A man who was convicted of a 1997 murder and then had the conviction overturned, will now face charges in Minnesota. Jackson County, Minnesota authorities have filed second degree murder, kidnapping, first and second-degree assault charges against 40 year old Juan Humberto Castillo-Alvarez.
Castillo-Alvarez was the last person arrested in connection with the shooting death of Gregory Sky Erickson. Erickson was kidnapped in Spencer and was killed in a rural Jackson, County Minnesota farmhouse. Nine other co-defendants in the case have been tried and convicted in state or federal court.
Authorities say Castillo-Alvarez fled to Mexico and managed to avoid arrest until 2006. He was extradited to Iowa where he was convicted in 2007 of second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. The Iowa court of Appeals overturned the convictions saying there was a violation of Iowa’s speedy trial rules.
Officials say since the crime happened in both states, Minnesota has jurisdiction to prosecute Castillo-Alvarez under Minnesota law.
By Mark Bruggom, KICD, Spencer