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Áurea Vázquez-Rijos, a former beauty queen from Puerto Rico, is currently serving a life sentence at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. She was convicted in 2018 for orchestrating the murder-for-hire of her Canadian husband, Adam Anhang, a real estate investor and entrepreneur who was stabbed to death in Old San Juan in 2005.
The upcoming episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, airing May 21 at 8 pm on Oxygen, revisits the events surrounding his killing in an installment titled The Pink Skirt Plot.
Following the murder, Áurea Vázquez-Rijos fled to Europe. She lived in Italy and Spain under various aliases, delaying extradition by exploiting local laws and giving birth to three children abroad.
According to multiple sources, including justice.gov reports dated October 3, 2018, and March 15, 2019, she was eventually extradited in 2015. She was later found guilty alongside her sister, Marcia Vázquez-Rijos, and ex-boyfriend José Ferrer-Sosa. They were convicted of planning the killing and hiring the hitman, Alex Pabón-Colón, who later testified in court.
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Áurea Vázquez-Rijos would have gained $8 million from Adam Anhang’s death, an amount significantly greater than what she stood to receive through divorce
On the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, Canadian entrepreneur Adam Anhang was fatally stabbed in 2005. The incident initially appeared to be a robbery gone wrong, however, the details of the case suggested a more complex motive involving his estranged wife, Áurea Vázquez-Rijos.
Anhang had been planning a divorce from Vázquez-Rijos and had recently signed a prenup that limited her financial benefit. However, his death triggered a provision in his will that allowed her to inherit $8 million, a sum far greater than what she would have received through separation.
Anhang crossed paths with Áurea Vázquez-Rijos, a one-time beauty pageant winner, while building his real estate ventures in Puerto Rico. They married in 2005 after she falsely claimed to be pregnant. Friends, including Janice Vallely, later told investigators that Anhang realised he had been manipulated.
As cited by NBC News, March 15, 2008, Vallely recalled:
"He said, “I must be the most stupid man in the world."
The Murder Plot and Initial Wrongful Conviction
According to a report by People, published on March 20, 2019, after a dinner to discuss divorce terms, Anhang was attacked and killed. Vázquez-Rijos sustained minor injuries. She later claimed to be a victim too, but suspicions quickly surfaced.
Initially, local authorities arrested Jonathan Román-Rivera, a dishwasher with no criminal record, based on a witness identification. In 2007, he received a 105-year prison sentence following his conviction.
However, federal investigators uncovered a new suspect, Alex "El Loco" Pabón-Colón, who admitted to the killing. He testified that Vázquez-Rijos had offered him $3 million to murder her husband.
According to a Justice.gov press release dated October 3, 2018, she called Anhang multiple times on the day of the murder to lure him out to dinner, facilitating the ambush.
The International Manhunt and Trial Outcome
After being indicted in 2008, Áurea Vázquez-Rijos fled to Italy, exploiting the country’s extradition policies. She later moved to Spain and had a child with another inmate while awaiting extradition.
Her capture was the result of a sting operation orchestrated by the FBI. She was finally extradited in 2015 and stood trial alongside her sister. Marcia Vázquez-Rijos and Marcia’s former partner, José Ferrer-Sosa.
As per a BBC report dated August 20, 2018, investigators believed the motive was financial. Prosecutors proved Áurea Vázquez-Rijos orchestrated the killing and fabricated injuries to appear as a victim.
As quoted by the Justice.gov report dated October 3, 2018, U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez stated:
"Today’s verdict is the culmination of 13 years of tireless work by investigators, agents, and prosecutors."
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered reexamines the case in the episode The Pink Skirt Plot, airing May 21, 2025, at 8 pm on Oxygen. The show highlights the persistence of Adam’s father, Abe Anhang. He refused to let the case go cold and was instrumental in ensuring Áurea Vázquez-Rijos faced justice.
Stay tuned for more updates.
