- A respected university professor Sue Marcum fell in love with her charismatic yoga teacher, who gained control of her finances and allegedly siphoned over $440,000
- After their relationship ended, she was found murdered in her home in a staged burglary, with evidence later pointing to her former partner
- Following years on the run, he was captured, extradited, convicted of murder, and sentenced in 2026—bringing long-awaited justice
Extending her arm into a graceful yoga pose Sue Marcum, 47, smiled at her handsome teacher. The truth was, charismatic Jorge Landeros, 35, was becoming more than just her instructor.
Sue, a well-loved and respected accounting university professor, was falling for Jorge’s good looks and intellect.
The former stockbroker and literature lover was also teaching her Spanish.
Despite their age gap, it was enough to sweep Sue off her feet.
As the months passed, the pair’s bond deepened and became romantic.
Sue’s friends didn’t share her enthusiasm.
‘There’s something about him I just don’t like,’ long-time friend Larry March admitted after meeting her partner.
But Sue wasn’t deterred.
‘As the years passed though, it didn’t seem to be paying off. Sue had lost over $440,000.’
In fact another friend, Beverly Myers, believed that the ‘nuttier’ Jorge seemed, the more appealing he was to Sue.
Despite her friend’s reservations, it wasn’t long before Jorge moved into Sue’s home.
Leaning on his financial background, Jorge began to act as Sue’s advisor and helped her to invest money, taking control of her brokerage accounts.
When she asked former colleague Don about some tax issues, he worriedly advised, ‘Whatever you do, don’t give this man any money.’
But smitten, Sue remortgaged her house in Maryland, US, entrusting the money to Jorge to invest it in a foreign exchange market.
As the years passed though, it didn’t seem to be paying off. Sue had lost over $440,000.
And in 2008, after three years together, she and Jorge separated, prompting him to move back to his hometown in Juarez, Mexico.
Friends were relieved as Sue threw herself back into work and gardening.
But the dark shadow of financial difficulties loomed over Sue.
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Suffering anxious, sleepless nights, Sue was at her wits’ end – worrying how she’d keep on top of the bills that were piling up.
Making myself sick trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage, Sue emailed Jorge, after they had split.
I don’t know how I allowed myself to get in this mess. I just want out, she typed in another desperate attempt to get some of her money back.
While Sue tried to put things behind her, keeping busy with work and catching up with mates, her friend Larry couldn’t help but feel like something was brewing.
Ahead of a scheduled catch-up in October 2010, Larry recalled that his heart started to race while driving to Sue’s home.
‘I knew something was wrong. I could just taste it,’ he later told CNN.
When Sue failed to answer the front door, Larry, who had a key, let himself in.
Inside, he was shocked to find her belongings scattered everywhere, as if she’d been robbed.
Panicked, Larry went down to the basement where he found Sue’s lifeless body. She’d been bludgeoned, likely with a glass bottle, and strangled.
Sue’s tragic death at 52 appeared to be the result of a violent botched burglary.
But investigators had suspicions. While her laptop, phone, purse and car were missing, the diamond necklace Sue wore was left untouched.
And the kitchen window screen had been cut from the inside, with items on the ledge undisturbed.
Could it be that someone known to Sue had staged the entire scene?
When Sue’s Jeep was discovered crashed hours later, police questioned 18-year-old Deandrew Hamlin who admitted to stealing it.
‘She’d been bludgeoned, likely with a glass bottle, and strangled.’
But he was quickly ruled out as a suspect in the murder of Sue, as his DNA was not found inside her home. Instead he was given 12 months probation for unauthorised use of a motor vehicle.
Hot on the case, police delved into Sue’s finances and uncovered a trail of documents showing Sue and Jorge had opened an investment fund, and discovered that Sue also had a $700,000 life insurance policy. The sole beneficiary was listed as Jorge.
When police identified traces of his DNA at the crime scene and underneath Sue’s fingernails, they were certain they had found their killer.
They issued an arrest warrant for Jorge Landeros but he seemed to have vanished into thin air.
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Years passed and, despite Landeros being added to the FBI’s most wanted list, Sue’s friends and family questioned whether they would ever receive justice.
Finally, in December 2022, his luck ran dry after authorities tracked down Landeros in Guadalajara, Mexico, where the yoga teacher was living under a false identity – Leon Ferrara.
Arrested and extradited to Maryland, in July 2023, Jorge Landeros faced murder charges.
In October 2025, Jorge Rueda Landeros, 55, appeared in Montgomery County Circuit Court, where prosecuting lawyer Debbie Feinstein described him as a ‘master manipulator’, revealing that in two years,
Sue had lost around $440,000, while Landeros gained around $350,000, siphoning money from her accounts during those years.
‘He preyed upon Sue Marcum’s caring and kind nature, and used her for his own gain. When she had nothing left to give he killed her,’ she said.
The defence claimed the forensic evidence was ‘heavily disputed’, but the jury didn’t buy it, finding Landeros guilty of second-degree murder.
Speaking in an emotional press conference after the court case, Sue’s older brother Alan said, ‘It’s been a long 15 years.’
‘Sue Marcum is gone forever, and that can’t be undone,’ Sue’s former colleague Don added.
In March 2026, Jorge Landeros was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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