Dominic and Nancy Ianeiro are shown in a family photo.
More than three years after the grisly slaying of a Canadian couple at a Mayan Riviera resort, a Mexican judge has issued an arrest warrant for a hotel security guard, and cleared two tourists from Thunder Bay, Ont., as suspects.
Nancy and Domenic Ianiero were discovered in a pool of blood, their throats slashed ear-to-ear, in their hotel room at the luxurious Barcelo Maya Beach Resort.
Blas Delgado Fajardo, who had befriended the couple from Woodbridge, Ont., is now the only suspect wanted for their Feb. 20, 2006 murder.
The repeated attempts by Mexican authorities to obtain arrest warrants for Kimberley Kim and Cheryl Everall, who were vacationing at the resort, have been rejected by Mexico's judiciary.
The two women are relieved that the fear of arrest and extradition for a murder they didn't commit is now behind them.
"It's been a nightmare for them," said Ed Greenspan, the lawyer who represents them. "But this is better than an acquittal: the highest court in Mexico confirmed there is absolutely no evidence against them. Now they can return to a normal existence."
He added that the Ianiero family also applauds the break in the case - although is skeptical Mexican police will make serious efforts to locate Mr. Delgado. "The Ianiero family is pleased that although justice remains to be done for their parents, justice is finally being done in Mexico for Kimberley Kim and Cheryl Everall," he said. "Whatever faith I have in the Mexican justice system went up in smoke. Mr. Delgado could be back in [the state of]Quintana Roo. That is frustrating."
A spokesperson with Interpol in Washington, D.C. confirmed there is a red notice out for Mr. Delgado, 39, meaning he will be arrested on sight, and extradited. They do not know his current whereabouts.
The sensational double-homicide case caused controversy from the beginning. The Ianiero family accused Mexican police of bungling the investigation and hired Mr. Greenspan. He obtained access to the police file, and put forward his theory that the motive for the slaying was robbery. Anthony Ianiero, the couple's son, fingered Mr. Delgado, who disappeared the night of the murder, as the suspect.
But Bello Melchor Rodriguez y Carrillo, Attorney-General for Quintana Roo, called him only a "person of interest." He stuck to his improbable theory that Ms. Kim, a psychology student, and Dr. Everall, a family physician, were the main suspects. He pointed to a trail of blood leading from the Ianiero's room to their room.
Mr. Rodriguez repeatedly told the media he had arrest warrants for Ms. Kim and Dr. Everall, prompting the two women to hire Mr. Greenspan to clear their names. Last month, after applying to the Federal Court of Mexico to produce all case materials, Mr. Greenspan discovered the court in Playa del Carmen had refused to issue warrants against the two women, due to a lack of evidence, and insufficient grounds. Mr. Rodriguez appealed, but in a ruling this spring, the Supreme Court for the state of Quintana Roo, upheld the 2008 decision.
Nancy, 55, and Domenic, 59, travelled to the sprawling resort for the wedding of their daughter. After dinner on Feb. 19, they retired to their rooms, and were later killed by a "professional" who used a knife to slit their necks in a single, clean slice. Their arteries and vocal chords were severed, making it impossible for them to cry out for help. Mr. Delgado gave the Ianieros a lift on a golf cart that evening, and, at his insistence, massaged Domenic's foot. The guard returned to the room at 2:30 a.m., knocked on the door, and told Nancy to remind Domenic, who suffers from gout, to rub cream on his foot, the family said.
(Mr. Rodriguez has said it was a hotel doctor who massaged Mr. Ianiero's foot.)
In a story this week in PorEsto!, a Cancun paper, a journalist called the resolution to the case a "political" one, noting the only evidence linking Mr. Delgado to the crime is his disappearance, and the fact he trained with an elite Mexican army unit.
Mr. Rodriguez declined interview requests, but has complained in the past about Mr. Greenspan's "interference" in the case.
Mr. Delgado is a former bodyguard to the governor of Quintana Roo, and had only worked at the resort six weeks before the Ianiero wedding party arrived.
In 2007, his mother, Aurora Fajardo, called on her son to turn himself in, if he was guilty. "For the love of God, he should face the consequences," she told a Cancun reporter who interviewed her on behalf of the Globe and Mail.
At the time, four of his siblings were living in Madera, Calif., a lumber town, and she said her son may have taken refuge with them.