In a historic precedent for international justice, the Attorney General’s Office of El Salvador (FGR) has successfully coordinated the extradition of Michael Alejandro Castillo Murga from the United States. Castillo Murga marks the first American citizen ever extradited to El Salvador to stand trial, following a multi-year international manhunt and joint effort with U.S. law enforcement agencies.

The case stems from the horrific January 2019 attack that claimed the life of Fernanda Nájera in El Salvador.Following the fatal stabbing, her one-year-old son was abandoned in a nearby coffee plantation, where he was miraculously found alive days later suffering from severe dehydration. Castillo Murga immediately fled the country,remaining a fugitive for five years.

The breakthrough came in 2024, when an INTERPOL Red Notice led to Castillo Murga’s arrest on U.S. soil. Salvadoran prosecutors persisted through diplomatic and judicial channels to ensure he would not evade accountability, emphasizing that “the pursuit of justice does not stop at borders.”

Castillo Murga has now been transferred to the Specialized Court for a Life Free of Violence and Discrimination against Women in San Salvador. He faces severe charges of aggravated femicide and imperfect homicide (attempted murder) as El Salvador seeks long-awaited justice for Fernanda and her son.