HAZLETON, Pa. — A man accused of participating in a fatal 2023 shooting in Hazle Township has been returned to Pennsylvania to face justice after being apprehended in the Dominican Republic, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.
Authorities announced that 20-year-old Eliezer Santana was extradited to the United States and officially arraigned on Tuesday. He is currently being held without bail at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility.
Santana had been the subject of an international manhunt in connection with the April 14, 2023, shooting death of 18-year-old Rolando K. Cepeda. The deadly confrontation occurred in Hazle Township, prompting a lengthy investigation by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to track Santana down overseas.
Following his successful return to the area, court proceedings are now expected to move forward in the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
