Naman Shrestha
Shockwaves were sent across the entire community of Bethesda, Maryland, when the news of the passing of 52-year-old Sue Marcum, an accounting professor at the American University, broke out. The investigation, which spanned nearly 1.5 decades, led detectives to multiple suspects before they zeroed in on the actual perpetrator. All the intricate details of the case and the years-long investigation that followed are covered extensively in ABC’s ’20/20: The Hunt For Mr. Right,’ which also features insightful interviews with Sue’s loved ones and the officials involved.
Sue Marcum Was Found Dead in Her Basement by Her Ex-Boyfriend
Born on March 2, 1958, in Syracuse, New York, to Stanley and Helen Marcum, Sue Ann Marcum grew up alongside her brother, Alan Marcum, in the Jewish faith. After graduating from Nottingham High School, where she also studied Spanish, she attended American University, from where she earned her bachelor’s degree in 1979. Not long after, she landed a job at Grant Thornton, an accounting firm. In 1987, she became a two-time alumna of the Kogod School of Business at American University, as she graduated with a master’s degree in taxation. At some point, she returned to Kogod, this time as an accounting professor. During her 11-year tenure at the American University, she won Kogod’s Professor of the Year Award for three consecutive years.
Moreover, Sue became a faculty adviser to the Kogod Accounting Club and made significant contributions towards career development events. In the early 2000s, she crossed paths with Jorge Rueda Landeros, who served as her Spanish tutor and yoga instructor, before becoming a close friend. Over time, they reportedly grew closer and got romantically involved. In her free time, Sue pursued her hobbies, such as running, cooking, gardening, and spending quality time with her loved ones. Expanding her contributions towards AU, she also established a scholarship to support alumni pursuing a master’s degree in accounting. With so much going on in her life, it all came to an abrupt end on the morning of October 25, 2010.
When her friend and former boyfriend, Larry March, called Sue multiple times and she failed to pick up, he drove to her house in Bethesda, Maryland, and used a spare key to enter. He found the 52-year-old woman dead at the bottom of the stairs in the basement, and notified the police about the same. After the police rushed to the crime scene, they examined the site, which indicated a robbery gone wrong. However, they noticed that most of her valuable possessions were not stolen, such as a diamond necklace she was wearing. They learned that her old Jeep Cherokee was missing from her residence. The autopsy revealed that Sue Marcum had died of blunt-force trauma and asphyxiation. In order to get justice for her, the police launched a homicide investigation immediately.
Sue Marcum Was Killed by Someone She Trusted
About 12 hours after the remains of Sue Marcum were found in her house, the authorities recovered her stolen Jeep from Andrew Hamlin, who crashed it during a police chase. Although the thief’s DNA was present inside the vehicle, it wasn’t present at the deceased professor’s residence. Several months later, in April 2011, Andrew admitted that he stole the Jeep but claimed that he had no involvement in the murder. After eliminating him as a suspect, the authorities focused on a trail of documents that led them to Sue’s close friend, Jorge Rueda Landeros. Upon delving deep into Jorge’s relationship with Sue, they found that the two had a joint investment account in which Sue invested $250,000, per records.
Additionally, according to court records, Jorge was listed as the sole beneficiary of a $500,000 life insurance policy. Not only that, the yoga instructor’s DNA was found in multiple items at the crime scene, including on a bottle and the murder weapon. In June 2011, all these pieces of evidence were enough to obtain an arrest warrant for Jorge. However, by then, he had fled the country and was residing in Guadalajara, Mexico, under the guise of a former stockbroker named León Ferrara. According to the authorities, on the fateful night of October 24, 2010, Jorge visited Sue’s Bethesda residence. After sharing a drink or two, he struck her with a bottle and choked her.
In order to make the crime scene look like a burglary gone wrong, prosecutors argued that he ransacked the house after killing her. After locating him in Guadalajara, Mexico, the authorities finally arrested the then 52-year-old fugitive without incident in December 2022 and extradited him to the United States. Upon his arrest, he maintained that he was innocent, claiming that the last time he saw Sue was several weeks prior to her murder. He also alleged the authorities exaggerated the issues he reportedly had with his late friend in order to frame him.
Jorge Rueda Landeros is Awaiting His Sentencing Hearing Following His Conviction
A few years later, on October 21, 2025, Jorge Rueda Landeros’ trial for the murder of Sue Marcum commenced. During the trial, the prosecution accused the defendant of taking advantage of Sue’s trust to steal her money and killing her for the life insurance policy. They also presented multiple emails between Jorge and Sue, indicating tension between them over the management of Sue’s assets. Over two dozen witnesses testified during the trial, while the defense argued that the police had omitted evidence that didn’t incriminate the defendant. They claimed that Sue’s murder was the result of a botched robbery.
After eight days of back-and-forth between the prosecution and defense, the jury deliberated for eight hours before reaching a final verdict. On October 30, Jorge was found guilty of second-degree murder, instead of first-degree murder, due to a lack of evidence to prove premeditation. Facing 35 years in prison, Jorge Rueda Landeros’ sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 6, 2026. Meanwhile, he is currently held at a Maryland County jail.
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