A manhunt is underway by local, state, and federal officials 26 hours after one of two illegal aliens, accused of murdering K9 officer and sheriff’s deputy Ned Byrd last year, escaped from Piedmont Regional Jail in Prince Edward County, Virginia.
Illegal alien brothers Alder Alfonso Sotelo and Arturo Marin Sotelo, both from Mexico, were arrested and charged last year with the murder of 48-year-old Byrd after he was shot and killed on August 12, 2022, while exiting his unmarked patrol vehicle.
On Monday, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office announced that Alder Alfonso Sotelo had escaped from the Virginia jail where he was being held. According to local reports, Alder Alfonso Sotelo escaped at 1:18 a.m. on Sunday, but jail staff were unaware he had escaped until 26 hours later at around 3:19 a.m. on Monday.
Almost 45 minutes later, the Prince Edward County Sheriff’s Office was notified of Alder Alfonso Sotelo’s escape from jail. Officials then reported to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, where the illegal alien faces murder charges, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office in Charlotte, North Carolina.
We are working with our partners and are ensuring all resources are being used to find Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo. pic.twitter.com/Z5IuG1myyd
— Wake County Sheriff's Office (@WakeSheriff) May 1, 2023
Alder Marin-Sotelo escaped the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, VA. He is charged with murdering a @WakeSheriff Deputy in August 2022. Call 911 if you see him. He is believed to have left the jail in a early 2000 red or burgundy Ford Mustang. pic.twitter.com/JQ27M1WCFk
— FBI Charlotte (@FBICharlotte) May 1, 2023
Monday morning we received a report that Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo escaped from the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia.
He is believed to have left the jail in a early 2000 red or burgundy Ford Mustang. Pictures from the FBI below.
If you see him, please call 911. pic.twitter.com/A6wCaZc8XJ
— Wake County Sheriff's Office (@WakeSheriff) May 2, 2023
“This is just a lot for me right now, I am not ready to talk,” Byrd’s sister, Mignon Perkins, told WRAL News. “All I can say is that I am praying that Alder is caught as quickly as possible.”
As Breitbart News reported in November 2022, Alder Alfonso Sotelo was expected to plead guilty in federal court to illegal possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.
In the Byrd murder case, the Sotelo brothers are facing life in prison without parole or the death penalty. Police allege that Byrd was shot six times in the back of the head and that the illegal alien brothers planned to flee North Carolina after the murder to avoid arrest.
The Sotelo brothers illegally entered the United States via the southern border on unknown dates. Arturo Marin Sotelo was caught crossing the border in June 2010.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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