A United States Navy reservist accused of killing his wife has been arrested following a weekslong international manhunt, FBI Director Kash Patel announced late Wednesday.
David Varela, 38, is wanted for first-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife, Lina Guerra, earlier this year. He was apprehended overseas Wednesday for extradition back to the U.S., Patel said.
Authorities discovered Guerra’s body inside the kitchen freezer at the home she shared with Varela in Norfolk, Virginia, on Feb. 5, according to the Norfolk Police Department. Police said Guerra had been reported missing the previous day. She was 39.
“I want to recognize [Homeland Security Investigations], our partners, and the interagency effort for the quick apprehension and return to the United States,” Patel said after the arrest. “Mr. Varela has been on the run for almost two months attempting to avoid prosecution for these heinous crimes, but justice doesn’t forget.”
Police detectives charged Varela with his wife’s murder after an autopsy ruled her death a homicide. The medical examiner found that Guerra died from blunt force trauma and asphyxiation, CBS affiliate WTKR reported.
But Varela, on active duty as a Navy reservist, had fled the country by the time charges were filed. Authorities said he flew to Hong Kong on Feb. 4 — the same day a missing person report was filed for Guerra — according to WTKR, which cited an FBI affidavit.
Varela was apprehended after recently being seen in Hong Kong, WTKR reported. The station said it received a tip from a Russian woman who believed that she and a friend ran into him there in March, and subsequently worked with local reporters in the city to gather clues as to where he might be staying.
Officials have not shared details about where or how Varela was ultimately found and taken into custody.
While the search for Varela was underway, Guerra’s family told WTKR that Varela was jealous of his wife and would not allow her to work, study, have friendships or go out alone. Her sister-in-law, Paola Ramirez, said Varela had been violent in the past, but his alleged crime was still unthinkable, the station reported.
“He had hit her previously, but she didn’t tell us because she didn’t want to worry us,” Ramirez said through a translator. “He appeared to be very religious, very calm, normal. That’s why this is so shocking. We never imagined he’d do something like this.”
