Orlando Tercero is under arrest in Nicaragua after being accused in the murder of Haley Anderson, a Binghamton University nursing student who was remembered for her “big heart.” Tercero was arrested in Nicaragua on March 14, 2018, where police say he fled after the murder.
Haley, 22, was found dead in Tercero’s bed inside a home in the New York community, and an international manhunt was underway to find the person of interest in her death. Anderson’s body was discovered on Friday, March 8, 2018. Tercero is also 22-years-old. The death of the promising and beautiful nursing student has traumatized the campus community at the New York State public university.
Tercero is accused of telling his sister that he did “something bad” and was a “disgrace to the family.”
Tercero was later convicted in Anderson’s murder. He received 30 years in prison for “femicide,” which means he killed Anderson because of her gender, according to Spectrum News. The unusual trial, which revealed that Tercero strangled Anderson, took place in Nicaragua.
#BREAKING Orlando Tercero sentenced to 30 years in a Nicaraguan prison for the killing of BU student Haley Anderson.
The case is being featured on 48 Hours on April 25, 2020.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Tercero Is a Fellow Nursing Student at Binghamton University & Is Under Arrest in Nicaragua
Orlando Tercero
Police said previously that the person of interest in the tragic case was a fellow nursing student and is believed to have fled the country. Many friends posted tributes to Haley on Facebook, remembering her as happy and carefree and bringing light into any room she entered. Her traumatic death has upset many on the New York college campus. It’s now been revealed that Tercero fled to Nicaragua, police say. On March 14, ABC News reported, Tercero was arrested and was “being transferred to the prison in El Chipote, about 40 miles southwest of Managua, the country’s capital.”
Tercero was photographed under arrest with a swollen lip and bandaged head. It’s not clear precisely how or when he was injured, but Nicaraguan police say the wounds were self-inflicted. This is the photo released by the Policia Nacional in Nicaragua of Tercero. The Nicaraguan police gave his name as Orlando Enrique Tercero Moreno.
Policia Nacional Nicaragua photo of Orlando Tercero under arrest.
General Commissioner Francisco Díaz Madriz, Deputy Director General of the National Police said in a statement that police received a request from the United States to track down Tercero, who entered Nicaragua on March 9 at 3:55 p.m. “Orlando was captured at the Hospital de León on Tuesday, March 13, and received medical attention for self-inflicted injuries,” the statement said.
Nicaraguan policeOrlando Tercero.
Tercero “fled the United States via international air to Nicaragua prior to the discovery of Haley Anderson’s deceased body,” police said in a statement on March 12. Tercero is a U.S. citizen. The District Attorney’s office released a statement pledging to seek Tercero’s extradition back to the U.S.
Binghamton police here at 23 Oak Street. Crime scene unit was here earlier today. I spoke to some residents who say college students live there, and they are always friendly. They also say this is an unexpected scene for the neighborhood.
Binghamton Police have not released many details of how Haley Anderson was killed, but they say they consider the case a homicide. They also say that Haley’s death occurred inside a home, and the person of interest was described as “a male nursing student enrolled at Binghamton University,” according to WBNG-TV.
The district attorney is seeking a grand jury indictment against Tercero in Anderson’s murder.
Orlando Tercero
According to WBNG-TV, Haley Anderson “was last seen around 4 a.m. on Thursday and she had stopped returning texts on Thursday afternoon.” The television station reports that authorities believe Tercero, “a United States citizen born in Florida, flew out of John F. Kennedy International Airport around 8 a.m. on Friday and is now in Nicaragua.”
Police weren’t sure if Tercero also has Nicaraguan citizenship, the television station reported, adding that this matters because “the Nicaraguan government will not extradite Tercero if he does have dual citizenship.” In December 2017, Tercero posted a video to Facebook called “Nicaragua is stunning.” He has family in that country, according to ABC.
2. Tercero Had a Previous Relationship With Anderson & Was Accused of Damaging Her Property, Police Say
Orlando Tercero
Police said that the Tercero and Anderson previously were in a romantic relationship together and the death was not random. The death occurred at a home off campus. However, a friend said the pair were primarily friends.
“They hooked up in the past, but to her, it was pretty platonic and she didn’t want to have anything seriously,” Mishela Topalli, Anderson’s roomate, told Time Magazine.
On his now deleted Facebook page, Tercero said he studied nursing at Binghamton, went to John A. Ferguson Sr. High, went to Colegio Hogar Paulo VI, lives in New York, and is from Miami, Florida. People filled the university’s Facebook page with angry comments about the person of interest.
WBNG television station reported that “police responded to a minor incident involving the two last fall, where Tercero had damaged Anderson’s property, but Anderson did not file charges.”
