A man who fled to Mexico after stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death outside her San Jose apartment in 2013 was returned to the Bay Area last week to face a murder charge. police said Tuesday.

Juan Ramirez, 37, was identified as the suspect after the March 22, 2013 stabbing of 29-year-old Sandra Cruzes-Gonsalez in an apartment complex parking lot on the 900 block of North First Street, just east of the County Government Center.

According to San Jose police, the then-25-year-old Ramirez confronted Cruzes-Gonsalez in her apartment parking lot, where they exchanged words before Ramirez stabbed her multiple times and fled. Cruzes-Gonsalez died of her injuries at a hospital.

Homicide detectives quickly identified Ramirez as the suspect and determined he had fled to Mexico, and his whereabouts were unknown.

On July 16, 2024, the International Criminal Police Organization apprehended Ramirez and took him into custody in Mexico to await extradition to the United States, police said. On Friday, Ramirez was extradited from Mexico to California and booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail for murder.

"The San José Police Department will pursue all suspects who flee from justice, especially someone as violent and dangerous as Juan Ramirez," said San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph. "Our victim passed away twelve years ago, but she was never forgotten. Since the day she was murdered, our Homicide Detectives worked relentlessly to find the suspect. Now we have Suspect Ramirez back in San José, ready to be held accountable for this atrocious killing."

San Jose homicide investigators credited INTERPOL, the U.S. Marshals Service in Mexico, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs, and the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for partnering with the Police Department on the case.

Anyone with information regarding the case was asked to contact Lieutenant Barg #3640 of the department's Homicide Unit at 3640@sanjoseca.gov or at 408-277-5283.