Texas man, 35, is extradited from Panama to Colombia to face charges for murder of DJ girlfriend found in suitcase in dumpster

• John Poulos was extradited from Panama to Colombia on Wednesday night
• He is being accused of murdering his DJ girlfriend Valentina Trespalacios
• Trespalacios’ body was found inside a suitcase in a Bogota dumpster Sunday

A Texas man wanted for the murder of his DJ girlfriend, who was found strangled to death in a suitcase, was extradited from Panama to Colombia on Wednesday night.

A spokesperson for Colombia’s Office of the Attorney General confirmed to DailyMail.com that John Poulos, 35, is expected to appear before a judge Thursday and will be formally charged for killing 23-year-old Valentina Trespalacios.

Poulos is facing four counts – aggravated femicide, concealment, alteration and destruction of evidence.

‘It is an execrable, miserable crime, against an absolutely vulnerable woman and that must be punished to the fullest extent of the law,’ said Miguel del Río, an attorney for the family, according to Noticias Caracol.

Colombia law enforcement guard John Poulos, of Texas, upon his arrival in the South American country Wednesday night after he was extradited from Panama. He is accused of murdering his DJ girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios, who was found inside a suitcase in a dumpster in the capital city of Bogotá on Sunday 

Valentina Trespalacios was beaten and strangled to death before she was stuffed into a suitcase that was dumped in a construction waste container near a park in Bogotá, Colombia, on Sunday. The 23-year-old was dating John Poulos, a resident from Texas, who is accused of killing her and was scheduled to appear before a judge Thursday for his arraignment 

John Poulos (second from left) had his face covered with a jacket before he was placed in an aircraft in Panama for his extradition to Colombia on Wednesday night

Trespalacios’ body was stuffed into a blue luggage bag that was left inside a dumpster in the Colombian capital city of Bogotá on Sunday afternoon. The gruesome discovery was made by a homeless person who was searching for recyclables.

Surveillance footage showed a man tossing the suitcase, which was sealed with tape and locked, into the construction waste container next to a park.

Poulos purchased a one-way ticket to Tocumen International Airport in Panamá City, Panamá, on Sunday. He was captured by Panamanian immigration and Interpol agents at the airport Tuesday evening moments before he was set to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul Turkey with a connection Montenegro, where there is no extradition treaty to Colombia.

Poulos told authorities in Panama that the defunct Medellín Cartel was behind Trespalacios’ murder and that he had fled Colombia because cartel members wanted to kill him. Colombian authorities have yet to corroborate his version of the events.

High-ranking law enforcement officials traveled from Colombia to meet their Panama counterparts on Wednesday afternoon and presented a court order for Poulos’ arrest and extradition.

Trespalacios’ hairstylist, Victoria Jiménez, confirmed to DailyMail.com on Wednesday that Poulos was married and had three children in the United States. She added that the mother of the children had obtained a restraining order because he was violent.

John Poulos (left) had plans of living in Colombia full time and marrying his DJ girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios (right). He was arrested in Panama on Tuesday, two days after her body was found inside a suitcase in a dumpster in the Colombian capital city of Bogotá

John Poulos (pictured) was taken into custody in Panama on Tuesday moments before he was about to board a flight to Turkey and then connect to Montenegro. He was extradited to Colombia on Wednesday night to face charges for the murder of his DJ girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios

Valentina Trespalacios (pictured) was dating her boyfriend John Poulos for eight months

She said Trespalacios met Poulos through an online dating app.

The couple had been dating for eight months and had planned to marry in the near future.

Poulos, Jiménez said, had planned to travel to Colombia in February as part of his plans to find a home in Bogotá and live there permanently with Trespalacios.

She added that she and Trespalacios were going to go on a mini vacation double date in February with both of their boyfriends – Jiménez also dates an American.

Jiménez said that Poulos has become increasingly upset with Trespalacios because she had refused to publicize their relationships on her social media networks. She declined to go public because her accounts were only being used to promote her DJ work.

Colombian agents escort John Polos (second to the right) after his arrival in Colombia on Wednesday night

Turkish Airlines ticket purchased by John Poulos to travel from Panamá City, Panamá, to Istanbul, Turkey. The 35-year-old from Texas also had a connecting flight to Montenegro

Poulos traveled from the United States to Colombia last week and picked up Trespalacios at her home and moved her into a residence he had rented out in the north side of Bogotá.

He accompanied Trespalacios to a gig at Nexxus bar early Saturday morning. After completing her, a friend invited Trespalacios to have a drink, but she declined to do so because she said that Poulos was in a bad mood.

An autopsy report showed that Colombian DJ Valentina Trespalacios was beaten and strangled

Witnesses saw them getting into Poulos’ rental car with another male after leaving the bar – it’s been reported that the couple was returning to their new home.

El Tiempo newspaper reported that investigators believe Poulos may have killed Trespalacios on Saturday morning and abandoned the body Sunday.

An autopsy report showed that Trespalacios was beaten and strangled. A mugshot released by Panamanian authorities showed that Poulos had a scratch on the left side of his face, an indication that Trespalacios fought for her life while she was being attacked.

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