Midwest
US murder fugitive ‘El Diablo’ found working as Mexican police officer 20 years later
American detectives used social media to track a fugitive to Oaxaca, Mexico, 20 years after he allegedly shot a man dead outside an Ohio bar – and there learned that he’d picked up an unexpected new job, becoming a police officer himself.
Antonio “El Diablo” Riano, now 62, was charged with first-degree murder, arrested in Zapotitlan Palmas and handed over to U.S. Marshals in Mexico City on Thursday, the agency wrote in a news release.
Riano fled Ohio after allegedly shooting 25-year-old Benjamin Becarra on Dec. 19, 2004, outside the Roundhouse Bar in Hamilton, Ohio, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati.
Witnesses said Riano and Becarra got into an argument inside the bar – when the dispute moved outside, a security camera allegedly caught Riano fatally shooting the other man in the face.
OHIO MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDERING HIS 3 YOUNG SONS AT THEIR HOME
Antonio Riano is pictured in his most recent mugshot, taken last week after his 20 years on the run came to an end. (Butler County Sheriff’s Office)
“When Riano was arrested in Mexico he was found to be working as a local police officer,” the U.S. Marshals office said. A photo snapped of the fugitive as he was taken into custody shows him wearing his police uniform.
As the 62-year-old was taken into custody at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, a reporter with WKRC-TV asked why he became a police officer. In Spanish, he replied that he “wanted to help the people of Mexico.”
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When asked by the station if he had killed Becarra, he replied, “No, I did not.”
Obtaining an indictment for Riano was simple, police told the outlet – Butler County sheriff’s deputies said they found security footage of him buying bullets a few hours before the shooting at an area Walmart, and the murder weapon stashed under the floorboards in his Ohio home.
“We had all the evidence we needed gathered,” Mark Henson, a detective who was on the case in 2004, told WKRC. “We already had a direct indictment against him. It was just a matter of waiting to find him.”
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Antonio Riano in a 2004 mugshot. (Butler County Sheriff’s Office)
Henson said he tracked Riano to New Jersey, where he had a sister, before hearing that he’d fled to his hometown of Oaxaca.
“Not going to lie, at that time I was wondering if we were ever going to see him again,” Henson told WKRC-TV.
Before his capture, Riano was on the Butler County Sheriff’s Office “Most Wanted” list, and was even profiled on an episode of “America’s Most Wanted.”
Authorities started “actively looking” for Riano in January of this year, according to Paul Newton, a former deputy on the case who currently works for the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office.
Zapotitlan Palmas Police Department in Oaxaca. (Google Maps)
They quickly stumbled upon his Facebook page, learning that he was now employed as a police officer with the Zapotitlan Palmas Police Department and living in Oaxaca.
“I’m like, ‘My God, there he is!’” Newton told WKRC. “A little bit grayer, a little bit older, but it was him.”
When he fled the country, Riano left a wife and three children behind in Ohio, WKRC reported. Becarra’s family has been notified of Riano’s arrest and extradition, according to the outlet.
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Milwaukee, WI
Career minor-leaguer Garrett Stallings gets his shot with the Brewers
Garrett Stallings finally makes it to the majors with the Brewers
Garrett Stallings has thrown nearly 600 innings in the minor leagues including the past three at Class AAA Nashville. Now, he’s in the Brewers bullpen.
Garrett Stallings was in position to hit a pretty big milestone with Class AAA Nashville.
“Someone told me this week I would have hit my 600th minor-league inning, which is kind of crazy for someone who hadn’t made it to The Show yet,” Stallings said on Tuesday – but from the Milwaukee Brewers dugout at American Family Field after the right-hander had been selected to the 26-man roster.
“But the whole time I’ve kind of put my head down and continued to go at it, and the work’s really paid off.”
Stallings, 28, was in the midst of his best minor-league season to date with the Sounds, posting a 3-3 record and 3.45 ERA in 16 appearances (12 starts) and 59 strikeouts in 62 ⅔ innings. His last six outings have been starts, but with the Brewers he’ll join a bullpen group that’s been ridden hard in recent weeks.
“Really, just learned how to be a reliever really quickly,” said Stallings when asked how things changed for him with Milwaukee. Originally a fifth-round pick of the Angels out of the University of Tennessee in 2019, he was traded the following year to the Orioles and then to the Brewers in 2024 in exchange for right-hander Thyago Vieira and minor-leaguer Aneuris Rodriguez.
Stallings re-signed with the Brewers as a minor-league free agent in the offseason after pitching in a career-high 30 games in 2025
“I’d been a starter my whole career, and just continued to be adaptable,” he continued. “In order to get your name called you can’t just tailor to one thing. That’s really helped broaden my horizons in the game, and as many different situations you can be in, it’s helped me just adapt to the game and keep my head up and be the best version of myself.”
