A man suspected of stabbing his wife to death in front of their young children at their Chula Vista home four years ago then fleeing to Mexico was behind bars Tuesday, following his capture last spring and subsequent extradition back to the United States.
Mexican authorities transferred Francisco Caldera Uriarte, 41, to the custody of U.S. law enforcement in San Diego last week, the Chula Vista Police Department said.
He had been arrested in Mexico in May.
Uriarte had been at large since March 29, 2020, when he allegedly stabbed his 35-year-old wife to death during a fight at their apartment in the 500 block of Oxford Street.
According to Lt. Dan Peak of the Chula Vista Police Department in 2020, the couple’s children were present at the time of the stabbing.
“Upon arrival, officers located three children at the residence,” Peak said at the time. “Officers were told (by) the children their mother and father had been in a physical fight.
“The children also told officers their dad had fled the scene and believed he killed their mother during the fight,” Peak said. “The children were not injured from the incident and are currently safe in protective custody.”
Officers responding to a report about the alleged domestic assault arrived to find Natalia Uriarte, a makeup artist, dead and her husband gone.
Uriarte was booked into San Diego Central Jail on Thursday on suspicion of murder and child endangerment. He was being held without bail pending a Wednesday arraignment.
City News Service contributed to this report.
