FBI: 1992 Philadelphia murder suspect found in Philippines

PHILADELPHIA - September 20, 2013

Santiago Pedroso, 71, is back in the U.S. to face murder charges in the death of 41-year-old Delores Alvarez.

Pedroso's estranged wife had moved in with Alvarez shortly before he ran into them at a restaurant on Father's Day in 1992, according to newspaper reports at the time. Pedroso allegedly shot Alvarez five times just after she ordered dinner, as his teenage daughter shouted for him to stop, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported at the time.

"Pop, no, Pop, no," the daughter, Raquel, screamed as he fired the first four bullets into the woman's head, the article said. Other diners tipped over tables to seek cover.

But Pedroso walked out of the restaurant and disappeared, investigators said at the time.

Authorities in the Philippines arrested him outside the U.S. embassy in Manila on Sept. 9, and deported him. He is now in custody in Philadelphia, where he was arraigned Friday on charges that include murder, illegal possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment.

The Inquirer article described Pedroso as a "spiritualist" who ran a religious bookstore. Alvarez had recently moved to Philadelphia from Newport Beach, Calif., where she was a well-liked employee for Hughes Aircraft Corp., according to news reports.

Detectives believed Pedroso was enraged by the friendship between Alvarez and his estranged wife, 44-year-old Maria Gomez, when he opened fire.

Pedroso is due in court on Oct. 9 for a preliminary hearing. He does not yet have a lawyer listed in court files.

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