Most wanted fugitive arrested in Mexico in 2016 strangulation death of Illinois lawyer

Mexican police have arrested a man in connection with the 2016 strangulation death of an Illinois lawyer, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

John Panaligan, 57, was arrested Monday in Tepic, Mexico, ending a nearly eight-year manhunt, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a news release.

Panaligan, who was on the list of 15 most wanted fugitives in 2020, was deported to the United States on Tuesday, the service confirmed.

Panaligan is accused of murdering attorney Victor Jigar Patel, 36, in his Northbrook, Ill., office on Dec. 7, 2016. At the time, Patel was representing clients who were suing Panaligan in civil court, according to the press release.

“I hope this arrest brings some comfort to the Patel family and serves as a stark reminder to fugitives that there is no place to hide,” Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis said in a statement.

USA TODAY was unable to reach an attorney for Panaligan for comment.

Panaligan would have set a meeting to attract Patel

The Marshals Service alleges that Panaligan arranged to meet Patel under an alias to meet Patel at his law office.

Security cameras captured Panaligan in disguise when he arrived before allegedly killing the attorney in his office, according to the Marshals Service. Evidence collected by authorities made him the primary suspect in the murder investigation, according to the U.S. Marshall Service.

Authorities arrested Panaligan at the Canadian border two days later for allegedly trying to smuggle a firearm into Canada. However, he was allowed to return to the United States so that Northbrook police could question him as part of the investigation into Patel’s death.

On February 8, 2017, a warrant for Panaligan’s arrest was filed so he could be charged with first-degree murder, but he presumably fled to Mexico before authorities could track him down.

On November 23, 2020, the U.S. Marshals Service placed him among the 15 Most Wanted, offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to his capture, according to the service. Speculation about Panaligan’s fate was complicated due to his dual citizenship between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Most Wanted’ Fugitive Arrested in Mexico Following Illinois Attorney’s Death