U.S. Marshals apprehend Siler City murder suspect in Georgia
By VICTORIA JOHNSON & D. LARS DOLDER
Five months after the killing of Ramon Hernandez in Siler City, U.S. Marshals apprehended his suspected killer, Sergio “Yovani” Rodriguez Pereira, in Gwinnett County, Georgia, early Tuesday morning.
Rodriguez is in custody without bond, Chatham County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Sara Pack told the News & Record, and he will be extradited back to North Carolina in coming days. The Sheriff’s Office has been investigating Hernandez’s death since the shooting in December and coordinating with a network of law enforcement agencies nationwide.
“I really appreciate the help we have received from other agencies on this case, including the United States Marshals who located Mr. Rodriguez in Georgia this morning,” Sheriff Mike Roberson told the News & Record. “Their support has been instrumental to the case.”
Hernandez, 28, died Dec. 20 in the UNC-Chapel Hill Medical Center after he was shot several times in the torso. He’d been found earlier the same day on Waterford Street in Siler City after authorities received reports of several gunshots.
A witness later identified Rodriguez — a Siler City resident and Hernandez’s brother-in-law — as the shooter. The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office subsequently charged Rodriguez, 24, with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
Hernandez’s older sister, Tania, told the News & Record that Rodriguez was in custody earlier Tuesday.
“Someone called the hotline and left a tip last week,” she said. “Marshals were informed, and he was apprehended this early morning. (In a) matter of days, maybe, he will be brought to N.C.”
It is still unclear how Rodriguez escaped to Georgia and with whom he was staying. Authorities found Rodriguez’s car abandoned within the county line less than a week after Hernandez died, according to Tania.
Rodriguez is expected to be turned over to the Sheriff’s Office, and it is likely he will stand trial in Chatham County, Roberson said.
“Our staff members have worked diligently alongside partnering agencies to bring Mr. Rodriguez into custody, but there is still more work to be done,” he said. “The next step in the process will be extraditing Mr. Rodriguez back to North Carolina to face charges here in Chatham County.”
