JERSEY CITY, NJ – A fugitive wanted in connection with the 2023 death of Luz Hernandez has been arrested and extradited to the United States.
Leiner Miranda Lopez, 28, was taken into custody at Newark Liberty International Airport on September 11, 2024, following his extradition from Bogota, Colombia, where Colombian authorities had arrested him in June 2023.
Miranda Lopez faces multiple charges, including murder and tampering with evidence, in connection with the death of Hernandez, whose body was discovered in a shallow grave in Kearny on February 7.
The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma and neck compressions, and the case is being investigated as an act of domestic violence. Co-defendant Cesar Santana, 38, was also indicted in the case earlier this year.
Miranda Lopez is currently being held at Hudson County Correctional Facility, awaiting his first court appearance.