An Escondido man was arrested for a suspected murder in a 2002 cold case.
Hector Mendieta, 35, was extradited from Mexico, where he fled after he is accused of stabbing Bortolo Velador in what was Dee’s Sports Tavern, Escondido, Sept. 10, 2002.
When Escondido Police discovered Mendieta had fled, they called on the San Diego Fugitive Task Force to locate Mendieta in Mexico.
He was located in June 2016, arrested by Mexican officials, and then flown back to the U.S.
Mendieta, was booked into the Vista Detention Facility for first-degree murder.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Escondido Police Detective Ross Umstot at (760) 839-4463, or leave an anonymous tip at (760) 743-TIPS (ext. 8477).
