First US Man Sent to El Salvador

Michael Alejandro Castillo Murga, a 27-year-old with dual citizenship, has become the first American citizen extradited to El Salvador. He faces trial for the 2019 murder of his partner and the attempted murder of their infant son.

The Salvadoran Attorney General’s Office announced the transfer on Thursday. Castillo Murga had fled the country after the alleged crimes, crossing into Guatemala and using his U.S. passport to return to the United States. He evaded capture for nearly two years before an international alert led to his arrest in October 2024.

According to the prosecution, Castillo Murga and Fernanda Nájera began a relationship in 2014. She became pregnant the following year and gave birth to a boy in 2017. Authorities state that although Castillo Murga promised financial support, his visits to the child were irregular.

On the night of January 31, 2019, Castillo Murga picked up Nájera and their son to take them to a house he had rented. Police believe he killed her with a blade during that trip. Days later, rescuers found the one-year-old child abandoned and dehydrated in a coffee plantation.

The U.S. Embassy in El Salvador confirmed the extradition in a statement. The handover marks a new legal precedent for bilateral cooperation between the two nations in criminal cases involving dual nationals.