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Aurora quadruple murder suspect arrested in central Mexico over the weekend, police say

4 people killed, children unhurt in shooting at home in Aurora; suspect at large
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UPDATE | March 13 — Joseph Castorena was brought back to Colorado on March 12 around 7:30 p.m. He is in custody in the Arapahoe County Detention Facility.

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AURORA, Colo. – A suspect wanted in connection with the murders of four people in Aurora in late October has been arrested in Mexico, according to the Aurora Police Department.

Joseph Castorena, 21, was arrested Saturday in Aguascalientes, a state in north-central Mexico, with the help of the FBI, local police officers in Mexico, the Instituto Nacional de Migración – Mexico’s immigration enforcement agency – and the Mexican government, according to a spokesperson with the Aurora Police Department.

Castorena was flown to the U.S. Sunday and was booked into a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office detention center located in Phoenix, the spokesperson said.

Denver7 spoke with the family of one of the victims, Kenneth Green Luque. His father and sister are currently in Honduras for his funeral.

"I hope justice is done right. I want the public to see what kind of animal he was that could commit a crime likely he did and not have the conscience to stand up and repent for his mistake," Kenneth Green Sr. said.

Following the Oct. 30 quadruple homicide, investigators with the Aurora Police Department’s Fugitive Unit developed information Castorena fled to Zacatecas, another state in north-central Mexico, according to police. Investigators, with the help of federal and Mexican law enforcement partners, continued to monitor Castorena’s movements south through the country until his arrest Saturday, they added.

“The arrest of Joseph Castorena should serve as an example that the dedicated men and women of the Aurora Police Department never quit on a case until those responsible are in custody,” said interim police Chief Art Acevedo. “I would like to thank our federal partners at the FBI and our law enforcement partners in Mexico for teaming up on the arrest. We hope this announcement helps bring family and friends of the victims a little closer to the closure they deserve.”

An extradition date to Colorado has not been set.

Last month, Aurora police officers arrested the suspect’s brother for investigation on a charge of accessory to first-degree murder.

While police said it is investigating him for accessory after the fact but that “there is no evidence indicating Juan was involved in the shootings on Geneva Street on October 30, 2022.”

The department said investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute between the woman and Joseph Castorena. Castorena has a restraining order against him that prevents him from going near the home or his domestic partner.