SEDGWICK COUNTY— Two suspects accused in the the death of a Kansas man whose body was found in a culvert in 2010 are due in court Thursday morning.
Kristopher Valadez, 32, and Candace Valadez, 32, are scheduled to appear in Judge Sean Hatfield’s courtroom, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.
The couple were extradited from South Carolina to Kansas on Tuesday and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail, according to the sheriff's department booking report.
He was being held on a requested charge of second degree murder. She was jailed on a requested charge of aiding a felon, according to online records. They bonded out of custody on Wednesday, according to the district attorney's office.
In February of 2010, 19-year-old German Clerici's mother reported him missing after she had not heard from him since late January, according to a statement from the Butler County Sheriff's office. Clerici's car was also missing.
Several days later, investigators found Clerici shot to death in a culvert east of Augusta. Four months later, deputies found his car in the 3000 Block of East 21st North in Wichita.
In 2021, Butler County Sheriff Monty Hughey had investigators take a fresh look at the case. They discovered information that prompted investigators to conduct follow-up interviews and learned more information and new evidence in the case.
In July, investigators from the Butler County Sheriff's officials traveled to South Carolina. With the assistance of the Greenville South Carolina County Sheriff's Office and Wichita police, deputies arrested the couple. Both are former Wichita residents.