Man accused in Lenexa murder extradited from El Salvador after decades-long investigation
A man who allegedly fled the country after he was charged with the murder of a Lenexa woman in 2005 is now in custody after a nearly 20-year investigation, police said.
Angel Maria Herrera, 42, of Shawnee, Kansas, was charged in Johnson County District Court on Sept. 17, 2005, with first-degree murder in connection to the death of Maria Morfin-Rojas, 30, of Lenexa.
On Sept. 15, 2005, Lenexa Police officers responded to a report of suspicious activity at an apartment in the 11900 block of West 77th Terrace. They found Morfin-Rojas inside an apartment stabbed to death, said Officer Danny Chavez, a spokesman with the Lenexa Police Department.
Detectives quickly identified Herrera as a suspect in the case, Chavez said. They also learned Herrera had fled the United States to Mexico a few days prior to the discovery of Morfin-Rojas’ body.
Herrera was 23-years-old at the time of the alleged crime.
On April 27, 2023, Lenexa detectives were notified that Herrera had been arrested in El Salvador, and was being held pending extradition to the United States.
Since 2005, the same lead detective has been working the case, Chavez said. On Wednesday, he flew to El Salvador along with federal agents to extradite Herrera back to Johnson County.
Chavez said the case is a testament to the diligent work of investigators.
“One of the challenges is, when you have an investigation that’s that old, people can retire, people on the case can pass away and it’s sometimes more difficult. But in this case we have a detective who is not only still with us, but continued to pursue that case across the course of those (nearly 20) years,” Chavez said.
Chavez said cases involving an international fugitive can present special challenges for local law enforcement.
“In this case, the detective did not take that attitude, but instead continued to pursue it and stayed in touch with federal authorities as to the whereabouts of this individual until he came back on the radar back in 2023,” Chavez said.
Herrera was booked into the Johnson County Adult Detention Center Thursday morning. He is due to appear in court for arraignment 1:30 p.m. Thursday, according to Johnson County District Court records.
