Ex-boyfriend of a slain woman arrested in Colombia 4 years after her death

The ex-boyfriend of a woman found dead in her home has been apprehended by law enforcement authorities in Colombia to face a murder charge in Manatee County, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

Jazmin Catano was found dead just before midnight on June 23, 2013, in her apartment in the 5900 block of 36th Street West in Bradenton.

Her ex-boyfriend, Andres Collazos, was named the only person of interest in her death after homicide detectives learned he flew out of Fort Lauderdale International Airport to his native Colombia the same day she was found dead. In the weeks after Catano’s death, detectives obtained a warrant charging him with second-degree murder in her slaying. Collazos has since been a fugitive.

Collazos was apprehended Tuesday by Colombian authorities as part of a joint operation with the FBI. When Collazos will be extradited back to the United States and brought to Manatee County is not yet known. Collazos is also facing a federal charge for traveling in interstate or foreign commerce to avoid prosecution.

Details of how Collazos was arrested have also not yet been released, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Dave Bristow.

“We do have physical evidence linking him to the crime,” Bristow said.

Catano was hit over the head and shot dead, he confirmed. The sheriff’s office had never previous released details regarding how Catano was killed.

When Gustavo Catano, the victim’s brother, learned of Collazos’s arrest Tuesday night, he felt a sense of satisfaction, he told the Bradenton Herald on Wednesday.

“It’s nothing to be happy about but finally to have justice,” Catano said. “Justice is who wins here.”

The FBI had reached out to Catano a couple weeks ago, to let him know that they were closing in on Collazos and asked that he be patient.

“It has been very hard,” Catano said. “My parents are much older. My mother was very affected by my sister’s death and my dad also returned since then.”

Just a week ago, his parents arrived from their native Colombia to his home in New Jersey, so he was happy to be able to deliver the news of Collazos’ arrest in person Tuesday night. The news was also justice for his sister’s son and daughter, he said.

“The children are good and studying,” he said. “Fortunately, they have been able to move forward with the love and support of family.”

But despite the fact that Collazos has been on the lam for four years, Catano said, he doesn’t think he was enjoying his freedom.

“I knew his conscience was not letting him rest, although he may have been free all this time,” Catano said. “We lost but he also lost his own family, he has been unable to see his mother, unable to see his daughter. ... Now, from behind bars, he will continue to lose the rest of his life. Crime does not pay.”

This story was originally published July 26, 2017 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Ex-boyfriend of a slain woman arrested in Colombia 4 years after her death."