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Man arrested in North Carolina for Stafford murder after 19 years on the run

Officials say Apolinar Tejeda, 66, was living under an assumed name of Leopoldo Silva in Kannapolis, N.C.

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - A man wanted for the murder of his wife in Stafford was arrested in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday after 19 years on the run, according to the Rowan County Sheriff's Office.

Officials say Apolinar Tejeda, 66, was living under an assumed name of Leopoldo Silva in Kannapolis, N.C.

Tejeda was wanted in the Oct. 13, 1999 murder of 46-year-old Rosa Liberato. Around 7 a.m. that day, authorities responded to the scene at the Aramark at 10110 Cash Road in Stafford where they say a co-worker found Liberato dead in her car. An autopsy later determined Liberato died from multiple gunshot wounds.

A man wanted for the murder of a woman in Stafford was arrested in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday after 19 years on the run, according to the Rowan County Sheriff's Office.

After a lengthy investigation by the Stafford Criminal Investigations Division, Tejeda was identified as a suspect, and a warrant was issued for his arrest in 2004. It appeared, however, that Tejeda fled the Houston area and was believed to have been traveling around the U.S. and Mexico using multiple aliases.

Stafford Police say new information surfaced this month about Tejeda's possible whereabouts. The department coordinated with other agencies to find and arrest him.

Investigators searched his residence in North Carolina this week. They did not find Tejeda, but they did discover he was working construction in the 2300 block of Belmeade Drive in Charlotte, N.C.

Several agencies arrested Tejeda without incident and transported him to the Gaston County Detention Center where he awaits extradition to Texas.

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