FacebookHaley Anderson
Binghamton University wrote on Facebook after Anderson’s death, “The Binghamton University community is deeply saddened to learn of the death of senior nursing student Haley Anderson, whose death is being investigated by the Binghamton Police Department. There is no threat to public safety at this time. The investigation is continuing at this hour. Anyone with information can contact the Binghamton Police Detective Division at 607-772-7080 or 607-772-7082.”
3. Anderson Was a Nursing Student Who Worked in a University Cafe & Was remembered as a Positive Person With a Bright Future
Haley Anderson
Haley Anderson had a bright future, according to those who knew her. She was a nursing student at the Binghamton university, according to WICZ-TV. The television station reported that Anderson was a senior who would have graduated in May.
Anderson had a job on campus, working at Jazzman’s Cafe, the station reported. Anderson’s Facebook page says she was from Westbury, New York. Binghamton has a student body of more than 13,000 undergraduates. It’s located in central New York not far from Ithaca.
Haley Anderson
People who knew Anderson in both high school and college expressed shock to hear about her death. Wrote one woman on Facebook, “Taken way too soon. Although we haven’t spoken in some time, Haley and I were friends & teammates throughout high school. What happened to her is nothing short of tragic and unfair. She will be greatly missed but will always be in our hearts. Rest easy, beautiful ❤️”
A man who knew Anderson wrote, “I had the pleasure of working with Haley Anderson for a year or so and she was such a positive girl with such a bright future. The scumbag that did this deserves to be caught and put away for life, if not worse. I’m so tired of young people being taken away from us, especially these amazing people who brightened not only the people they touched but the world they lived in. Beyond chipotle I knew her through her Snapchat and I have to say that I laughed quite often going through her story. Rest easy now Haley, you brought light to all the people who had the pleasure of knowing you and they’re loved are better for having known you. My condolences go out to her friends and family. RIP.”
Friends say Anderson decided not to go home for spring break because she wanted to study. Police found Anderson’s body after receiving a call to check her welfare on that Friday afternoon.
Police have launched an international manhunt to find the person of interest.
Athena Anadnostakos, a co-worker, told FOX40, “She was a very good girl. She was friendly, joked around, we had a good time together.”
4. Tercerco Had an ‘Obsession’ With Anderson, a Friend Says
Haley Anderson.
Mishela Topalli, Anderson’s roomate, told Time Magazine that Anderson and Tercero were friends for around two years, but Tercero allegedly “never got over his obsession of her. We knew he had some fixation on her for sure.”
A friend wrote on social media, “My heart is broken and I have no words. I never met anyone who knew, at such a young age, what they wanted in life, went out, and achieved those goals. Your smile was contagious and your hugs always so full, Haley Anderson. Rest peacefully and I hope and pray that justice is served for you and your family. ❤️”
“Rest In Peace, Haley. You would’ve been a great nurse,” wrote a woman on Facebook in tribute to the slain woman. “This incident and the circumstances of the death was not a random act or involving the conduct of a stranger,” police said in a news release.
Another friend also wrote a lengthy tribute to Anderson, writing, “Some of my happiest memories at Binghamton and during breaks was spending time with you. Whenever I saw you , you would be so happy and carefree. When we weren’t in school, we would hangout all the time whether it was at your house or randomly when you were in Albany. Whether it was spending time with you at the Rat, on our dorm floor with all our friends, playing with your cat as I made fun of your Friends posters, the memories I have with you are endless. Even though you caused my room door (two in two separate houses) to break, I truly love you and I am so proud to have had a best friend like you in my life. I will always cherish the memories we have together. Rest easy Haley Anderson ❤️.”
5. Anderson’s Roommate Found Her Body Using an App
Haley Anderson
Anderson’s roommate, Josephine Artin, told The New York Post that she found Anderson in Tercero’s bed “after tracking down Anderson using the Find My Friends phone app.”
y of you may already know or have heard on the news this past Friday, March 9th, we lost one of the most amazing people many of us have had the pleasure of knowing,” a friend wrote on the page. “Anyone who knew Haley Anderson knew how her energy lit up every room she walked into, whether it was our lives as her friends or the lives of her patients when she volunteered as a nursing student. Haley’s laughter was infectious and her child-like spirit touched all the people around her.”
The page continued, “At just 22 years old, Haley’s life was tragically taken. Due to the unexpected nature of these events Haley’s family is not financially prepared for the costs of a funeral. Much like there are no words to describe the magnificent person we lost, there is no way to describe the way her family feels. She left behind a mother, a father, a younger sister, and a community that is still struggling to cope with her loss. If you can find it in your heart to help her family in this time of great sadness, any donations will be greatly appreciated and go directly to covering the cost of her funeral expenses.”
The statement on the page demonstrates how many people were affected by Anderson and her death. “There is nothing any of us can do now that can make this situation better or any easier to bear, but all we can do is love and remember Haley for the genuine and amazing person that she was,” it reads.
