SAN ANTONIO - A father and son are facing new charges after being arrested in connection with the deaths of a pregnant woman and her boyfriend.
Police initially charged Christopher Ray Preciado, 19, with capital murder, but then added abuse of a corpse and alter or destroy a human corpse on Thursday. His father, Ramon Preciado, 53, had a charge of alter or destroy a human corpse added on after initially facing an abuse of a corpse charge for helping his son move the bodies after the murders of Savanah Soto, 18, and her boyfriend, 22-year-old Matthew Guerra, 22.
The murders took place just before midnight on Dec. 21with Soto and Guerra killed at a different location before being transported. Her family reported her missing onDec. 22 which was just one day before she was meant to be induced at the hospital.
According to the police report, the family said they couldn't get a hold of Savannah on her cell phone. They then went searching local hospitals, but they were unable to locate her. Matthew's family also told police that they weren't able to get a hold of him either.
CLEAR ALERT ISSUED
The Texas Department of Public Safety released a CLEAR Alert for Savannah on Christmas Day. The alert gave a description of Matthew's car - a 2013 gray Kia Optima - which led to a resident of a Northwest Side apartment complex to contact the family saying he believes a car matching that description is in the complex parking lot.
Soto and Guerra were both found dead on Dec. 26 inside a gray Kia Optima in the parking lot of the Colinas at Medical Apartments off Danny Kaye Drive. Savannah was found dead in the front seat and Matthew in the backseat of the vehicle. Investigators believe that Matthew was dragged into the car, according to the police report.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner confirmed that Soto and Guerra both died from a gunshot wound to the head.
While investigators were waiting on a search warrant for the vehicle, they were told by family members that Matthew sold narcotics and would use his cell phone to set up drug deals. According to the police report, "it was also advised that the boyfriend would post money and narcotics on Instagram. It was stated that people wanted to rob (Matthew) and it was stated that (he) had been shot at before."
SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE LEADS TO SUSPECTS
Surveillance video showed just before midnight on Dec. 21, a Chevy Silverado pull up next to Matthew's Mia Optima in the complex parking lot. The footage shows a heavy-set man get out of the Silverado, speak to a person driving the victim's vehicle then get a towel and appears to wide down the outside the driver's side door of Matthew's vehicle.
A few minutes later, the footage shows the Silverado drive off. Police believe the two victims were already dead at the time of the surveillance footage.
Investigators tracked down Matthew's vehicle being in the area off Charlie Chan Drive on the night of the murder. A search on the suspect's vehicle seen in the surveillance footage led investigators to a home off Charlie Chan where detectives were met by Ramon Preciado. He told detectives they needed to talk to his son, according to the police report.
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Both were taken downtown for questioning.
According to the police report, Christopher told detectives that Matthew pointed a gun at him and during a struggle, Savannah was shot. Christopher said another struggle took place that resulted in Matthew being shot in the head.
Detectives said that Christopher's version of the events were "inconsistent with the evidence collected from the scene and from the victim's vehicle," according to the police report.
As the investigation continues, authorities say they are working to unveil the full extent of the crimes committed by this father and son duo, leaving a community in shock and mourning.
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales released a statement Thursday on the pair of arrests:
SAPD has recently announced the arrest of Christopher Preciado in connection with the murders of Savannah Soto and Matthew Guerra. I commend SAPD for working diligently and effectively to investigate these murders and make arrests.The work of the Bexar County District Attorney’s office now begins.Under Texas law, a person can be charged with capital murder when there is more than one victim in a murder and there is evidence to believe the defendant caused the death of the individuals. In this case, defendant Christopher Preciado can be charged with capital murder because Savannah Soto and Matthew Guerra were both killed. Moreover, under Texas law, an unborn child is included in the definition of a person. Therefore, Christopher Preciado can be charged with an additional count of capital murder for the death of baby Fabian.The District Attorney’s Office will await the filing of the complete case investigation in order to thoroughly review the facts and make the appropriate charging decisions.Additionally, should a Bexar County grand jury find probable cause that Mr. Preciado committed these crimes and choose to indict him, our capital crimes committee will consider whether to seek the death penalty. Since the case has not yet been presented to a grand jury, it is too early to comment on what punishment will be sought. Our office is committed to holding individuals involved these three murders accountable for this heinous crime.As he was placed in a patrol car late Wednesday night, Ramon Preciado was asked by reporters whether he had remorse.
“Aren't you sorry for lying about what you're saying? You don't even know what's going on. You just make stuff up like always," Preciado said.
His son did not comment as police escorted him to a separate vehicle.
Christopher and Ramon Preciado are both being held at the Bexar County Jail. Christopher's bail was set at a combined $2 million, while Ramon is being held on a combined $600,000 bond.
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