"Man with 7 aliases charged with 2010 Lawrence murder" by John R. Ellement Globe Staff September 16, 2016
A man with at least seven aliases who was found in a federal prison living under a false name appeared in Essex Superior Court in Salem Friday to face a murder charge from a stabbing nearly six years ago.
Juan Peguero is accused by Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s office of stabbing Juan Guzman Tapia, 33, multiple times on Bromfield Street in Lawrence on Nov. 23, 2010. He was indicted for the man’s murder in 2011 and has since been the target of an international search.
Peguero was originally thought by law enforcement to have returned to his native Dominican Republic, but authorities learned he reentered the United States through Puerto Rico in 2011 using an alias.
He was arrested and imprisoned by federal authorities on illegal reentry to the United States and drug charges, but no one matched him to the outstanding murder warrant because his fingerprints weren’t on file, prosecutors said.
A new nationwide search was launched last year, leading to the discovery of Peguero and the murder charge, officials said. The search involved the US State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the US Marshal’s Service, State Police, Lawrence police, and Essex prosecutors, officials said.
Peguero is also known as Miguel Cordero, Obed Encarnacion-Medi, Jose Medina, Josue Medina, Josue Encarnacion, and Obed Medi, acccording to Blodgett’s office.
Officials said Peguero has numerous dates of birth that go with his false identities, so it is hard to know his exact age.
He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail on the murder charge, prosecutors said. He is due back in court Oct. 6.
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