Farmington Hills man featured on "America's Most Wanted" arrested in Guatemala in 2001 murder case

A Southeast Michigan man, who police say is a fugitive wanted in a 2001 murder, was arrested in Guatemala and returned to the United States.

Edgardo Luis Perez, 44, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, was arrested on Wednesday by the Farmington Hills Police Department with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the police department said. 

The case involved the Oct. 20, 2001, murder of Gordon Machek, 56, of Farmington Hills.   

Perez was arraigned Friday on charges of first-degree felony murder, first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree murder, and manslaughter, court records show. 

Perez stood mute during, with not guilty pleas entered on his behalf. He was denied bond. He was then remanded to the Oakland County Jail.

Farmington Hills Police John Piggott said the investigation into Machek's death began as a missing person report. 

It's alleged that in October 2001, Perez and the victim met at a health club and planned to spend the day together on Oct. 20, 2001.

"That was the last time the victim was known to be alive. Perez is alleged to have murdered the victim to steal his identification and money to flee the country, fearing he would be incarcerated for a probation violation," police said. 

Investigators say the credit card fraud, combined with DNA recovered at the scene, linked Perez to Machek's murder. Authorities believe he was killed in his home. His body was never found.

During a press conference on Friday, Machek's neighbors said he was looking forward to retirement from Chrysler. Unopened retirement gifts were found inside the home when the investigation began.

Machek's partner was out of town at the time, but received messages that a bank card appeared to have been stolen and misused.

The partner asked two neighbors who were close friends to check on the property. They could not determine what happened. Upon his return, the partner told police what appeared to be amiss at the home and the investigation ramped up.

Piggott said police quickly identified the suspect based on the bank card usage, but the man had already fled the country. 

"The day after Mr. Machek's disappearance, we saw that Perez allegedly used Mr. Machek's credit card to make purchases for a one-way ticket to San Diego as well as purchases in Mexico," said Special Agent Jennifer Runyon of the FBI Detroit Field Office.

In the years since, four teams of Farmington Hills police officers have been assigned to monitor and investigate the case. Machek's neighbors said they called once a year to see what the progress might be.

Authorities said Friday that Perez was known to have traveled to multiple countries over the years. The break in the case came after he was arrested in 2023 in Guatemala on unrelated charges. Eventually, his fingerprints taken at that time were matched up with the Michigan investigation.

Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said the authority for the extradition came through Project Welcome Home, which she explained is a coordinated effort to seek fugitives from justice and return them to the United States. 

"Anyone who believes they can flee our borders to evade responsibility and accountability; today's announcement sends a clear message... distance does not erase responsibility, and time does not diminish our resolve," Runyan said about older cases.

The investigation into Machek's death attracted national attention, including an episode of the television show "America's Most Wanted." 

Machek's partner and his mother have since died. He had no children and was an only child himself while growing up.   

His neighbors described him as a creative genius, talented in gardening and woodcarving. They said during a press conference on Friday that Perez's arrest is a step toward justice.

"Eddie Perez is the devil himself. He killed a wonderful, kind, giving, gentle man. A beautiful soul," said Sue Macri.

The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office built up the case to the point in 2003 where they charged Perez with felony murder, and the U.S. Attorney issued a warrant charging Perez with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.   

Perez will next be in court for a probable cause conference on July 17.