US dual citizen extradited to El Salvador, accused of killing son’s mother and abandoning toddler: DOJ
Michael Alejandro Castillo Murga, a 27-year-old dual US-Salvadoran citizen from California, has been extradited to El Salvador to face charges over the 2019 killing of Melvi Fernanda Nájera Quezada. The Department of Justice says this is the first time the United States has surrendered an American citizen for prosecution over crimes committed in El Salvador.
Salvadoran authorities allege Castillo Murga killed Nájera Quezada, 23, after collecting her and their young son, then left the child near her body. The boy was found days later in poor condition; investigators cite phone location data, witness accounts and a photograph as evidence. US Marshals arrested Castillo Murga in October 2024, and US courts rejected his challenges to extradition before his transfer to Salvadoran custody.
In short
- Dual US-Salvadoran citizen extradited to El Salvador.
- He faces charges over a 2019 killing.
- The case marks a first for US extradition of a citizen to El Salvador.
Explained simply
El Salvador is a country in Central America, and its courts can prosecute people accused of crimes committed there. Extradition is the process by which one country transfers a person to another to face criminal proceedings. The United States and El Salvador have arrangements that allow extradition in some cases, subject to legal review.
The case concerns the 2019 death of Melvi Fernanda Nájera Quezada and the care of her young son. Castillo Murga is a dual US-Salvadoran citizen, meaning he holds citizenship in both countries; the allegations against him have yet to be tested at trial. The case also raises the unusual question of a US citizen being sent abroad to face prosecution for an alleged crime committed in another country.