Did Mexican cop kill 25-year-old to 'protect his family' or was it 'revenge'? Jury decides
A Mexican police officer was found guilty of murder in the December 2004 fatal shooting of 25-year-old Benjamin Becerra outside a bar in Hamilton.
Antonio Riano, 63, was convicted June 13 at the end of a four-day trial in Butler County Common Pleas Court. The jury deliberated for under an hour before returning the guilty verdict.
Riano was indicted on a single count of murder in February 2005, but he fled to Mexico, putting the case on a long pause. It was revived after his 2024 arrest and extradition back to the U.S.
Prosecutors described the shooting as a 'revenge killing,' saying Riano purposefully put a .38-caliber revolver to Becerra's head and pulled the trigger, killing him. He bought ammunition from a local Walmart less than an hour earlier.
The shooting stemmed from a dispute between Riano and Becerra. Prosecutors said Riano went to a bar on East Avenue, where Becerra was known to spend his time, to kill the other man. Riano was in the country illegally at the time.
'He (Becerra) was shot to death in cold blood,' Butler County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Brad Burress said.
Riano's attorneys have argued the shooting was in self-defense and that he had no intentions of killing Becerra when he went to the bar that day.
During a roughly 90-minute interview after his extradition, Riano told police he went to confront a group after getting word that his younger brother had been assaulted, according to a transcript displayed in court.
Kara Blackney, one of Riano's attorneys, said in court that Riano was 'trying to protect his family' by confronting Becerra. She added that Riano's house had been broken into and that Riano's family was subjected to 'constant bullying' by Becerra and others.
'Antonio's family had been terrorized,' Blackney said.
Surveillance video played in court showed Riano pull out a revolver and open fire on Becerra. Prosecutors said Riano had earlier fired a warning shot. However, Blackney said that Riano told police he was shot at first.
The video also showed Becerra leaning into the window of a passing car just a minute before he was shot. Burress said that Becerra told the occupants of the car, 'He's got a gun, he's going to kill me.'
A third man tried to intervene in the dispute, putting himself between Riano and Becerra, but Riano stepped around the man to shoot Becerra at close range, the video shows.
Burress said that Riano "executed Benjamin Becerra on the sidewalk."
Judge Michael Oster Jr., who presided over the trial, found there was insufficient evidence to instruct the jury on considering a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
In arguing for the judge to include that instruction, Riano's lawyers pointed to a step Becerra made toward Riano just before the shooting.
'A step by itself is not threatening in any way,' Oster said. He added that it's unknown what the two men were saying to one another before the shooting.
After interviewing witnesses, investigators identified Riano as the suspect and learned he was commonly referred to as 'El Diablo,' a former Hamilton police detective wrote in an affidavit.
Blackney said that while police and prosecutors have focused on Riano's 'El Diablo' moniker, she noted that the nickname stems from Riano dressing up in a devil outfit for carnival performances in his hometown.
'El Diablo is his nickname, but not because he's a bad guy, not because he's scary,' Blackney said.
Police searched a house on East Avenue where Riano had parked his vehicle and found a box of ammunition matching the weapon used in the shooting. When police later searched Riano's home, they learned he used several fake names and had papers to create false documentation to obtain different identifications.
A teacher at the elementary school Riano's daughter attended told police they overheard the child's mother say they were moving to New Jersey, where the family had lived previously, investigators said.
Investigators contacted New Jersey authorities to help locate Riano; however, they were told that he had just left the country.
Police said they interviewed the mother of Riano's daughter, who said she'd fought with Riano the night before the shooting and had left him. She told police that a friend had driven him to Mexico.
While investigators mistakenly wrote in an affidavit seeking Riano's extradition that the murder weapon wasn't found until 2006, prosecutors said the gun was recovered 10 days after the shooting.
The Butler County Sheriff's Office listed Riano as a wanted fugitive and the case was even profiled on Fox's "America's Most Wanted.'
Paul Newtown, lead investigator with the Butler County Prosecutor's Office, previously told The Enquirer that authorities never stopped searching for Riano. However, his trail went cold for the better part of 20 years.
Newton said the U.S. Marshals Service became involved early in the investigation. There was an attempt by marshals to arrest Riano in Mexico, but they missed him.
'After he found out the U.S. Marshals were after him, he kind of went underground,' Newton said, adding that investigators lost track of Riano until the beginning of 2024.
Newton eventually stumbled upon Riano's Facebook account, which included a video of him. That's also when investigators learned he was working as a police officer. He was later arrested by Mexican authorities and brought back to the U.S. to stand trial.
Riano is expected to appear in court again for sentencing on July 14. He faces a possible prison term of 18 years to life.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mexican cop 'El Diablo' convicted in 2004 killing in Butler County
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