NJ murder suspect arrested 9 years later in Guatemala

PLAINFIELD — A man wanted for the 2007 murder of a man in Union County was finally captured last week in Guatemala.

A tip led investigators to Welder Dario Morente Dubon in his native country after nine years of hiding, Union County Acting Prosecutor Grace Park and the FBI said Tuesday. Dubon was arrested in San Francisco El Alto, Guatemala, by FBI agents and members of the Guatemalan Police of the Transnational Anti-Gang Unit.

According to the FBI, Dubon was charged with beating Joseph Tremarco to death in Plainfield on March 31, 2007, with a blunt object after a confrontation at a Plainfield scrap metal business run by Tremarco's family. He allegedly put Tremarco's body into his pickup truck and parked it on a street in North Plainfield before fleeing. The FBI said that the pickup was found the next day. By the time a warrant was issued the next day for Dubon on first-degree murder charges, he was already in Central America.

A dozen municipal, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies were involved in the search for Dubon. The case was featured on "America's Most Wanted" in 2009 and a federal warrant was issued for Dubon's arrest in 2011.

“The apprehension of Mr. Dubon is a testament to the power of cooperation in law enforcement and the unbreakable tenacity of the individual investigators who simply refused to let the tragic death of a young man ever be forgotten," Park said. "We hope that this news offers some semblance of closure to Joseph’s family and friends."

Agencies involved in the search include the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI’s Newark office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. State Department, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, New Jersey State Police, Union County Sheriff’s Office, Plainfield Police Division, North Plainfield Police Department, Long Hill Police Department, and Keyport Police Department, in addition to the Diplomatic Security Service and the Guatemalan National Police.

Dubon is expected to be extradited to New Jersey to face charges. Park asked anyone with information about the 2007 murder or anyone who may have come into contact with Dubon since 2007 to contact the Prosecutor's Office at 908-451-7739.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.