Antonio Riano, a 72-year-old Ohio man who had been on the run for nearly two decades following a 2004 shooting death, has been apprehended in Mexico. Riano, who had been featured on the television show America's Most Wanted in 2005, was finally arrested on August 1, 2024, while working as a police officer in his hometown of Zapotitlán Palmas, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Riano had been wanted by the Butler County Sheriff's Office for the homicide of 25-year-old Benjamin Becarra, who was fatally shot outside the Roadhouse Bar in Hamilton, Ohio, on December 19, 2004. Following the incident, Riano allegedly fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution.
The cold case saw renewed efforts in January 2024 when the Butler County Prosecutor's Office reapplied for a provisional warrant. Chief Investigator Paul Newton and his team used social media, including Facebook, to track Riano down. Despite working as a police officer in Mexico, Riano had left behind a wife and three children in Hamilton, Ohio.
Riano's arrest was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs, and Mexican law enforcement. "This arrest is the result of the ongoing sharing of information between agencies and the determination of investigators who refused to give up on this case," said U.S. Marshal Michael D. Black.
Riano had previously eluded capture in 2006 when U.S. Marshals tracked him to his mother's house in Mexico, only to find he had already fled. The trail went cold until 2023 when new evidence surfaced, leading to his eventual capture.
Riano is now being held without bond in Butler County Jail and faces two counts of murder and felony assault charges for the 2004 shooting. According to police, the gun used in the crime was later found hidden in a compartment under the kitchen floor of Riano's former apartment in Hamilton, with bullets beside it.
On the night of the incident, Riano reportedly intervened in an argument involving Becarra, who had been asked to leave the bar after being involved in a previous altercation. The confrontation escalated, and gunshots were heard shortly after the men were asked to take their dispute outside. Surveillance footage showed Riano leaving the scene, but authorities were unable to locate him until now.
With his arrest, authorities hope to bring closure to a case that has haunted the community for nearly 20 years.
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