Years after Chicago bride's murder, new details revealed about fugitive husband in court
FBI's Most Wanted captured after 14 years
More than 14 years after a woman was found murdered just hours after her wedding, the man accused of killing her is finally back in the United States.
CHICAGO - New details have been released after a Chicago man accused of fatally stabbing his wife just hours after their wedding celebration has been returned to U.S. custody,
Chicago man charged with killing wife after wedding celebration
The backstory:
Arnoldo Jimenez, now 44, faces a charge of first-degree murder in the 2012 killing of his wife, a 26-year-old woman identified in court records as Estrella Carrera. Authorities said Jimenez was taken into custody in Monterrey, Mexico, on Jan. 30, 2025, after years as a fugitive. He was scheduled to be transferred to FBI custody in Mexico City on June 18, 2026, according to court documents.
Prosecutors allege the couple married at Chicago City Hall on May 11, 2012, before celebrating with friends and family on a party bus and at a nightclub. The group returned to the area of 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue in the early morning hours of May 12. Family members said Carrerra, who was wearing a gold sequined dress, was never seen alive again.
When Carrerra failed to pick up her children later that day and could not be reached by phone, relatives began searching for her. According to investigators, Jimenez called multiple acquaintances on May 13 and described a fight with Carrerra, claiming she had struck him and that she had been injured during the altercation.
Concerned by the calls, one witness contacted authorities and Carrerra's family.
Burbank police officers responding to a well-being check at the couple's apartment on May 13 discovered Carrerra unresponsive in a bathtub, still wearing the gold sequined dress she had worn to the wedding celebration. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Cook County Medical Examiner determined Carrerra died from multiple stab wounds and ruled the death a homicide. Authorities said she suffered wounds to her chest, abdomen and left arm, as well as injuries that punctured her heart, lungs and liver.
Investigators said additional evidence pointed to Jimenez after witnesses reported seeing him with facial injuries and hearing him discuss a struggle with Carrerra. One witness told police Jimenez said he planned to turn himself in.
Cellphone records later showed Jimenez's phone was in McAllen, Texas, on the night of May 13, 2012, suggesting he had fled the Chicago area.
During a 2012 search of a Chicago residence belonging to Jimenez's brother, investigators located Jimenez's Maserati in a detached garage. Authorities said bloodstains were found throughout the vehicle, along with broken jewelry and shattered glass. Forensic testing matched blood recovered from several locations inside the car to Carrerra.
According to state police bloodstain analysis, the evidence suggested many of the victim's injuries were inflicted inside the vehicle and that her body was moved to the bathtub after the attack.
An arrest warrant was issued for Jimenez on May 15, 2012. He was later indicted on a murder charge in 2017.
Jimenez was arrested in Monterrey, Mexico, on Jan. 30, 2025, after Mexican, U.S. and international law enforcement agencies worked together to track him down.
Jimenez had been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
What's next:
Jimenez has a status hearing scheduled for Monday. The case is expected to move forward in Cook County after his return to federal custody.
The Source: The information in this report came from the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice.