After nearly a decade on the run, a suspect in a 2017 Phoenix homicide is now in custody following his extradition from Mexico, authorities announced Thursday.
Michael Anthony Arredondo, 34, was arrested by Mexican authorities on September 25, 2025, and later transferred to the U.S. Marshals Service before being returned to Arizona. Detectives from the Phoenix Police Departmentinterviewed him shortly after his arrest, during which Arredondo allegedly confessed to fatally stabbing Evin Paulos, 25, in a desert area near Cave Creek and Pinnacle Peak roads on June 3, 2017.
The long-unsolved case had remained open for eight years until Arredondo’s capture. He was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on Wednesday and is being held on a $1.5 million bond, police said.
While investigators have not disclosed a motive for the stabbing, they indicated that additional details about the case will be released as the investigation continues.
The arrest marks a significant breakthrough for Phoenix detectives, who have increasingly relied on cross-border collaboration to track down fugitives. It also highlights the role of international cooperation between Mexican law enforcement and U.S. agencies, which made Arredondo’s extradition possible.
