COUPLE INVOLVED IN
2004 HOMICIDE EXPELLED FROM MEXICO AFTER
INVESTIGATION BY U.S. MARSHALS MEXICAN INVESTIGATIVE LIAISON IN
TUCSON
Tucson, AZ - Luis Carlos
Corella (33) and his wife Carmela Corella (32) are in the custody of
the Pima County Sheriff in Ajo, Ariz. after being expelled from
Mexico through the Lukeville Port Of Entry last night. Luis Corella
is wanted for the murder of Kim Massengale, whose body was found on
January 10, 2004 in a wash in the 7300 block of West Camino Del
Cerro. The Pima County Sheriffs Department obtained murder warrants
for both Luis and Carmela Corella on April 1, 2004.
At the request of the Pima County Fugitive Investigative Strike Team
(FIST), the U.S. Marshals Mexican Investigative Liaison Office in
Tucson (USMS MIL) was asked to assist in the arrest of both
fugitives once it was determined they had fled to Mexico.
In November 2005, Carmela Corella turned herself in at the Nogales
Port of Entry and was ultimately convicted of Hindering Prosecution
and sentenced to 3 years probation in February 2006. She violated
her probation by fleeing to Mexico in July 2006. Luis Corella had
remained a fugitive on the original murder warrant since it was
issued in April 2004.
In February 2007, the USMS MIL Office in Tucson developed
information placing Luis Corella in a Puerto Penasco, Sonora, jail
facing fraud charges under the alias Raul Cruz Guerrero. A
subsequent fingerprint analysis conducted Sonora State Judicial
Police (SSJP) confirmed Corella’s true identity. Corella was later
released in late May 2007.
During the June 2007 Policia Internacional Sonora Arizona (PISA)
Conference, discussions were held between the U.S. Marshals, the
Sonora State Judicial Police, and Interpol Mexico City requesting
further investigation into the whereabouts of the two fugitives. The
investigation conducted by the SSJP culminated with the arrest of
both Luis and Carmela Corella in Puerto Penasco on June 13, 2007.
Mexican immigration officials ordered the couple expelled from
Mexico as they did not have legal status under Mexican immigration
law. Customs and Border Protection Officers took the couple into
custody and turned them over to the Pima County Sheriff in Ajo. Luis
Corella faces the murder charge and Carmela Corella will be held on
the probation violation.
David Gonzales, United States Marshal for the District of Arizona,
commended the efforts of law enforcement on both sides of the
border. “International cooperation between law enforcement at all
levels of government successfully brought a wanted murderer to
justice. Hopefully, this case sets an example for future cooperative
efforts leading to safer communities both here and in Mexico.
Photographs of both fugitives are available by contacting Deputy
Dawn Barkman, Public Information Officer for the Pima County
Sheriff.
For further information on the U.S. Marshals Service, go to
www.usmarshals.gov |