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After more than a quarter-century, a man accused of raping and killing a 5-year-old Philadelphia girl has been extradited to the city to face charges.
Iriana DeJesus was raped and killed in July 2000, allegedly by Alexis Flores. He was deported to Honduras in 2005 — two years before police say his DNA was matched with evidence from the murder.
Iriana’s mother, Liza Suain DeJesus, said that when she found out Flores was extradited to Philadelphia to face charges she was overwhelmed with happiness.
“I never felt so happy. Running back and forth in my apartment and just thanking God for never leaving me, never forsaking me,” she said.
A photo of Iriana DeJesus (Tom MacDonald/WHYY)
DeJesus said her faith helped her through the years without justice following her daughter’s death. She told a story about being on a mission trip in Honduras and learning the man accused of killing her daughter was just minutes down the road.
“I went to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with my pastor to minister and do evangelizing,” she recalled. “He [Flores] was in Choluteca, 15 minutes … from where I was at. But I never went in vengeance.”
Other family members joined DeJesus, holding pictures of the young girl and a collage that showed her as a happy child.