MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A fugitive wanted in the fatal shooting of a man in Miami-Dade County nearly 30 years ago has been extradited back to South Florida from Peru, authorities said.
Christian Miguel Orosco, 47, is accused in the 1996 killing of 23-year-old James Schwarz, who was shot multiple times following a verbal altercation at a gas station in northwest Miami-Dade County, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said the shooting happened Nov. 28, 1996, at about 11:30 p.m. at a Mobil gas station at 3201 NW 79th St.
Investigators said Schwarz had been involved in an argument with the suspect earlier that evening. A short time later, Orosco allegedly approached Schwarz, pulled out a gun and opened fire without warning before fleeing the scene.
Authorities said Orosco, a known member of the C.A.P. street gang, was in a nearby trailer park with several friends near the gas station when the victim allegedly yelled, “Westside — f--- C.A.P.”
They said Orosco then walked toward the victim and, after reaching a chain-link fence separating them, pulled a gun from his waistband and fired several shots, striking the victim once in the chest.
Witnesses said the victim never pulled out a weapon and did not pose a threat to Orosco when he was shot, according to investigators.
Schwarz was taken to Hialeah Hospital by friends and later airlifted to a trauma center, where he died from his injuries, authorities said.
Detectives identified Orosco, of Miami Springs, as the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant, but he fled the area and was never taken into custody, according to investigators.
The case remained unsolved for decades until authorities said a break came in 2025, when the Peruvian National Police received a tip that a man living under the name Eduardo Enrique Albarracin Trillo was actually Orosco.
Investigators said they worked with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the U.S. Department of Justice, along with Peruvian authorities, to confirm the man’s identity. Fingerprint analysis verified that the two identities were the same person.
They said Orosco had been living in Peru under the assumed identity and was working as an air traffic controller at Jorge Chávez International Airport.
Authorities said the Peruvian National Police arrested him without incident, and he was later extradited to Miami-Dade County, where he faces a first-degree murder charge.
As of Wednesday morning, he was being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He was also placed on an immigration hold.
A motive for the shooting remains unclear at this time.
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