Suspect in lawyer's murder arrested after nearly eight years on the run

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police in Mexico have arrested a man suspected of strangling an Illinois lawyer nearly eight years ago.

The U.S. Marshals Service said Wednesday that Mexican authorities arrested John Panaligan in Tepic on Monday. Panaligan, 57, had been on the Marshalls' 15 most wanted fugitives list since 2020.

Investigators allege he strangled 36-year-old real estate attorney Victor Jigar Patel in his Northbrook, Illinois, office in December 2016. Patel represented plaintiffs who sued Panaligan in civil court.

Authorities believe Panaligan lured Patel to the office by making an appointment under an alias and then showed up in disguise. Northbrook police questioned Panaligan about Patel's death and executed multiple search warrants for his belongings and property, but Panaligan fled before he could be arrested.

Authorities believed he was in the Philippines in 2017. According to investigators, he has dual citizenship of the Philippines and the USA.

The marshals said in a news release that Panaligan was extradited to the United States on Tuesday. The service said in an email to The Associated Press that he was in the custody of the Northbrook Police Department.

When asked if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf, the marshals referred questions to police. A voice message left by the AP with the department's community relations department Wednesday evening was not immediately returned.

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