Arnoldo Jimenez was captured in Mexico last year after years on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
CHICAGO, IL — A man accused of killing his bride less than 48 hours after their wedding has been returned from Mexico to Chicago to face a murder charge in a 2012 case that drew national attention.
Arnoldo Jimenez, 44, is accused in the stabbing death of Estrella Carrera, 26, whose body was found May 13, 2012, in the bathtub of her Burbank apartment. The FBI announced this week that Jimenez had been brought back to the United States after his arrest in Monterrey, Mexico, in January 2025. He is being held without bond and is due back in Cook County court Monday.
Carrera and Jimenez married May 11, 2012, at Chicago City Hall, then marked the day with family and friends before going to a nightclub, authorities have said. Investigators said the couple left the club early May 12. Carrera’s family later became worried when she did not pick up her two children. Police found her body the next day in her apartment in the 7800 block of South Rutherford Avenue in Burbank. She was still wearing the dress from her wedding celebration. “No matter how much time has passed or where a criminal may be in the world, the FBI will never stop in our pursuit of justice,” the FBI said after Jimenez was returned.
Authorities have said Jimenez stabbed Carrera multiple times after the wedding, then carried her body into her apartment and left her in the bathtub. Investigators said they believe the killing happened in his black 2006 Maserati. A state arrest warrant was issued days after Carrera was found dead, and Jimenez was charged with first-degree murder in Cook County. A federal warrant followed after he was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. The FBI later said Jimenez fled the Chicago area and crossed into Mexico, where he remained out of reach for years. Officials have not said in detail what led to his capture in Monterrey.
The case became one of the Chicago area’s most closely watched fugitive investigations. Jimenez was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 2019, seven years after Carrera’s death. The FBI listed him as the 522nd person added to the list and raised the reward for information leading to his arrest to $250,000. Federal officials said FBI offices in Chicago and San Antonio, the FBI’s legal attaché in Mexico City, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Mexican federal authorities and Interpol worked on the case. Burbank police also remained involved from the first days of the investigation.
Carrera was a mother of two, including a son she shared with Jimenez, according to earlier accounts from investigators and relatives. Her death stunned relatives because the wedding had taken place only hours before she disappeared. Officials said she had not picked up her children as expected, prompting family members to call police. Investigators later searched for Jimenez across several states and in Mexico. His car was eventually found in the Chicago area, and authorities said evidence from the vehicle helped support their case. Jimenez has not been convicted, and the charge against him remains an allegation unless proven in court.
Jimenez was arrested without incident Jan. 30, 2025, in Monterrey, the FBI said. He remained in custody during extradition proceedings before being returned to the United States. Douglas DePodesta, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office at the time of the arrest, said the capture reflected “tremendous investigative efforts and collaboration” by police, Mexican authorities and the public. The return to Chicago shifts the case from a long fugitive search to a local criminal prosecution. Court records and prosecutors are expected to set the next steps in the Cook County case after his appearance.
Jimenez remains in custody in Cook County as the murder case resumes more than 14 years after Carrera was found dead. His next known court date is Monday, June 22, 2026.
Author note: Last updated June 20, 2026.