FBI agent testifies that multiple people helped murder suspect escape from Virginia jail
The sister of an “extremely dangerous” man who escaped from a Virginia jail before being captured appeared in federal court on Friday afternoon.
Adriana Marin-Sotelo, the sister of Alder Marin Sotelo, was denied any form of pre-trial release and will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
She has been accused of assisting her brother in his escape from Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia on April 30. She was arrested Tuesday. In August, Alder Marin Sotelo and his brother, Arturo Marin Sotelo, were charged with murder in the death of Wake County Sheriff’s Deputy Ned Byrd.
Alder Marin Sotelo was captured on Thursday in the state of Guerrero, more than 2,300 miles away from Raleigh, the FBI reported.
According to federal court documents obtained by The News & Observer, Adriana Marin Sotelo allegedly paid someone $2,500 to leave a getaway car in the jail parking lot for Alder Marin Sotelo.
Assistant Federal Public Defender Ames Chamberlin, who represented Adriana Marin Sotelo, claimed that Adriana was not made aware that she would be assisting in Alder’s escape.
According to court documents, two other people were involved in the plot to help Alder escape. FBI Special Agent Shaylin Laure did not identify them by their full names but instead referred to the first as a man named Giovanni and the second as a woman named Ashley.
Laure also testified that Alder’s getaway car, a red-colored 2003 Ford Mustang, was not parked in the jail parking lot. Upon further investigation, Laure’s team discovered it had been parked in a lot adjacent to the jail.
On Tuesday, May 9, the FBI announced that the car had been located in Eagle Pass, Texas, after being spotted by an officer. The city is on the U.S.-Mexico border, about 24 hours from Farmville and about 20 hours from Guerrero.
Laure also described how multiple other individuals were potentially involved in the planning of Alder’s escape.
Before Alder Marin Sotelo had asked Adriana to assist in his escape, Laure said, he had attempted to recruit another sister, Griselle Marin Sotelo, to help.
Laure testified that Griselle told investigators she refused to help Alder Marin Sotelo, citing religious beliefs.
Although Chamberlin argued that Adriana Marin Sotelo had no significant criminal record and should be released ahead of her trial, Judge L. Patrick Auld disagreed.
Given that Adriana Marin Sotelo does not have legal status in the U.S., and the nature of the crime she is accused of involved obstruction of justice, Auld denied the request for pre-trial release. If convicted, she faces up to five years in federal prison and risks being deported back to Mexico.
Laure could not confirm if the two others who allegedly helped in the escape will face criminal charges.
Alder Marin Sotelo’s arrest, escape, capture
Marin Sotelo and his brother Arturo were charged with murder after Byrd, a 13-year veteran of the department, was shot multiple times in a rural area near a gas station on Auburn Knightdale and Battle Bridge roads on Aug. 11. Byrd’s canine partner, Sasha, was still in his unmarked SUV.
After leading authorities on a chase for multiple days, both brothers were arrested.
Soon after, Alder Marin Sotelo pleaded guilty to federal gun charges, for which he was being held in the Piedmont Regional Jail in Virginia.
He escaped from the jail on April 30, around 1:18 a.m., according to surveillance video.
After his escape, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service offered a $70,000 reward for information leading to his capture and conviction.
Around 1 p.m. on Thursday, the FBI announced Alder Marin Sotelo had been taken into custody by Mexican authorities.
Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe, in a statement, said state and federal authorities will begin the process of working with the Mexican government to extradite him.
This story was originally published May 5, 2023 at 10:45 AM with the headline "FBI agent testifies that multiple people helped murder suspect escape from Virginia jail."