San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan today announced important progress toward justice in a cold case homicide that occurred in San Diego 33 years ago. Alfredo Hernandez, 66, was extradited this week from El Salvador and arraigned today in San Diego Superior Court for the 1991 murder of 39-year-old Terri Bistodeau. If he is found guilty of the murder charge, Hernandez faces up to 25 years-to-life in state prison.

Terri Bistodeau.

On August 4, 1991, San Diego Police Officers responded to a home on 5367 Geneva Avenue in the Emerald Hills neighborhood of San Diego. The victim was found strangled to death on the floor of her bedroom. Despite the best-efforts from law enforcement investigators at the time, the case went cold.

In 2006 and 2008, the case was reopened for further investigation but remained unsolved. In 2019, further investigation and DNA testing was conducted and based on the work of dedicated law enforcement professionals— including District Attorney Investigator Tony Johnson— and lab analysts, Hernandez was charged in 2021 and a warrant for his arrest was issued. Hernandez was located out of the country and the government of El Salvador recently granted an extradition request, clearing the way for Hernandez to be returned to the United States.

“The family and friends of Terri Bistodeau have waited 33 years for the moment when her killer was linked to the crime through DNA evidence and returned to San Diego to finally face justice,” said DA Stephan. “This case demonstrates the kinds of successful investigations we’re seeing in cold case homicides thanks to the tireless work that our specialized investigators do along with our law enforcement partners, including the FBI and the San Diego Police Department. It also is a credit to our extraditions team, which continues to work effectively with foreign governments to return criminals to our jurisdiction in the pursuit of justice.”

The DA’s Cold Case Homicide Division has dedicated and experienced investigators and prosecutors that use the latest forensic evidence technology to deliver justice to victims. The division promotes public safety by working with local law enforcement to resolve unsolved homicides within San Diego County. These partnerships are key to solving and successfully prosecuting cases where the trail has gone cold for years. Since it was established in 2003, the Cold Case Homicide Division has played a role in solving and prosecuting numerous murders.

The DA’s Extraditions Unit successfully brings fugitives from abroad or from other states to face criminal prosecution in San Diego and seeks justice for crime victims. International extradition is complex and varies from nation to nation with very specific legal requirements involving multiple agencies. We work with local and federal law enforcement organizations as well as the U.S. Department of Justice and foreign governments to extradite, deport or expel fugitives back to San Diego, within the parameters of extradition treaties and foreign immigration laws.

Deputy District Attorney Chris Lindberg is prosecuting this case.