RJ McLeod, a Marine sergeant who had been on the run for more than six years and was one of the US Marshals’ most wanted fugitives, was caught this week, on August 29, 2022, in El Salvador. According to authorities, McLeod was the first fugitive to be put on the Marshals Service’s “15 Most Wanted” list with a $50,000 reward when the hunt was increased last year. Krystal Mitchell, McLeod’s new girlfriend, was discovered dead in June 2016 when the two were visiting friends in San Diego, California. McLeod is said to have departed the nation as soon as he found out about her death. RJ McLeod, 36, was last seen in Sonsonate, a 71,000-person town approximately 20 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, in August 2022.
Back in April of 2021 U.S. Marshalls posted a warrant for a notorious killer. Raymond Samuel “RJ” McLeod, Jr., is now a 15 Most Wanted fugitive, and the first fugitive to make his debut on the list with a reward of up to $50,000 forhttps://t.co/Y5uH3LlwsP pic.twitter.com/pfNLEGkveN
— RobinHoodNews.com (@robinhoodnewsco) August 30, 2022
RJ McLeod, a “Most Wanted” suspect, was accused of murdering his girlfriend.
According to authorities, Deputy Marshals Francisco Barajas and Luis Ramirez traveled to El Salvador on Monday afternoon to assist local and national police in apprehending him. According to accounts, the two are transporting him back to the United States. Mitchell’s mother, Wentzel, expressed her gratitude to the Marshals on Facebook on Monday, August 29, 2022. She stated:
“WHAT A SUPERB DAY!!!!” “I had faith and trust in them, and ever since meeting Francisco Barajas, I knew this day would come, and he would be the one to capture him.”
Former Marshals Director Daniel Washington stated:
“McLeod is a huge danger to the public and must be prosecuted.”
Krystal Mitchell, 30, whom RJ McLeod was seeing at the time of her death, was killed in 2016, according to police records. The US Marshals Service found Ms. Mitchell’s corpse strangled. Mitchell and Mcleod were visiting friends in San Diego when the alleged murder occurred in the apartment they were staying in. They’d gone to a club earlier, when McLeod got into an altercation with another ex-Marine, prompting the three of them to leave. Mr. McLeod is also said to have a history of violence. He escaped through Mexico and Central America, finally ending up in Belize in 2018 and Guatemala in 2017.
The US Marshals Service characterized him as follows:
“I am armed and deadly!” “A bodybuilder who drinks heavily and has a history of domestic violence.”
US Marshal Steve Stafford of the Southern District of California stated in a statement last year:
“Time will never stop the Marshals’ fugitive probe into McLeod.” If anything, it strengthens our resolve. We will leave no stone unturned until he is apprehended.”
RJ McLeod was reportedly detained at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, August 29, 2022.
