A former beauty queen accused of hiring a hitman to kill her wealthy husband is set to go on trial – more than a decade after the crime was committed.
Aurea Vasquez Rijos, 38, was jailed in Spain and extradited back to her native Puerto Rico in 2015 but due to legal obstacles and other delays has not yet faced trial for her alleged involvement in her husband’s brutal 2005 murder.
The trial is expected to begin on Tuesday, the BBC reports.
According to prosecutors, Rijos, dubbed ‘black widow’ in the media, agreed to pay a hitman $3million to kill her husband, 32-year-old Adam Joel Anhang, in September 2005.
Aurea Vasquez Rijos’ trial for her alleged involvement in her husband’s 2005 murder is expected to begin on Tuesday. She is pictured above after she was extradited to Puerto Rico in 2015
Prosecutors said Rijos agreed to pay a hitman $3million to kill her husband of six months, Adam Joel Anhang. He was beaten and stabbed to death in September 2005
They claim Rijos, former Miss Puerto Rico Petit winner, tricked Anhang, a wealthy real estate developer and online gaming tycoon from Canada, to meet her at a restaurant in San Juan so they could discuss their pending divorce. The couple had only been married for six months when Anhang was killed.
As the estranged couple was walking down the street near the restaurant a man, later identified as Alex ‘El Loco’ Pabon-Colon, approached them from behind and demanded money from Anhang.
According to an FBI affidavit and Pabon-Colon’s confession, he grabbed a loose cobblestone on the street and struck Anhang over the head with it before repeatedly stabbing the victim with a large kitchen knife, Global News reports.
Prosecutors allege that Rijos had her husband killed because she would not get any of his estate, worth $24million, if they divorced.
A witness told authorities that during the attack Rijos did not yell, flee or attempt to stop her husband’s attacker. Another witness said after stabbing Anhang, the attacker briefly spoke to Rijos before hitting her in the head with the cobblestone.
‘Pabon-Colon then hit Aurea in the head with the piece of cobblestone, and she fell to the ground. Pabon-Colon did so because in prior conversations, Aurea had instructed Pabon-Colon to assault her as well, in order to make the incident look real,’ the affidavit states.
Rijos fled Puerto Rico in 2008 to live in Italy, where she could not be extradited to the US because she said she faced the death penalty. Rijos is pictured during a hearing in Madrid in 2013 following her arrest
Prosecutors believe Rijos had her wealthy husband killed because she would not get any of his $24million estate if they divorced
Pabon-Colon was arrested in 2008, pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with authorities. That same year, Rijos was indicted for her role in her husband’s death, but she had already fled Puerto Rico and was living in Florence with her new husband and their twin children.
Authorities said the new husband was unaware of Rijos past and divorced her after learning about it. She then moved to Venice, following news reports that she was hiding out in Florence.
Authorities said Rijos used different names and IDs to assume her new life overseas.
Police could not arrest Rijos and extradite her back to US territory because Italian law prohibits the extradition of suspects who face the death penalty, which Rijos said US authorities were considering.
She was finally arrested in 2013 when the FBI and other agencies tricked her into traveling to Madrid with the promise of her meeting a tourism group. Spanish law also doesn’t permit the extradition of people who could face the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole.
In order to have Rijos extradited back to US territory, prosecutors agreed that if she’s convicted she will not be sentenced to death or to life in prison without parole.
Authorities said Rijos’ brother and sister, as well as her sister’s boyfriend, were also arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder-for-hire plot
While jailed in Spain, Rijos fought the extradition getting pregnant and marrying a man. Despite having a third child and arguing that she should not be taken away from her baby, Rijos was extradited to Puerto Rico in 2015.
Hurricane Maria and other legal troubles stalled her trial, which is expected to finally begin on Tuesday.
Authorities said Rijos’ brother and sister, as well as her sister’s boyfriend, were also arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder-for-hire plot.
Abe, Anhang’s father, told BBC that he believes justice will finally be served for his son but finds it ironic that Rijos will most likely face a light sentence.
‘Áurea is likely to get the lightest sentence of all the accused because she fled and waited to be extradited from a country which placed conditions on her transfer back to the United States to face justice,’ he said.
‘In essence, she will be getting rewarded with the same sentence as if she were caught and sentenced in Spain. At the same time her co-accused will get longer sentences, despite having much less involvement in the crime.’
Pabon-Colon was sentenced to life in prison in 2008 as part of a plea agreement.