A man accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend to death has been extradited to the U.S. from Mexico after spending eight years on the run.
Humberto Rodriguez Martinez, 39, of Anaheim, was wanted on a $2 million arrest warrant for the 2017 murder of Daniel Reyes, 32, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.
Martinez and his ex-girlfriend had broken up several months earlier but continued to co-parent their two children.
On Oct. 17, 2017, Martinez and his friend Adan Zapot-Leyva, 28, of Anaheim, went to the woman’s apartment to babysit the children while she went to work. They left around 8:30 p.m., shortly before the woman returned.
Reyes, the woman’s new boyfriend, arrived about 30 minutes later. Witnesses reported seeing two men chasing Reyes, and one of them fatally stabbed him at the intersection of Santa Ana Street and Helena Street. Reyes suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Zapot-Leyva was arrested two days later and in 2023 was sentenced to 15 years to life after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
Martinez reportedly fled to Mexico after the stabbing and lived as a fugitive until Mexican authorities located him in 2024. He was extradited to the U.S. on Dec. 4, 2025, and Anaheim police homicide detectives took him into custody at Los Angeles International Airport.
Although Martinez is a Mexican citizen who was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the murder, he must remain in U.S. custody under ICE guidelines. On Jan. 6, 2026, he pleaded not guilty in Orange County Superior Court and is being held without bail.
“This arrest does not undo the pain the victim’s family has endured, but it reinforces our commitment and promise to our community: we will never stop working until justice is served,” said Anaheim Police Chief Manny Cid.
“The pursuit of justice will never be derailed by time or distance,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The long arm of Orange County law enforcement reaches to every corner of the earth to ensure the full weight of the law is felt by those who commit the most heinous acts of violence. We are grateful for the incredible work of our investigators, prosecutors, and partners, both domestic and international, in tracking down a wanted murderer and bringing him back to face the consequences.”
The investigation and arrest involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Anaheim Police Department, and Mexican authorities.
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