Stallings lacks the electric fastball and truly nasty stuff that defines so many pitchers these days, instead relying upon moxie and a willingness to try new things.
“I’ve always been a throw-every-type-of-pitch (guy),” he said. “I’ll tinker this side of the rubber or this side and I’m always one that will always at least try new things to see if I can get that edge. I think if anything, the experience of throwing 600 minor-league innings you learn a lot along the way. And it comes with failure, too.
“It hasn’t always been the easiest path. But this year I feel like I’ve just been able to keep getting a little bit better.”
Stallings joked that he’s felt at times like he’s been the best player in the minor leagues and at other times the worst, with the cumulative experiences helping shape him into a reliever being asked to contribute outs whenever he receives the opportunity.
“I talked to him today,” said manager Pat Murphy. “That’s the best part. You get to sit here and let those guys come in, knowing how he grinded and stuck with it and hung with it and probably didn’t believe for a while that he would (make it).
“Then, to finally believe and get that phone call, I immediately think about his mom and dad, He’s got a fiancee, his brother and sister are coming. That’s really cool, and even cooler when he gets up (to pitch).”
Stallings, a native of Chesapeake, Va., could receive that chance as soon as tonight as the Brewers try for their fifth win in as many games against the Cincinnati Reds this season.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Stallings becomes the 45th player to appear on Milwaukee’s active roster this season and seeks to become the sixth to make his major league debut.
To clear space on the 26-man roster, left-hander Robert Gasser was optioned to the rookie Arizona Complex League Brewers, a procedural move that will allow him to be available July 7 when Milwaukee will need extra starting pitching for its doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Minneapolis, MN
North Minneapolis Heritage Park tenants swelter as $500K grant sits locked for furnaces
Apartment complex A/C problem
Scorching heat is making life miserable for some at Heritage Park apartments in north Minneapolis. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni explains the situation.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Tenants at a north Minneapolis apartment complex are struggling to stay cool as broken air conditioning and other problems remain unresolved during another day of high temperatures.
Tenants at Heritage Park turn to fans as heat rises
What we know:
Several tenants at Heritage Park are relying on fans to keep cool, but temperatures inside the apartments are still reaching the 80s.
“How I’m trying to keep cool is with this fan. I have another fan in that room,” Eddie Robinson, a tenant, told FOX 9 on Monday. “It’s an oven.”
Beyond the lack of air conditioning, tenants are facing other challenges inside and outside the building.
Some apartments have mold and dirty floors, while the exterior shows broken staircases and boarded-up windows.
Repairs and funding struggles at Heritage Park
The backstory:
The court-appointed receiver, Minnetonka-based Certus Financial, said it is waiting for a $5.1 million grant to help with repairs. There is $500,000 in city grant money available, but it can only be used for furnaces, which does not help tenants during the summer heat.
The property receives $85,000 each month from the federal government to help maintain the 200 public housing apartments.
Despite this, the complex is still losing $250,000 every month, according to the firm’s manager, Will Haase.
The property has 440 units, with nearly half set aside for public housing. More than half of the units are vacant, worsening the property’s financial situation.
Haase said his firm is working on patching 30 roofs to address leaks and has already replaced 168 furnaces. While there are still a couple of hundred open work orders, that number is down from more than 2,000 when the receivership began six months ago.
When asked if razing the complex could be an option, he said that is “never not in play.”
Indianapolis, IN
Tips to keep your pets’ tail wagging during the Indiana heatwave
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — If it’s hot and uncomfortable for us, it is for them, too. Keeping your pets cool and safe amid the Indiana heatwave is just as important as keeping ourselves cool.
With dangerous heat settling over much of the region, veterinarians are urging pet owners to take extra precautions to prevent heat-related illness in animals. Experts recommend keeping pets in shaded, well-ventilated areas with constant access to cool, fresh water and limiting exercise during peak heat, typically between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Hot pavement can burn paw pads; owners are advised to test surfaces with a hand for several seconds and opt for grass, booties, or early morning and late evening walks. Indoors, air conditioning, fans, and cooling mats can help.
Sometimes, it can be hard for pets to get the appropriate amount of water that they need to stay hydrated. Adding water to meals or offering pet-safe frozen treats may support hydration.
For outdoor setups, veterinarians recommend movable shade, kiddie pools with shallow water, misting hoses, and avoiding restrictive muzzles that impede panting. Groomers caution against shaving double-coated breeds to the skin; regular brushing improves airflow without removing natural insulation.
Pets should never be left in parked cars, where temperatures can become deadly within minutes, even with windows cracked.
With a little planning, your best friend can keep wagging through the worst of the heat.
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