Jose Rafael Marceleno, 53, is accused of killing Guadalupe “Petey” Paredes in 1996. After committing the crime, he fled to Mexico and remained there until his arrest in July 2023. U.S. Marshals arrested him after he was extradited to the United States in December 2024. He was indicted in Del Rio, Texas, on a long-standing murder charge.
Who is Jose Rafael Marceleno?
Jose Rafael Marceleno, 53, is from Odessa, Ector County, Texas, USA. He is 5 feet 9 inches tall and has a registered weight of 180 pounds.
Marceleno was eight years younger than Guadalupe “Pete” Paredes. In 1996 she gave birth to her youngest daughter JJ Paredes.
On the night of February 24, 1996, Marceleno and Petey went out, leaving JJ at a relative’s house. That night, she was allegedly fatally stabbed more than 50 times with a knife in an alley, before taking her home, cleaning her, changing her clothes, putting her in bed and fleeing the scene.
On April 23, 1996, Marceleno was charged with murder in Ector County. But he hid in Mexico and evaded authorities for almost 30 years.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, in cooperation with the Ector District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement authorities, prepared an extradition request for Marceleno and submitted it to Mexico on May 13, 2022. He was arrested in Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico. In July 2023.
On November 30, 2024, Marceleno turned 53 years old. Extradited from Mexico to the United States on December 16, 2024.
On December 20, 2024, the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Marceleno in Del Rio, Val Verde County, Texas. To bring the fugitive to justice, the department’s Lone Star Fugitive Task Force worked closely with the Odessa Police Department, Odessa Crime Stoppers, Ector County Sheriff’s Office, and Ector County District Attorney’s Office.
