Héctor Vicente Paguada Paguada, a Honduran wanted in the United States over a double murder in Texas, was found dead on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, in the Támara national prison, in Honduras’s Francisco Morazán department, home to the capital, Tegucigalpa. Prison authorities say he apparently hanged himself in a bathroom, three days after his arrest.
The FBI, the US federal police agency, had offered a US$50,000 reward for him in August 2026, and Washington had asked Honduras to extradite him. With his death, he can no longer be extradited or tried.
Key Facts
- Who. Héctor Vicente Paguada Paguada, reported to be from Manto, in Olancho department, and wanted by US authorities.
- What. Found dead on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, in a bathroom of Támara prison’s diagnosis module.
- Cause. Prison authorities say it was apparently suicide; the official cause is still pending.
- Case. Texas accuses him of killing two women in Irving on 19 January 2024.
- Next. ATIC, the prosecutors’ investigative agency, is examining the death.
A man accused of a double murder in Texas died in a Honduran prison before any court could hear the case against him.
What Happened at Támara
Prison staff found Paguada without vital signs in a bathroom of the diagnosis module, the wing where Honduras usually holds people awaiting extradition. Walter Lacayo, director of Honduras’s National Penitentiary Institute (INP, the prison service), said the preliminary information is that he used a cord he had with him, and that nothing suggested his life was in danger.
Prison authorities treat suicide as the working explanation, and the official cause will be set by the competent bodies. ATIC, the Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation of the Public Ministry (Honduras’s prosecutors’ office), is investigating the circumstances.
Why the United States Wanted Him
US authorities accuse Paguada of killing Juana Rodríguez, 55, and her daughter Nayeli Medina, 23, at an apartment complex on West Irving Boulevard in Irving, Texas, on 19 January 2024. The FBI and the police of Irving, a Dallas suburb, announced the US$50,000 reward in August 2026 and said they believe he fled to Honduras.
Honduran agents arrested him on Saturday, 7 November 2026, in Sabá, in the department of Colón, in an operation by ATIC with military police. A judge designated by the Supreme Court ordered him held, and he stayed at Támara while the extradition request was processed.
What It Means for US Readers
The case shows a fugitive in a US homicide case being caught in Honduras roughly three months after the FBI’s public appeal. It also shows how quickly the road to a Texas courtroom can close: with Paguada dead, he cannot be tried.
Lacayo said the US request was not linked to drug trafficking or criminal groups but to a different case. If you follow extradition cases, the ATIC findings will show whether questions about custody inside Támara follow.
What Is Not Known
The official cause of death is not known, because suicide is the preliminary view of prison authorities and the ATIC investigation is open. We found no public explanation of how he came to have a cord in the bathroom.
Honduran reports call the women his wife and mother-in-law, while Texas authorities describe a girlfriend and her mother, so we describe them only as a mother and her daughter. Reports also differ on whether the Supreme Court had already authorised the extradition.
Related Coverage
Our reporting on Honduran prisons includes the plan for a gang mega-prison, and the political backdrop is in who holds power in Honduras. Safety advice for visitors is in our Honduras safety guide, and all our reports are in the Latin America section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Héctor Paguada?
Héctor Vicente Paguada Paguada was a Honduran, reported to be from Manto in Olancho department, wanted by US authorities over a double murder in Irving, Texas. He was arrested in Sabá on 7 November 2026.
Why did the FBI want him?
US authorities accuse him of killing two women in Irving on 19 January 2024. The FBI and Irving police offered a US$50,000 reward in August 2026.
How did he die?
Prison authorities say he apparently hanged himself in a bathroom of Támara prison on 10 November 2026. The official cause is pending an ATIC investigation.
Will the extradition go ahead?
No. With his death he can no longer be extradited or tried.
Sources
Honduran National Penitentiary Institute (INP), preliminary account of the death by director Walter Lacayo, 10 November 2026, as relayed in Honduran press. Public Ministry and ATIC, announcement of the arrest in Sabá, 7–8 November 2026, as relayed in Honduran press. FBI Dallas Field Office and Irving Police Department, reward announcement, August 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error