Homicide fugitive from Washington state arrested in Utah by FBI task force

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A 20-year-old homicide fugitive was arrested in Utah for the January death of a high school student in Washington state.

Jose Antonio Cedeno-Ponce was taken into custody after law enforcement officials “encountered” him at a business in Utah County. He is being charged with second-degree murder in a Washington court.

Cedeno-Ponce was wanted in connection to a homicide in King County, Washington, that happened on Jan. 10, 2025, according to a press release from the FBI. No further information was provided about the victim.

“According to the court documents, Cedeno-Ponce drove to a location in Tukwila to engage in a fight with high schoolers and armed himself with a knife before anyone approached him,” the FBI said in the release. “During the fight, he fatally struck the victim.”

After the incident, Cedeno-Ponce reportedly left Washington and abandoned his vehicle in Idaho. After his arrest in Utah, he is being held at the Utah County Jail where he is awaiting extradition to the state of Washington.

Cedeno-Ponce was arrested by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force with the assistance of the Orem Police Department and the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force.

“Task forces allow law enforcement to seamlessly work together with the shared goal of keeping our communities safe,” Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the Salt Lake City FBI said.

The Safe Streets Task Force is made up of officials and agents from several police departments in Utah. It investigates gang violence and violent crime in the Salt Lake Metro area.

Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.