NORFOLK, Va. — A Navy Reservist accused of hiding his wife’s body in a kitchen freezer and fleeing to Hong Kong was returned to the United States on Wednesday and remains in California facing federal charges, Norfolk police said Thursday.
David Varela, 38, had been a fugitive for more than two months after the body of Lisa Maria Guerra Echavarria, 39, was found in the freezer of their Norfolk apartment on Feb. 5, according to Norfolk police and court records.
“Justice doesn’t forget,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post announcing Varela’s return.
Varela faces a first-degree murder charge in Virginia and federal charges in California, including unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, after Homeland Security Investigations determined he boarded a flight to Hong Kong around the day detectives searched the apartment. A notice filed Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco states that Varela was also accused of concealing a dead body to prevent detection.
Norfolk police searched the apartment on Feb. 5 after Echavarria’s brother reported her missing. Her brother had not been in contact with her for more than two weeks, and detectives had been unable to reach her or Varela, according to an FBI affidavit. Varela, a U.S. Navy Reservist on active duty, had also not responded to calls from his supervisor, who told police the silence was unusual, the affidavit said.
Detectives found a woman dead inside the kitchen freezer during the search. Preliminary fingerprints identified her as Echavarria. The Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide, Norfolk police said when they announced charges against Varela. Police did not release details of a motive or the circumstances surrounding her death.
In addition to Homeland Security Investigations tracking his flight, emergency disclosure requests from WhatsApp produced location data originating in Hong Kong, the affidavit noted.
Online court records did not list an attorney who could comment on Varela’s behalf.