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Fresh details have emerged regarding the murders of Savanah Soto and Matthew Guerra after a father and son were arrested in connection with the deaths.
Soto, 18, and Guerra, 22, were found dead in the Leon Valley suburb on San Antonio, Texas, on December 26, 2023, with a police affidavit stating they were killed "on or about December 21." Soto was nine months pregnant at the time of her death and was reported missing by family members after she failed to show up for a scheduled induction.
Christopher Preciado, 19, has been charged with capital murder. His father, Ramon Preciado, has been charged with abuse of a corpse after he allegedly helped move their bodies.
The affidavit reveals what is believed to have happened to the couple in detail. After being reported as missing, a resident of 5903 Danny Kaye Drive contacted Soto's family to say they believed Guerra's vehicle, a 2013 Kia Optima, was parked in the vicinity. Family members then alerted Leon Valley Police and traveled to the area.
The police affidavit confirms that the couple were found by an officer inside their vehicle each with gunshot wounds to the head. Soto was found in the front seat of the car and Guerra was found in the back. It is believed they were killed at a different location before the car was driven to Danny Kaye Drive.
The document states that Guerra had "apparent drag marks" on his back, indicating that he was dragged into the vehicle. "Apparent blood transfer" was also found on the outside of the vehicle. No weapon was found in or around the vehicle, the affidavit confirms, but a spent shell casing was discovered inside the car.
Following the release of surveillance footage of the vehicles involved in the murder, police have said they believe Guerra and Soto were both dead inside the vehicle when it was captured being driven around the area.
Police conducted interviews with Christopher and Ramon on January 2 afterGuerra's phone was found to have searched their address on Charlie Chan Drive, close to where the bodies were discovered.
Christopher admitted to police that the couple had traveled to the Preciado's address to sell marijuana, claiming that Guerra pointed a gun at him. Christopher was allegedly able to "manipulate" the gun which resulted in Soto being shot first, followed by Guerra. However, police have said his account is inconsistent with the gunshot wounds and other evidence found at the crime scene.
Family members confirmed to police that Guerra sold drugs and that he would post evidence of money and narcotics on Instagram. They also said, according to the document, that "people wanted to rob" Guerra and that he had been "shot at" before.
Ramon, Christopher's father, identified himself as one of the people in the surveillance footage. They were arrested on January 3.
In a video posted on Facebook by the SAPD, the pair can be seen being led in handcuffs by police to a vehicle, while surrounded by reporters with phones and cameras. Neither appeared to make comment in the clip released on Wednesday evening.
Newsweek has contacted Leon Valley Police and San Antonio Police Department for comment.
About the writer
Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on Social Security, other government benefits ... Read more