Colombian Murderer Has Been Hiding In Belmont For 25 Years: FBI

BELMONT, MA — A man the FBI says was convicted of murdering his wife and attempting to kill his daughter in Colombia was arrested Wednesday in Belmont, where authorities say he has been living for almost 25 years.

William Hernando Usma Acosta, 61, has been residing in the Boston suburb under the alias Carlos Alberto Rendon, the FBI said Wednesday. The FBI's Violent Task Force arrested him Wednesday without incident as he was heading to work in Waltham.

In June 1994, Usma Acosta fled Colombia after the shooting death of his wife, Laura Rose Agudelo, in Medellin, the FBI said. Police later found her killing was the result of a domestic violence incident and say Usma Acosta also shot his daughter as she tried to help.

According to immigration records, Rendon arrived in the United States illegally in 1995 when he crossed the Mexican border, the FBI said. He then married an American citizen in 1998 and obtained lawful, permanent resident status while living in Somerville. Since then, police say he moved to Belmont with his wife and son.

In 1996, Usma Acosta was sentenced to 45 years in prison on aggravated murder charges, attempted murder charges and firearm charges. He was also sentenced to ten years of Restricted Citizen's Rights. The Government of Colombia subsequently issued an international arrest warrant for Usma Acosta to serve his sentence, but didn't find him until Wednesday.

In 2020, Rendon submitted an application for naturalization to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. As part of the application, Rendon needed to submit fingerprints and a Colombian birth certificate.

The FBI was able to match Rendon's fingerprints with those of Usma Acosta after they were provided by Colombian police. They were later determined to be an exact match, and investigators found Rendon's birth certificate to be fake, the FBI said.

In June of 2020, special agents with the FBI Boston Division's Violent Crimes Task Force received information that Usma Acosta may be residing in the greater Boston area.

"William Hernando Usma Acosta is a convicted cold-blooded killer who thought he could evade justice by entering the United States and creating a new identity for himself so he could live under the radar. He needs to face justice for what he did, and today's arrest ensures that he will," said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will not be a safe haven for those wanted in their native countries, and the FBI will continue to leverage our international partnerships to remove dangerous fugitives like him from our communities."

Usma Acosta will be handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement which will transfer him to Colombian law enforcement who issued the warrant for his arrest.