Man arrested in Mexico pleads guilty to murder 13 years after St. Clair County killing

It took 13 years and the work of investigators in the United States and Mexico, but a man who fled the country a day after a murder in St. Clair County has been sentenced to serve 20 years for the killing.

Odilon Villagran-Gudino, 56, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder for cutting the throat of 52-year-old Jose Randolfo Pagoada on Dec. 1, 2010, in the 1700 block of 59th Street in Washington Park, according to a news release from the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Pagoada’s remains were not found until August 2014, nearly four years after his death. His body had been put into the trunk of a car that was abandoned in a vacant property in Alton.

After forensic experts were able to determine Pagoada’s identity, Gudino was arrested in Mexico in 2021 and was charged in St. Clair County court in June.

“The family of Jose Randolfo Pagoada can never be made whole from the brutal and sudden loss of their loved one,” the state’s attorney release stated. “The disrespect shown to their loved one’s remains by Villagran-Gudino is unthinkable, and their questions about Pagoada’s whereabouts went unanswered because of the calloused indifference of his killer. We hope that the outcome of this investigation and prosecution gives them some closure.”

Villagran-Gudino would be eligible for release from the Illinois Department of Corrections in 18 years when he is 74 because he has already served two years in prison, according to the prosecutor’s office.

He was represented by St. Clair County Public Defender Cathy MacElroy and Patrick Sullivan of the public defender’s office.

Villagran-Gudino was being held in the St. Clair County Jail on Wednesday, according to jail records.

Circuit Judge John O’Gara sentenced Villagran-Gudino.

MacElroy released a statement that called the plea bargain an “equitable and just resolution.”

“Above all, Odilon wished to extend his heartfelt apologies to the victim’s family,” she stated.

A second charge of first-degree murder and a felony charge of concealment of a homicidal death were dismissed pursuant to the plea agreement, she said.

Prosecutors received assistance from the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office.

Victim identification

After Pagoada’s remains were found in Alton, they were taken to the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office and then the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, who deemed the cause of death homicidal violence.

“With the assistance of personnel within the FBI at Quantico, Virginia, a facial reconstruction of the victim was made, and various similarities were observed between the reconstruction and government IDs issued to the victim recovered from his former residence,” the prosecutor’s news release stated.

“The victim’s family relayed they had not heard from him in years and had no idea what had happened to him. The victim was known to keep a large amount of cash on his person which is believed to be a motivating factor in the brutal killing.”

Villagran-Gudino was arrested in Cuernavaca, Morales, Mexico, in April 2021 and he was transferred to U.S. authorities by the Mexican government in May. Prosecutors said he took a bus to Mexico on Dec. 2, 2010, the day after Pagoada was killed.

Villagran-Gudino was originally charged in Madison County but the case was moved to St. Clair County based on information learned during his confession to the Alton Police Department, according to the news release.

When Villagran-Gudino is released from prison, he faces mandatory deportation.

“Under current immigration laws, Villagran-Gudino would be banned from entering the United States for the remainder of his lifetime,” the release said.

The manhunt of Villagran-Gudino involved the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, U.S. State Department, U.S. Marshals Service, Interpol, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, Alton Police Department, Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Services, and law enforcement agencies within the Mexican government.

“The interagency and international cooperation to identify Pagoda, then investigate, pursue, capture and prosecute Villagran-Gudino was extraordinary,” the prosecutor’s release stated.