Virginia Man Accused of Killing Wife and Hiding Body in Freezer Arrested After International Manhunt

David Varela, the man accused of killing his wife and keeping her remains inside a freezer, has been arrested after an international manhunt. On February 5, the body of 39-year-old Lina M. Guerra was found in a freezer at the couple’s apartment in downtown Norfolk, Virginia.

The Norfolk Police Department investigated the case, and the death was ruled a homicide as an autopsy revealed that Guerra suffered blunt force trauma and asphyxiation. Her husband, Varela, 38, was accused of her murder. However, he fled the country shortly after the alleged murder.

More than two months later, authorities finally arrested him. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel announced Varela’s arrest with a post on X. Patel wrote, “@FBI is announcing the successful overseas apprehension of David Varela, a 38-year-old Navy Reservist who is wanted for first-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife, Lina Guerra. Lina’s body was found inside a freezer in their Norfolk apartment.”

While Patel did not reveal where Varela was eventually found, reports suggest that he was tracked down in Hong Kong. Notably, the arrest warrant reveals that Varela, a Navy reservist, has no ties to Hong Kong. Instead, his family is based in Colombia. Guerra’s family is also located in the same country.

Her family members sensed something was wrong when they could not contact Guerra for days in January. When they confronted Varela about Guerra’s whereabouts, he reportedly told them she had been arrested for shoplifting.

According to court records, Varela was lying as there were no such allegations against Guerra. The family eventually contacted police, and Guerra was reported missing, which ultimately led to the discovery of her corpse.

In an interview with WTKR, Guerra’s sister-in-law, Paola Ramirez, claimed that Varela had been violent with her previously as well. According to Ramirez, the accused became extremely jealous and allegedly prevented his wife from working, studying, or going out alone.

“I want to emphasize that there had been violence before from David. He had hit her previously, but she didn’t tell us because she didn’t want to worry us. He appeared to be very religious, very calm, normal, that’s why this is so shocking; we never imagined he’d do something like this,” Ramirez said.

In order to trace Varela, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi obtained a Red Notice, a global request for law enforcement to locate and arrest a person wanted for prosecution. Talking about the investigation, Fatehi said in a February interview with Wavy, “I am not a betting man, but the police and the federal authorities have good leads on where to find him, and I am optimistic.”

“I feel deep sorrow for the victim and for her family, especially her family who are [in Colombia]. I know how difficult it is to lose a loved one, especially in this way,” Fatehi added.

Varela is expected to be extradited and will face charges upon his return to the U.S.