Honduran Fugitive Successfully Extradited To Illinois For Sexual Assault Of Young Girls
Chicago (CBS) -- Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx announced Thursday that a Honduran national, who was sentenced to mandatory life in prison for sexually assaulting two young girls, was successfully extradited to Illinois.
In 2015, Evaristo Santa Maria was convicted in absentia of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
He was tried for two cases involving the sexual assault of two young girls between 5 and 10 years old. The girls did not know each other, and the abuse happened years apart from one another.
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office said Santa Maria, "ingratiated himself into two different families so he could prey on the victims".
"Crimes against children are among the most despicable and those who commit them must be held accountable," Foxx said.
In collaboration with the FBI and investigators, Santa Maria was taken into custody in Guatemala, which neighbors Honduras.
The 50-year-old arrived in Chicago on Wednesday, and was sent to the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill to serve his natural life sentence.