5 key details about Adam Anhang's murder

Adam Anhang, a Canadian entrepreneur and multimillionaire, was brutally murdered in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, in September 2005. The 32-year-old was stabbed and beaten to death while walking with his wife, Áurea Vázquez-Rijos, just hours after discussing divorce terms.

While the killing initially appeared to be a random robbery, investigations uncovered a larger conspiracy. Vázquez-Rijos, a former beauty queen, was later found to have orchestrated a murder-for-hire plot with the help of her sister and former boyfriend, allegedly offering $3 million to the killer. A wrongful conviction followed before a federal investigation led to arrests and trials years later.

The case spanned over a decade and multiple countries, involving extradition challenges and surveillance efforts by Adam Anhang’s father. Vázquez-Rijos fled to Europe, had children, and posed as a convert to Judaism to delay capture.

She was finally extradited and sentenced to life in prison in 2019. The episode The Pink Skirt Plot, explores the investigation’s twists and long-awaited justice. The Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode titled The Pink Skirt Plot is scheduled to air on Oxygen on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 8:00 PM ET.

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5 key details about Adam Anhang's murder explored

The upcoming episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, titled The Pink Skirt Plot centers around the 2005 murder of Canadian businessman Adam Anhang, whose death on the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan sparked an international investigation, a wrongful conviction, and a lengthy extradition battle.

This article outlines five major developments that shaped the pursuit of justice.

1) Adam Anhang was killed on the streets

On September 22, 2005, Adam Anhang was stabbed multiple times and struck with a cobblestone as he walked with his wife, Aurea Vazquez Rijos, near a restaurant in Old San Juan. Although initially framed as a robbery, nothing was taken from the victim.

According to witness accounts, Adam's last words were, "Run, baby, run!" before he succumbed to his injuries. His wife sustained minor injuries and was treated at a hospital.

NBC News reported on March 15, 2008, that Puerto Rican police initially arrested a 22-year-old dishwasher, Jonathan Roman, who was spotted at Rijos' restaurant and matched the description given by a witness. Roman was convicted in 2007, but later exonerated when new evidence surfaced identifying another man as the killer.

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2) The financial motive behind the murder

Adam Anhang and Rijos had signed a prenuptial agreement before their marriage, which limited her financial gains in the event of a divorce. However, if Anhang died while still married to her, Rijos stood to inherit up to $8 million. According to the Times of Israel report dated October 4, 2018, Rijos later sued Adam's parents for the full amount and an additional $1 million in damages, which intensified suspicions about her involvement.

Authorities discovered that the initial pregnancy Rijos had used to encourage the marriage was a fabrication. Friends close to Adam confirmed he felt misled and began divorce proceedings shortly before his death.

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3) A hired hitman and confession

The real break in the case came when Alex "El Loco" Pabon-Colon confessed to the murder. He claimed he was paid $3 million by Aurea Vazquez Rijos to carry out the killing, with assistance from her sister Marcia and Marcia’s then-partner, Jose Ferrer Sosa.

According to a Justice.gov press release dated October 3, 2018, Pabon detailed that Rijos had called Adam multiple times that day to convince him to meet for dinner, which was used to lure him to the site of the planned attack.

Witnesses testified that Rijos had a brief conversation with the attacker and made no effort to flee until after sustaining minor injuries. The plot to stage the attack as a robbery was further supported by letters Pabon later wrote to the conspirators demanding payment.

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4) Years on the run and extradition

After her indictment in 2008, Rijos fled to Italy, which at the time did not extradite individuals facing charges that could result in the death penalty. According to Global News (April 1, 2014), Adam's father, Abe Anhang, hired private investigators to track Rijos across Europe.

She used multiple aliases and even posed as a Jewish widow to gain residency in Florence. The BBC reported on August 20, 2018, that the FBI set up a sting in 2013, inviting her to Madrid under the guise of a tourism job, where she was arrested and later extradited.

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5) Final convictions and sentencing

In 2018, a jury convicted Aurea Vazquez Rijos, along with her sister Marcia and Jose Ferrer Sosa, for orchestrating the murder-for-hire plot that led to Adam Anhang’s death. Both were sentenced to life in prison.

According to Justice.gov (March 15, 2019), the court found that the murder was premeditated and carried out to secure financial gain. Pabon-Colon, the hitman, had already pleaded guilty in 2008 and testified against the others.

United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez stated:

"Today’s sentence concludes a process which required a lot of effort and perseverance, justice was finally served for the victim and his family"

Adam Anhang's case remains a stark example of how determined investigation, cross-border cooperation, and a family's pursuit of truth can dismantle an elaborate criminal conspiracy. As Dateline: Secrets Uncovered revisits the case in The Pink Skirt Plot, it sheds new light on a prolonged journey to justice.

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Stay tuned for more updates.