Warrant raises more questions about AU professor’s killing

An arrest warrant issued in connection with the October killing of a popular American University professor last year in Montgomery County is raising more questions than it answers.

Montgomery County police obtained a warrant charging Jorge Rueda Landeros — a 41-year-old yoga instructor currently thought to be in Mexico — with the brutal beating death of Sue Ann Marcum, whose body was found in her Bethesda home on Oct. 25.

County police Capt. David Gillespie said Friday that Mr. Landeros was “known to the victim” and that he taught her Spanish. He said that beyond that he could not get into the nature of their relationship. Capt. Gillespie said Mr. Landeros has ties to the United States and to Juarez, Mexico, and that he “crosses the border on a regular basis.”

He could not say precisely when the warrant was obtained, indicating it was “fairly recently” — within the last couple months. He also said he could not elaborate on the events that led to Ms. Marcum’s death, since the warrant — first reported in The Washington Post — has not been served.

That leaves unanswered questions about what connection, if any, there was between Ms. Marcum’s homicide and the burglary that police and prosecutors have long said resulted in her death.

Information previously released about the case revealed there were signs of forced entry into Ms. Marcum’s home and indications of a struggle. Electronics were taken, and the professor’s Jeep was stolen. Prosecutors have said the keys to the Jeep were taken from inside Ms. Marcum’s house.

A D.C. teen was named a suspect in the case after he was arrested driving the Jeep hours after Ms. Marcum’s body was discovered.

Deandrew Hamlin, 18, was taken into custody Oct. 26 when police located the stolen Jeep near New York Avenue and Third Street in Northwest. Alone in the Jeep, Hamlin led police on a brief chase before crashing the vehicle. He fled on foot but later admitted to police that he was the driver.

He was charged in the District with driving a stolen vehicle, but prosecutors dropped those charges Nov. 16 to facilitate his transfer to Montgomery County.

Last month, Montgomery County prosecutors dropped charges against Hamlin and he was extradited to the District to face charges relating to his driving the stolen vehicle.

Capt. Gillespie said that disclosing the events that police think resulted in Ms. Marcum’s death before they arrest Mr. Landeros could jeopardize their case.

“We would like to get him into custody,” he said. “We would like to be able to talk to him.”