ABC 20/20 “The Hunt for Mr. Right” January 16 2026
ABC’s 20/20 returns Friday night, January 16, 2026, with a stunning new true crime episode titled The Hunt for Mr. Right, airing at 9/8c. The two-hour broadcast follows the international manhunt for Jorge Rueda Landeros, a charming yet dangerous fugitive who spent over a decade evading capture for the 2010 murder of his former lover, American University professor Sue Marcum.
At first, the crime scene at Marcum’s upscale Bethesda, Maryland home appeared to be a robbery gone wrong. Her home was ransacked, and her body lay at the bottom of the stairs. A smashed tequila bottle, missing electronics, and a cut kitchen window screen pointed toward a break-in. But the arrest of a teenager found driving her stolen car quickly unraveled, and detectives began to suspect something far more sinister.
20/20 co-anchors dig into a twisted tale of deception and betrayal. Marcum, a well-respected accounting professor, had fallen into a secret romantic and financial entanglement with Landeros—a Spanish teacher, yoga instructor, and self-proclaimed stockbroker. Despite her financial expertise, Marcum was manipulated into handing over hundreds of thousands of dollars to Landeros under the guise of joint investments. He drained her accounts while enriching himself, all while maintaining a façade of friendship and romance.
When her body was found, no one initially suspected Landeros. But he soon emerged as the sole beneficiary of her $500,000 life insurance policy. DNA evidence and clues at the crime scene—such as tequila glasses and staged signs of a break-in—pointed directly to someone Marcum knew. And then Landeros vanished.
What followed was an extraordinary 15-year search. Detectives Paula Hamill and Sgt. Lawrence Haley reveal how Landeros taunted them from across the border—sending emails filled with grammar corrections and cryptic threats. While evading justice, Landeros lived under an alias in Mexico and even published a book of poetry titled The Fugitive Poems.
The Hunt for Mr. Right features exclusive interviews with law enforcement, reporters, and those who knew Sue Marcum. It traces how Landeros was finally tracked down in Guadalajara in 2022, arrested, and returned to Maryland to face charges. In October 2025, after a long-awaited trial, he was convicted of second-degree murder.
Now 55, Landeros faces up to 30 years in prison at his sentencing in February 2026. 20/20 explores how a brilliant woman fell into a deadly trap and how a decade-long manhunt finally brought her killer to justice.
Watch the full story unfold Friday night on ABC, and stream the episode the next day on Hulu and Disney+.
