ICE, FBI arrest Massachusetts man wanted for murdering wife, shooting daughter

BOSTON — On April 13, officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Boston field office and special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Boston Division’s Violent Crimes Task Force arrested a Colombian national fugitive convicted in absentia in Colombia for the shooting death of his wife and the attempted murder of his daughter.

William Hernando Usma Acosta, 61, who fled Colombia following the June 19, 1994, murder of his wife, Laura Rose Agudelo, in Medellin, Colombia, and the attempted murder of his daughter, has been residing in Belmont, Massachusetts, under the alias Carlos Alberto Rendon. The murder was the result of a domestic violence incident in which Usma Acosta shot and killed his wife, and then shot his daughter as she tried to intervene. He fled Colombia shortly after the incident and is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice.

In June of 2020, special agents with the FBI Boston Division’s Violent Crimes Task Force received information that Usma Acosta may be residing in the greater Boston area. The FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force tracked Usma Acosta’s whereabouts to his home in Belmont. He was arrested today without incident near his residence.

On November 14, 1996, the Seventh Circuit Penal Court of Medellin, of the Government of Colombia, sentenced Usma Acosta to 45 years in prison on the charges of aggravated murder, aggravated attempted murder, and illegal possession of a firearm. He was also sentenced to ten years of Restricted Citizen’s Rights. That sentence was later reduced to 28 years and six months based on new sentencing guidelines. The accessory charge of Restricted Citizen’s Rights remains at ten years. The Government of Colombia subsequently issued an international arrest warrant for Usma Acosta to serve his sentence.

The FBI investigation found that Usma Acosta has been living in the town of Belmont under the alias Carlos Alberto Rendon. According to immigration records, Rendon arrived in the United States illegally in 1995 when he crossed the Mexican border. In 1998, he married an American citizen and obtained lawful, permanent resident status while living in Somerville, Massachusetts. Since that time, Rendon moved to Belmont with his wife and son. In 2020, Rendon submitted his application for naturalization to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. As part of that application, Rendon submitted a Colombian birth certificate and fingerprints. The FBI compared Rendon’s fingerprints against those of Usma Acosta which were provided by the Colombian National Police and determined they were an exact match. Investigators also determined that the Colombian birth certificate that Rendon submitted was fraudulent.

“Today’s arrest has ensured that this dangerous and convicted killer will face justice for his crimes,” said Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, ERO Boston. “ERO Boston is proud to have been part of this joint effort with our federal partners. Acosta will no longer pose a threat to the residents of the Commonwealth thanks to the tireless efforts of an outstanding team of law enforcement professionals in both the United States and Colombia.”

“William Hernando Usma Acosta is a convicted cold-blooded killer who thought he could evade justice by entering the United States and creating a new identity for himself so he could live under the radar. He needs to face justice for what he did, and today’s arrest ensures that he will,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will not be a safe haven for those wanted in their native countries, and the FBI will continue to leverage our international partnerships to remove dangerous fugitives like him from our communities.”

Acosta was transferred to ICE custody on April 13 and issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge on charges of having violated the terms of his legal permanent status through fraud.

In addition to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Boston Division’s Violent Crimes Task Force, assistance on this case was provided by the Colombian National Police, the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Bogota, Colombia, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Boston.