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Police and prosecutors are hoping that suspects in three Utah County deaths who are believed to be in Mexico will be brought to justice.
A federal warrant was issued in April for the extradition of Raul Brito, the most recent addition to the Utah County Sheriff's Office's most wanted list, while the television show "America's Most Wanted" is lending a hand in searching for Baldemar Reyes-Espino and Yudit Lopez. But there is little hope for finding a fourth suspect, Gabriel Hernandez.
Hernandez was arrested in January on a charge of negligent homicide. Police said he was driving on an icy road in Spanish Fork when he lost control of his car and it slid into 83-year-old Albert Burns, killing him. Hernandez, an illegal immigrant, did not show up for his arraignment and police believe he may have gone back to Mexico.
Burns's family fears he will never be brought to justice, and they may be right. Because negligent homicide is a class A misdemeanor, not a felony, Hernandez cannot be extradited, according to Spanish Fork prosecutor Christine Johnson. The only way he will be brought to court for Burns's death is if he re-enters the United States and is arrested.
"If he stays in Mexico then there's nothing we can do about it," Johnson said.
The prospects for getting Brito into court are significantly better. A federal warrant, which is required before a suspect can be extradited, was issued for Brito and relayed to the FBI office in Guadalajara, Mexico. Orem police Det. Randy Crowther said agents will try to locate Brito, and once he is found they will have Mexican authorities arrest him.
Brito is charged with the December shooting death of his roommate, Manuel Saucedo, in Orem. Police said Brito's debit card was used in Tijuana the day after the shooting. Brito is a U.S. citizen but has family in Mexico.
Crowther said the Orem Police Department has had good experiences in getting suspects extradited from Mexico.
"Usually it works out. It sometimes takes a few years before it works itself out, but it usually does," he said.
It has been nearly two years since Reyes-Espino and Lopez disappeared. The two are charged with desecration of a human body in the 2006 death of their 9-month-old daughter. Police found the child's body wrapped in a garbage bag in an orchard outside of Payson. An arrest warrant said the child may have died from drowning, falling down the stairs or blunt force trauma.
Police found the couple's pickup truck parked outside a Greyhound bus station in Provo, where they bought three tickets to Guadalajara. They are believed to be traveling with their two small children. "America's Most Wanted" aired a segment about the couple in April.
• Jeremy Duda can be reached at 344-2561 or
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