On June 26, 2026, Francisco Vallejo-Arevalo, 27, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in connection with the May 17, 2025, shooting death of 31-year-old Eric Alcauter-Huitron.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Karen Phipps sentenced Vallejo-Arevalo to 17-22½ years in prison.
This story originally published on May 21, 2025.
US Marshals arrest 26-year-old homicide suspect who was in US illegally
A 26-year-old undocumented immigrant wanted for fatally shooting another man was arrested on May 21, in western Ohio by U.S. Marshals.
Francisco Vallejo-Arevalo has been charged with aggravated murder in connection with the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Erik Alcauter-Huitron. Vallejo-Arevalo was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) in the 7000 block of Main Street in Camden, a village in Preble County, according to a news release from the marshal’s office.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Vallejo-Arevalo is not a U.S. citizen and is not in the country legally. U.S. Marshals identified Vallejo-Arevalo exiting a business in Camden after he bought new clothes, the marshals said. He is currently in custody at the Preble County Jail.
Columbus police said they responded to a report of a shooting at 3:49 p.m. on May 17 in the 3000 block of Kane Drive. On arrival, they found Alcauter-Huitron suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Columbus Division of Fire medics transported Alcauter-Huitron in critical condition to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, Downtown, where he died at 4:26 p.m., police said.
According to family and friends interviewed by homicide detectives, Alcauter-Huitron and Vallejo-Arevalo were “competing for the affections of the same woman” and had an ongoing dispute that resulted in Vallejo-Arevalo shooting Alcauter-Huitron.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Man sentenced for May 2025 shooting spurred by love triangle
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
