Fugitive extradited from El Salvador to face murder charge

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Prosecutors say a man accused of fatally shooting an acquaintance during an argument over $60 has been extradited to Southern California to face a murder charge after more than a decade on the run.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Monday that 59-year-old Juan Palacios was turned over to the FBI last week by authorities in his native El Salvador.

Palacios was charged in 2004 with killing 32-year-old Mario Cano Santamaria in a Tustin courtyard.

The Orange County Register reports Palacios was arrested in El Salvador in December 2016. Extradition was granted in March.

He’s being held in Orange County jail. The newspaper says if convicted he could face up to 25 years to life in prison.