Man arrested in Honduras in killing of Bucks County waitress

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- A 27-year-old man accused of killing his girlfriend in their Bucks County apartment and fleeing to Honduras has been arrested and is being extradited to Pennsylvania, authorities said Monday.

Darwin David Espinal-Del Cid was arrested in Pespire, Honduras, during a coordinated operation involving Honduran authorities and the FBI, according to Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan.

Espinal-Del Cid is being held in Tegucigalpa while extradition proceedings are underway. He is charged with criminal homicide, possession of an instrument of crime, theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and abuse of a corpse.

The victim, Maria Bernarda Popol Garcia, 22, was found dead March 15 inside the apartment she shared with Espinal-Del Cid on North Main Street in Telford. She had been reported missing by family members.

Authorities said Popol Garcia had been preparing to leave Espinal-Del Cid.

Investigators allege Popol Garcia was last seen alive with Espinal-Del Cid in a rideshare on March 6, shortly before midnight. The couple had been arguing after she told him she wanted to end their relationship, according to prosecutors.

Authorities allege Espinal-Del Cid then attacked Popol Garcia with a sharp or edged weapon, cutting her throat. He is accused of wrapping her body in a blanket and placing it inside a bedroom closet, where he covered her with clothing.

Her body remained inside the closet for nine days before another resident of the building discovered it, according to investigators.

Authorities said Espinal-Del Cid took Popol Garcia's cellphone and about $400 in cash before fleeing. Investigators also allege that he used her phone to impersonate her in text messages in an attempt to make others believe she was still alive.

Financial and flight records showed Espinal-Del Cid purchased a one-way ticket to Honduras and left the United States on March 9, prosecutors said.

Investigators eventually tracked him to Honduras, where authorities said he admitted to killing Popol Garcia.

Popol Garcia was originally from Guatemala and came to the United States to work and help support her family, relatives said. She worked as a server at Don Leo Restaurant and Grocery in Telford, where co-workers remembered her as kind and gentle.

Her family became concerned after she stopped responding to them and failed to show up for a gathering she had been looking forward to. Her relatives ultimately filed a missing-person report with police in New Jersey.

Khan said the case highlights the dangers of domestic violence and pledged to pursue Espinal-Del Cid despite his flight from the country.

"Distance will not offer refuge to those who commit acts of violence in our community," Khan said.

Authorities said Espinal-Del Cid had no known criminal record before the killing. Both he and Popol Garcia were Honduran nationals who were in the United States without legal immigration status, according to prosecutors.

The murder weapon has not been recovered.

Espinal-Del Cid remains in Honduran custody pending extradition to Bucks County, where he will face the charges. It was not immediately clear when he would return to Pennsylvania.