Man pleads guilty to 1991 murder of estranged wife in Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — A man has pleaded guilty to stabbing his wife to death more than 30 years ago in Falls Church. Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano announced the guilty plea on Friday.

Jose Larazo Cruz pled guilty to second-degree murder for fatally stabbing his estranged wife, Ana Jurado, on April 30, 1991.

In a court hearing, prosecutors detailed the events leading up to and immediately after the killing. Larazo Cruz, 60, believed Ana Jurado, 24, was having an affair with another man, and confronted her outside of her home in the 6000 block of Gouthier Road in Falls Church. The argument escalated and Larazo Cruz slashed Jurado across the neck, then left her to die in the street, prosecutors said. 

Larazo Cruz was identified as a suspect shortly after the crime and a warrant for his arrest was issued on May 10, 1991. But Larazo Cruz fled the country before he could be arrested, and was on the run for more than three decades.

He was finally arrested crossing from El Salvador into Costa Rica in 2022, and was extradited to the U.S. earlier this year.

“When Jose Larazo Cruz killed Ana Jurado, he left behind three young children and a devastated community,” Descano said in a statement. “It’s been over 30 years since that dark day, but Fairfax County has never forgotten her or her family, and we remain committed to the pursuit of justice for all victims of violent crimes.”

Larazo Cruz faces up to 40 years for the second-degree murder charge. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 7.