Dead woman found strangled in bedroom in 1991, CA officials say. Suspect finally caught
More than three decades after officials say a woman was found slain on her bedroom floor, a man has been extradited to California to face a murder charge.
Alfredo Hernandez, 66, was extradited from El Salvador and arraigned Sept. 26 in connection with the 1991 death of Terri Bistodeau, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Hernandez, who prosecutors say was Bistodeau’s on-again, off-again boyfriend and a suspect at the time of her death, pleaded not guilty, City News Service reported.
Bistodeau, 39, “was found strangled to death on the floor of her bedroom” on Aug. 4, 1991, prosecutors said.
Despite police investigation, “the case went cold,” according to prosecutors.
When the case was reopened in 2006 and 2008, it still went unsolved, prosecutors said.
Again, the case was reopened in 2019, and investigators conducted DNA testing, prosecutors said.
Two years later, Hernandez was charged with murder and a warrant for his arrest was issued, prosecutors said.
When authorities found Hernandez nearly 3,000 miles away in El Salvador, they submitted an extradition request, which was approved by the country’s government, according to prosecutors.
He was then brought back to the United States to stand trial, prosecutors said.
“The family and friends of Terri Bistodeau have waited 33 years for the moment when her killer was linked to the crime through DNA evidence and returned to San Diego to finally face justice,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said in the release.
If convicted as charged, Hernandez could potentially face 25 years to life in state prison, according to prosecutors.
Hernandez, who is being held on a $2 million bail, is expected to appear in court again on Oct. 3, jail records show.
This story was originally published September 27, 2024 at 8:20 AM with the headline "Dead woman found strangled in bedroom in 1991, CA officials say. Suspect finally caught."
