SANTA ANA, Calif. – Humberto Rodriguez Martinez, a 39-year-old man wanted for murder who has been on the run for the last eight years, has been extradited from Mexico back to the United States to face special circumstances murder charges for stabbing his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend to death after waiting for him to leave the woman’s Anaheim apartment in 2017, according to the Orange County District Attorney (OCDA).
A co-defendant is currently serving 15 years to life sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for his role in the murder.
Humberto Rodriguez Martinez, now 39, was wanted on a $2 million warrant for his arrest after Orange County prosecutors charged him in 2017 with the special circumstances lying in wait murder of 32-year-old Daniel Reyes. Martinez was charged with one felony count of murder, one felony enhancement of special circumstance lying in wait, and one felony enhancement of personal use of a weapon, a knife.
Martinez, who fled to Mexico after stabbing Reyes to death, was located by Mexican authorities with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service in 2024 and arrested at the request of the United States. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office worked with the U.S. Marshals Service, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and the Anaheim Police Department to return Martinez to Orange County to face special circumstances murder charges.
On December 4, 2025, Martinez was extradited to the United States. Anaheim police homicide detectives took custody of Rodriguez-Martinez from United States Marshals Service deputies at Los Angeles International Airport.
As part of the international extradition process, and in compliance with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requirements, Martinez, a citizen of Mexico who was in the United States illegally at the time of the murder, must remain in U.S. custody while his case is being litigated.
“This arrest does not undo the pain the victim’s family has endured, but it reinforces our commitment and promise to our community: we will never stop working until justice is served,” said Anaheim Police Chief Manny Cid.
“The pursuit of justice will never be derailed by time or distance,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The long arm of Orange County law enforcement reaches to every corner of the earth to ensure the full weight of the law is felt by those who commit the most heinous acts of violence against other human beings. We are grateful for the incredible work of our investigators and prosecutors and of our partners, both domestic and international, for their assistance in tracking down a wanted murder and bringing him back to Orange County to face the consequences of his actions.”
On October 17, 2017, Martinez, 30, of Anaheim, and his friend Adan Zapot-Leyva, 28, of Anaheim, went to the apartment of Martinez’ ex-girlfriend to watch Martinez’ two children while their mother went to work. Martinez and the woman had broken up several months earlier but continued to co-parent their two children.
The two men left the apartment at about 8:30 p.m. when the children’s mother returned home from work. The woman’s new boyfriend, Daniel Reyes, arrived at the apartment about half an hour later.
Anaheim police were called to the intersection of Santa Ana Street and Helena Street after witnesses saw two men chasing Reyes and one of the men stabbing him. Officers found Reyes bleeding from multiple stab wounds and he was pronounced dead.
Zapot-Leyva was arrested two days later and sentenced to 15 years to life after he pled guilty in 2023 to one felony count of second-degree murder.
On January 6, 2026, Rodriguez-Martinez pleaded not guilty in Orange County Superior Court. He is currently being held on no bail.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Mark Birney of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.
This killer should get the D.P, now we gotta spend big tax dollars caring for this undocumented killer who doesn’t even know when to move on from a no spark relationship…. It’s beyond foolish