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Who Is Jorge Rueda Landeros & Where Is He Now? 2026 Update & Background

by · January 14, 2026

Jorge Rueda Landeros was once seen as charismatic, spiritual, and intellectually engaging. Fluent in Spanish and English, he moved easily between roles as a Spanish tutor, yoga instructor, and self-proclaimed philosopher. But behind that carefully curated image was a man capable of extraordinary deception. His betrayal of Sue Marcum, a respected professor and one-time romantic partner, ultimately led to her murder and triggered a decade-long international manhunt.

Early Life and Connection to Sue Marcum

Landeros was born in Mexico and held dual Mexican-American citizenship. His early background included time spent working as a stockbroker, though details about his financial career remain vague. Around 2005, he began teaching Spanish and yoga in the Washington, D.C. area, where he met Sue Marcum.

Their professional relationship quickly became personal. Landeros moved into Marcum’s home at one point and gained her trust not only as a companion but as an advisor. Over time, he persuaded her to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a joint trading account he controlled. Marcum eventually named him the sole beneficiary of a $500,000 life insurance policy.

As financial stress mounted for Marcum, their relationship became strained. Records later revealed that Marcum had lost more than $300,000 in the investment account, while Landeros profited by over $250,000. When she began confronting him about the money, he allegedly responded with violence.

Murder and Disappearance

On October 25, 2010, Marcum was found dead in her Bethesda, Maryland home. She had been beaten and strangled. The crime scene was staged to look like a burglary, but investigators quickly suspected otherwise. DNA evidence—on a broken tequila bottle, under her fingernails, and on a drinking glass—connected Landeros to the scene.

By the time an arrest warrant was issued in June 2011, Landeros had already disappeared. He fled to Mexico and assumed a new identity: “León Ferrara.” Under this alias, he lived for over a decade in Guadalajara, presenting himself as a peaceful yoga teacher and poet. To outsiders, he claimed to be a minimalist with no ties to his former life. He even self-published a book of poetry while mocking U.S. law enforcement in emails.

During this period, Landeros remained on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, though that detail was withheld from his eventual jury to avoid bias. He lived undetected until someone recognized him in 2022 from a true crime television special and contacted authorities.

Arrest, Trial, and Conviction

Landeros was arrested in Guadalajara in December 2022. He was extradited to the United States in 2023 and held without bail in Montgomery County, Maryland, awaiting trial.

His trial began in October 2025. Prosecutors argued that Landeros manipulated Marcum for financial gain and killed her when she could no longer support him. The defense claimed he was being framed and that the state failed to prove he was in Maryland on the night of the murder.

After an eight-day trial, the jury found Landeros guilty of second-degree murder on October 30, 2025. He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for February 6, 2026.

Where He Is Now

As of January 2026, Jorge Rueda Landeros is incarcerated in Montgomery County, Maryland, awaiting formal sentencing. He will likely serve his prison term in a Maryland state correctional facility. Though convicted of a lesser charge than prosecutors sought, he will be behind bars for decades.

Landeros is now remembered not as the serene yoga teacher he once pretended to be, but as a fugitive who killed a woman who trusted him. His conviction brings an end to a long and painful chapter for Sue Marcum’s family and friends—many of whom waited 15 years to see justice done.

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Ryan Gill

Ryan is a passionate follower of true crime television programs, reporting on and providing in-depth investigations on mysteries in the criminal world.

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