Overview
- Darwin David Espinal del Cid, who was arrested Monday, is being held in Honduras and faces extradition to Bucks County to answer homicide and related charges.
- Bucks County prosecutors have charged him with criminal homicide, possession of an instrument of crime, abuse of a corpse and other offenses that would be prosecuted after extradition.
- Prosecutors allege Espinal del Cid stabbed 23-year-old Maria Bernarda Popol Garcia, hid her body in a closet and then stole her phone and money before fleeing the U.S. on a one-way ticket in March.
- Investigators say the case moved after Popol’s family reported her missing, doorbell video and cellphone forensics tracked movements, and texts showed the suspect posing as the victim to mislead contacts.
- Popol, a Guatemalan immigrant who relatives say was planning to leave an abusive relationship, has left a grieving family and prompted officials to stress the case as part of a pattern of intimate-partner violence to watch as extradition and prosecution proceed.