according to records obtained azcentralPaulos told police that Arredondo often bragged about his criminal past.
Following his arrest, Arredondo was extradited to the United States and allegedly confessed to stabbing Paulos. But specific details about the stabbing were not released, and the motive remains unclear.
“There must have been some anger,” Rostenberg said, though he wasn’t really able to pinpoint why.
worked with mexican authorities surprise Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, to locate Arredondo and extradite him back to the United States.
“I think it sends a strong message to the community that even after all this time, we’re still looking for you, we’re still hunting you,” Rostenberg said. “Justice will take its course.”
As for Paulos’ family, they still want to know why.
“We know who, where, how,” said Evian Paulos. “We don’t know the reason.”
Avianne, who describes her brother as “generous and unique”, said they are hoping this will give him peace to move forward.
“It hasn’t been this happy in a very long time, and it’s something that’s great for us,” she said. “We can close this and move on.”
Arredondo is being held with a $1.5 million bond on the murder charge.