Suspect extradited from Mexico in connection with Tempe stabbing death 16 years ago

Nearly two decades later, Tempe police and the U.S. Marshals Service tracked down and arrested a suspect connected to the unsolved case of the stabbing death of 20-year-old David Lopez.

Lopez was stabbed to death at an apartment complex near McKellips and Scottsdale Roads on Dec. 27, 2008, according to Tempe police. Before he died, 20-year-old Lopez came to his neighbor’s door and asked them to call 911, saying he had been stabbed.

Lopez died that evening and detectives continued to investigate, but the case ultimately went cold.

A Tempe police cold case detective reopened the case in 2014. Authorities said the detective used “sophisticated DNA analysis” to link the fatal stabbing to Jose Juan Vergara Ortiz.

Ortiz, who was 16 when he allegedly stabbed Lopez in 2008, is now 32 years old. Police said they were working with the Marshal Service to locate Ortiz and extradite him from Mexico, where he lived for an unknown amount of time.

“We are grateful to the U.S. Marshals Service’s Mexico Investigative Liaison Team for their cooperation and tireless pursuit of justice. We hope this arrest will help alleviate the pain of the family of the victim of this violent crime,” said Tempe Police Chief Ken McCoy.

Ortiz was arrested Nov. 15 on suspicion of first-degree murder and armed robbery, according to Tempe police.

“The U.S. Marshals Service and the Tempe Police Department worked tirelessly on this case and successfully identified and brought this fugitive to justice from the country of Mexico,” said Van Bayless, U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona. “We are committed to using the full extent of our collective law enforcement resources against anyone who commits violent acts in our communities and bringing them to justice.”

This article was first published in Arizona Republic: Arrest made in unsolved 2008 stabbing murder in Tempe, Mexico