Suspect in 82-year-old's sex assault, beating death returns to Harris Co.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It was a walk into the Harris County jail that was 23 years in the making. Investigators say Alfredo Ramirez-Rojas is the man responsible for the beating death and sexual assault of an elderly woman in Tomball.

In a press conference Wednesday, authorities discussed the return of Alfredo Ramirez-Rojas from Mexico. He's accused of sexually assaulting and beating Mildred Stallones to death in August 1993. Mildred, 82, was a retired school teacher in Tomball.

Tomball police saying Ramirez-Rojas lived just 50 yards away, had bragged to his friends about the crime, and escaped to Mexico.

Mildred's son, Leighton, talked about the flood of emotion, finally seeing him brought back.

"Relief knowing that this guy is not out on the streets to hurt someone else," Leighton said.

Ramirez-Rojas was captured in Michoacan, Mexico in 2013 but extradition took three years. The DA's office was forced to take the death penalty off the table.

"We have this happen a lot more than we would like, but we got this guy and we'll keep chasing the other ones we're looking for," Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said. "That's the message from today, we wont ever stop."

Leighton says Ramirez-Rosas is finally where he belongs.

"It was a very emotional trying time knowing maybe he wouldn't come back, the guy would get loose, maybe he'd get bought off, maybe he would escape, you just never know," he added.