For 11 years an American was on the run from U.S. authorities after causing a tragic accident in Flroida, in which a couple of grandparents died. But his “holiday” ended when he was arrested in Costa Rica, a country that had become his second home.
Henry De la Hoz, 46, who since 2008 was sought internationally by the US authorities as responsible for the deaths of Victor and Olga Lisabeth, a couple of pensioners of Cuban origin, lived a quiet life in Jacó, Puntarenas, for more than two years. But it all came to an end on Wednesday, March 20, the day he was arrested by OIJ agents.
“Mr. Henry De La Hoz was hiding in the country illegally because he did not register any formal entry. In addition, he had an international arrest warrant and red notice in Interpol for homicide,” confirmed the press office of the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ).
According to the OIJ, they learned of the fugitive’s possible presence in Costa Rica in 2016.
Since he entered the country illegally, Costa Rican authorities do not have the exact data of how long De la Hoz lived in Costa Rica; However, they did manage to determine that the man decided to start a new life in Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, earning a living doing construction work in different parts of Puntarenas. In that province, he also met a woman he fell in love with and had a son who is now 10 months old.
According to Miami’s El Nuevo Herald, US authorities in their investigation revealed that De la Hoz left construction to study Brazilian martial arts.
“He also helped found Pura Vida Fighting for Kids, a foundation that helps poor children learn martial arts,” cites a publication. Before being arrested by the OIJ, it was learned that the American was beginning to work as a tattoo artist.
De la Hoz was deported from Costa Rica on Wednesday, April 17, when a group of US marshals arrived to take him back to Miami, Florida, where he faces a 12-year prison sentence.
De la Hoz was convicted in a Florida DUI crash that killed a couple on their way to Easter Sunday mass in 2003 after pleading to two counts of DUI manslaughter and other charges back in 2008.
“After 16 years of waiting for justice, and on the anniversary of their death, which was this past Saturday, I think finally justice will prevail,” said the couple’s daughter, Maria Lisabet-Aguirre to Nbcmiami.com.
“Well it’s always something with this guy,” said Victor Lisabet, the couple’s son. “We never get justice and we have to wait another week for him to know that he’s actually going to go to jail.”
