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Marvin Lopez, 45, remained a fugitive for years in his native El Salvador until he was eventually tracked down and tried for the murder of Evelyn Yamileth Arroyo Guerra, prosecutors said.
On Tuesday, federal authorities announced that Lopez has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the 2014 murder.
The slaying was reported in front of the El Sabor Latino Restaurant in the 3900 block of 14th Street NW, where Yamileth worked as a waitress at the time.
According to court documents, on Dec. 24, 2014, a pair of lieutenants from the Metropolitan Police Department were on patrol on 14th Street when they heard two gunshots ring out, and passersby were able to point them in the direction of the shooter.
One of the lieutenants gave chase, but Lopez was fled on foot through a wooded area near the end of Shepherd Street NW and lost him, while the other found Yamileth suffering from fatal gunshot wounds to her chest and head.
Witnesses at the time who knew Yamileth said they had seen Lopez - her recent ex - approaching her outside the restaurant as she arrived for work, and Facebook messages between the two from days before the murder showed him threatening to kill her.
An arrest warrant was obtained by police the next day, but Lopez was unable to be located before he fled back to El Salvador until he was arrested and extradited back to the country to face charges in March 2023.
The 44-year-old was convicted by a jury on Tuesday, Nov. 14 last year of first-degree murder while armed and a weapons offense.
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