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Pinal County deports an accused murderer to Mexico
Original Publication Date: June 16, 2016 7:50PM
Publication Updated: April 28, 2025 5:00AM
FLORENCE, Ariz. – A man suspected of killing another inmate at a private detention facility in Pinal County has been deported to Mexico.
County sheriff’s deputies were called to the Corrections Corporation of America facility in Florence in November 2013.
The facility contracts to hold prisoners of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Facility officials wanted detectives to investigate a deadly fight between two prisoners.
Roberto Fernandez told investigators he killed the other inmate because he liked it in prison and was afraid of being released.
Fernandez was charged with first-degree murder, but a ruling determined he wasn’t competent to stand trial.
A judge ordered Fernandez to be released from custody Tuesday.
County officials contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who picked up the 45-year-old Fernandez and handed him over to law enforcement in Mexico.
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