After nearly six years, Bradenton woman’s ex-boyfriend extradited from Colombia for murder

Jazmin Catano had just started moving into her new Bradenton apartment on June 22, 2013, in an effort to get away from her recent ex-boyfriend with whom she had shared a home. But her ex-boyfriend, Andres Collazos, may not have been willing to let her go.

That day, a Saturday, Catano’s new neighbor at her Coral Club apartment in the 5900 block of 30th Street West saw a Hispanic man trying to force open Catano’s sliding glass door as he begged or whined in Spanish, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Hours later, Catano’s ex-husband arrived at the apartment to drop off their son and daughter, but she didn’t answer the door. Concerned, he went inside and walked into a bloody crime scene, immediately leaving and calling 911.

The trail of blood led from the living room and hallway of the apartment into the bathroom, where Catano was found. She had been bludgeoned and then shot in the back before being dragged into the bathroom, detectives believe.

A bloody fingerprint on the inside door of the bathroom would later be identified as belonging to Collazos’ right ring finger.

But within 11 hours of that crime scene being found, a flight with Collazos on board had departed from Fort Lauderdale International Airport and was headed to his native Medellin, Colombia.

On Thursday — nearly six years later — Collazos made his first appearance before a Manatee County judge to face a murder charge in Catano’s death after being extradited back to Manatee County.

Collazos, 30, arrived at the Manatee County jail on Wednesday after being escorted back by U.S. Marshals from Bogota, Colombia. He was charged with second-degree murder with a firearm.

He was ordered held without bond by Manatee County Court Judge Robert Farrance until the matter can be heard before the presiding judge in the case. But it appears that a grand jury might be convened in an attempt to indict Collazos on first-degree murder, based on statements made by a public defender who said she had spoken with prosecutors assigned to the case.

For the Catano family, Collazos being back in Manatee County makes them feel like they are closer in the pursuit of justice.

“My family thanks God he was captured, that there will be justice and that he is finally in Florida to face the charges in court,” Jazmin Catano’s brother, Gustavo Catano, told the Bradenton Herald on Thursday over the phone. “The jury will have the ultimate say.”

Catano and his parents, who do not live locally, were not in court Thursday to see Collazos make his first appearance, but the family intends to be present during the trial and any other major hearings if needed.

“I am thankful my parents are alive to see this,” Catano said.

Collazos looked different on Thursday than he did at the time of his arrest in Colombia, his hair cut into a mohawk and wearing eye glasses. Defense attorney Connie Mederos-Jacobs was in court and may be defending him as the case moves forward. His mother was also present but did not speak.

Detectives had developed Collazos as a person of interest quickly in Catano’s death but not before discovering he had already fled the country. Phone calls or text messages Collazos had made the morning after the murder had pinged off a cell phone tower near the Fort Lauderdale airport. Surveillance video footage later obtained captured him boarding the flight.

The victim’s friends had immediately suspected Collazos, detailing concerning behavior to detectives and the Bradenton Herald.

Collazos had been spotted watching Catano by a friend who was helping her move out of the former couple’s apartment. He had also tried to rent an apartment in Coral Club Apartments, an employee told detectives, and requested an apartment in the same building as Catano.

Catano had tried ending the relationship multiple times before, friends told the Bradenton Herald in 2013. She felt suffocated by him, she told them, and she had to distance herself from friends because of Collazos’ jealousy.

Her death was a shock for many who worked at the Manatee Clerk of Courts, where Catano had been a clerk in the criminal division and had been well-liked.

Collazos evaded capture for years, however, learning that when detectives had built a strong enough case against him to get a warrant charging him with murder, he fled to nearby Venezuela.

But on July 25, 2017, Collazos was found and arrested at the Venezuela border by the Colombia National Police, which was working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Now if convicted as charged currently, Collazos faces up to life in prison.

This story was originally published March 28, 2019 at 11:52 AM.