JOHNSON COUNTY — A man extradited from El Salvador is going to prison for the murder of a Kansas woman
Last month a Johnson County Judge sentenced 20-year-old Angel Maria Herrera, of Shawnee, Kansas to 50-years in prison and an additional 34months for aggravated burglary., according to the Johson County District Attorney.
In January, a jury found Herrera guilty in the death of 30-year-old Maria Morfin-Rojas of Lenexa.
On September 15, 2005, police responded to the report of suspicious activity at an apartment in the 11900 block of W. 77th Terrace in Lenexa, according to a media release. Officers arrived and found Maria Morfin-Rojas of Lenexa. She had been stabbed to death.
Lenexa detectives quickly identified a suspect in this case, identified as Herrera. Detectives learned that Herrera fled the United States into Mexico a few days prior to the discovery of Morfin-Rojas’ body at the Lenexa apartment.
On September 17, 2005, the Johnson County District Attorney’s charged Herrera with 1st Degree Murder in this case, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
On April 27, 2023, detectives were notified that Herrera had been arrested in El Salvador and was being held pending extradition to the United States.
A detective for the Lenexa Police Department who has been working on this case since 2005 flew to El Salvador along with federal agents to take custody of Herrera and extradite him back to Johnson County.
The investigation, arrest, extradition and prosecution of Herrera are the culmination of many years of diligent work by Lenexa officers, detectives, the Johnson County Crime Lab, the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and others who have tirelessly sought for justice for Maria Morfin-Rojas.