A former FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive accused of killing his wife shortly after their wedding has been returned to the United States after spending more than a decade on the run, authorities said.
Arnoldo Jimenez, who had been wanted in connection with the 2012 death of his wife, Estrella Carrera, was brought back from Mexico after being captured last year in Monterrey. The FBI’s Chicago office announced the transfer, describing it as an important step in a long-running effort to bring the case back before the U.S. justice system.
Jimenez had been accused by authorities of killing Carrera in Burbank, Illinois, less than two days after the couple married. Carrera, 26, was found dead in her apartment in May 2012. Local reports and law enforcement summaries said she was discovered in a bathtub and was still wearing the dress from her wedding celebration.
Authorities have alleged that Jimenez stabbed Carrera after the couple left their wedding celebration. Investigators previously said the killing may have happened inside a vehicle before Carrera’s body was moved to her apartment. Jimenez later disappeared, triggering a search that stretched across multiple states and eventually into Mexico.
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An arrest warrant was issued days after Carrera’s death, and Jimenez was later charged federally with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. In 2019, he was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, a designation reserved for cases in which investigators believe public attention may help locate dangerous or hard-to-find suspects.
Jimenez was arrested in Monterrey, Mexico, on Jan. 30, 2025, after cooperation between Mexican authorities, the FBI and local police in Illinois. At the time of his capture, he had been wanted for more than 12 years.
The FBI said Thursday that Jimenez had now been brought back to the United States. In a public statement, the agency said the case showed that investigators would continue pursuing fugitives regardless of how much time had passed or where a suspect may have gone.
The return of Jimenez marks a major development for Carrera’s family and for the agencies that spent years working on the case. However, several key questions remain unanswered. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive, and it was not immediately clear when Jimenez would make his first court appearance after being returned to the U.S.
The case has drawn attention for years because of the timing and circumstances of Carrera’s death. She and Jimenez had reportedly married at Chicago City Hall shortly before the killing. After she failed to pick up her children, relatives contacted authorities, leading police to her apartment.
For investigators, Jimenez’s disappearance became a cross-border manhunt. The FBI previously offered a reward for information leading to his arrest, and the case stayed in public view through the agency’s Most Wanted program.
Although Jimenez has been accused in the killing, the case will now move through the U.S. legal system, where prosecutors must prove the allegations in court. Until then, he is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Why It Matters
The return of Arnoldo Jimenez to the United States is significant because it revives a long-delayed murder case that remained unresolved for more than a decade. It also highlights the role of cross-border law enforcement cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico in tracking fugitives accused of serious crimes.
What Comes Next
Jimenez is expected to face legal proceedings in Illinois, though authorities have not yet announced a first court date. Prosecutors may now move forward with the murder case, while investigators and Carrera’s family wait to see whether the long-running case finally reaches trial.
The FBI previously announced Jimenez’s capture in Mexico after more than a decade on its Most Wanted list.
On January 30, the FBI announced the capture of Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Arnoldo Jimenez after he was taken into custody without incident in Monterrey, Mexico. Jimenez, of Burbank, IL, had been wanted since May 2012 when he allegedly killed his wife, Estrella Carrera, hours after… pic.twitter.com/FCyk2Hj8f7
— FBI Chicago (@FBIChicago) August 27, 2025
