San Diego

Man Who Spent 17 Years on The Run After Allegedly Killing Teen Arraigned: DA

A man prosecutors say spent 17 years on the run after killing a teen in front of his Mountain View home finally had his day in court. 

Alfredo Yanez-Munoz pleaded not guilty to the homicide of 15-year-old Wilberto Rodriguez. A judge ordered media not to show Yanez-Munoz's face. 

The homicide happened on Sept. 18, 1999, when Rodriguez was shot and killed in front of his home on the 4300 block of Newtown Avenue, in San Diego's Mountain View neighborhood. 

Detectives learned at the time during their investigation that Rodriguez was involved in a physical altercation with two men. Those men pulled out handguns and shot him, police said. 

George David Garcia, 22, and Yanez-Munoz, were identified as suspects in the homicide during the course of the investigation, authorities said. 

Shortly after the crime, Garcia was arrested and charged in Rodriguez's death. But police never arrested Yanez-Munoz and believed he fled to Mexico. 

On July 21, 2016, authorities in Mexico arrested Yanez-Munoz in Mexico and officials from U.S. Marshals and the San Diego Fugutive Task Force took custody of him. 

He will next appear in court in March for his trail. 

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