From left, Christopher Preciado, Savanah Soto and Ramón Preciado.Photo:San Antonio Police Department; Leon Valley Police Department
San Antonio Police Department; Leon Valley Police Department
Eight days after apregnant teen and her boyfriendwerefound shot dead in their car— a father and son have been arrested in the Texas capital murder case.
Christopher Preciado, 19, ischargedwith capital murder in connection with the deaths ofSavanah Soto, 18, and Matthew Guerra, 22.
Ramón Preciado, 53, is charged with abuse of a corpse, after allegedly helping his son discard the vehicle with the couple’s dead bodies inside.
Savanah Soto.Go Fund Me
Go Fund Me
“We do expect more charges to be pending,” Washington Moscoso of the San Antonio Police Department said at the press conference.
Savanah Soto and Matthew Guerra.Leon Valley Police Department
Leon Valley Police Department
Investigators located their missing silver Kia Optima at an apartment building parking lot on Danny Kaye Drive in San Antonio the day after Christmas, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said at aprevious press conference.
Guerra was found with a gunshot wound to the head, Chief McManus said, noting that the gun had been pressed to his head before the trigger was pulled. Soto had also been shot dead.
Savanah Soto.Leon Valley Police Department
“Clearly, it was a heinous act,” the chief said at that press conference. “It was unspeakable, the tragedy of it.”
And police now say the couple’s execution-style deaths seem to be linked to a botched drug deal.
“It appears that it was a drug deal,” Moscoso said at the press conference announcing the charges in the capital murder case. He added: “Someone was buying and someone was selling.”
Soto’s shooting death comes just 19 months after her brother, Ethan Soto, 15, was shot dead,reportedlybased on a money dispute in May 2022.
Investigators developed a lead after reviewingsurveillance footageallegedly depicting the father and son meeting to help discard the bodies, according to police.
San Antonio Police Department
In the days after the recovery of the couple’s bodies, investigators went to a residence associated with the father and son.
“The father answered the door,” Moscoso said at the press conference. “He knew why the police were there.”
Ramón “cooperated fully with the investigation,” according to Moscoso, adding that interviews with the father and son led to a warrant and their ultimate charges.
Christopher had no criminal history, according to Moscoso, who characterized the father’s criminal record as “small.”
“There was a lot of misinformation out there,” Moscoso said of the early stages of the investigation. “These two individuals are the only suspects we were looking for.” He added: “There were many names being thrown around on the internet. Those people had nothing to do with this.”
source: people.com
