NORFOLK, Va. — David Varela, the Navy reservist who triggered an international manhunt when he fled the U.S. after allegedly beating his wife to death and hiding her body in a freezer, appeared in court Thursday morning to hear the charges against him.
Varela was taken into custody by US Marshals in April, days after News 3 contacted him from the hostel he was staying at in Hong Kong.
Investigator Margaret Kavanagh reached out to him in a video call via an encrypted messaging service; he answered the call, but quickly covered the camera and refused to answer questions. Less than a week later, two months since he fled, he was captured and extradited back to the U.S.
Watch our True Crime 757 podcast episode about the apprehension of David Varela
Now, nearly a month later, Varela has been brought back to Norfolk to face charges of murder and concealing a dead body. He was also charged with military desertion because he was on active duty in the Navy Reserve.
Authorities believe he killed his wife, 39-year-old Lina Guerra, sometime between Jan. 15 and Feb. 5, 2026, put her body in a black plastic bag, and stuffed it in the drawer freezer in their apartment in the Icon building.
Watch our breakdown of the case before Varela's arrest
Varela was identified through various electronic methods as the last person seen leaving the apartment, according to US Marshals.
In court Thursday, Varela appeared in court on a video from a cell in a black and gray jumpsuit, and his tattoos — which News 3 had used in photos from Hong Kong to identify him — were visible. He was assigned a public defender and listened as the judge read him the charges.
Varela's preliminary hearing before his trial is scheduled for July 21.
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