BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – The trial for a Bexar County man accused in the murders of a young couple and their unborn child began in earnest this week.
In all, Christopher Preciado, 21, has been charged with capital murder in connection with the deaths of Savanah Soto, Matthew Guerra and their child.
Jennifer Pena, the judge from Bexar County’s 290th Criminal District Court, is presiding over the trial.
According to county court records, Preciado is also facing two additional charges:
- tampering with a human corpse
- abusing a corpse without legal authority
Jury selection in Preciado’s case was held on Monday. Both the prosecution and the defense teams presented their opening statements on Tuesday morning.
Bexar County co-prosecutor Melissa Alban began with a statement on behalf of the state.
“You’re going to hear that they (Guerra and Soto) made choices that many of us would not make, but the penalty for those poor choices should not be execution,” Alban told jurors, in part. “He (Christopher Preciado) executed them. And for no other reason than he needed money, and Matthew (Guerra) had a lot of it.”
Alban said Preciado knew Guerra because he occasionally purchased marijuana from Guerra.
“Matthew and Chris had an agreement. An arrangement: they were going to meet at Chris’ house to do a transaction,” Alban said. “So, when Savanah and Matthew got into their car around 11:45 that night (on Dec. 21, 2023) and drove straight to his house, they had no idea that they would never return home.”
Joseph Esparza, a co-defense attorney representing Preciado, followed Alban with the defense’s opening statement.
Esparza argued to jurors that Preciado’s father, Ramon, had greater involvement in the crime.
“Actions done, including the cleaning, by Ramon Preciado, Christopher’s father, not by him,” Esparza told the court. “It’s not commendable. It’s not, perhaps, what you or I might have done, but you may hear evidence of panic or fear, given his (Christopher’s) youth.”
Esparza also said the weapon recovered in this case was found in his parents’ bedroom and doesn’t belong to Preciado.
“At the end of this trial, my partner and I will ask you to return a verdict of ‘not guilty’ after you examine all of the evidence,” Esparza continued. “That is not leniency. That is not a technicality. It’s faithfulness to the law, to fairness and to the oath you just took and the responsibility that has been entrusted to you as jurors.”
Watch both opening statements in the below video player.
Joanie Wasil, who dated Soto’s brother, was among the first witnesses to take the stand on Tuesday.
She described to the court how she got a text that Guerra’s car might have been parked at an apartment complex. When Wasil went inside the vehicle, she saw Soto in the passenger seat with a baby car seat on top of her.
If convicted, Preciado is facing up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Background
Soto, who was expected to be induced to deliver her son, never showed up for her appointment on Dec. 22, 2023.
Soto and her boyfriend, Guerra, were last heard from on Dec. 21, 2023, according to family and police statements.
Soto’s family soon reported her as a missing person. Authorities issued a statewide CLEAR Alert on Christmas Day.
One day later, on Dec. 26, 2023, police said Soto and Guerra were found dead in Guerra’s vehicle at a Leon Valley apartment complex.
On Jan. 3, 2024, Christopher Preciado, who was 19 at the time, was arrested and charged with capital murder. His father, Ramon Preciado, was arrested on charges of tampering with evidence and abuse of a human corpse, according to arrest records and police statements.
Authorities later arrested Myrta Romanos, Christopher Preciado’s mother, on allegations that she tried to help cover up the crime.
Soto and Guerra’s families said they did not know Christopher and Ramon Preciado. Police said the dispute that led to the killings began with a drug deal.
According to an arrest affidavit, Christopher Preciado told police that Guerra pulled a gun on him and that he was able to “manipulate it.” Soto and Guerra were shot during that sequence.
In February 2025, Ramon Preciado was released from the Bexar County Adult Detention Center after his bond was reduced.
Romanos was expected to go to trial in November 2025. However, after the state sought a reset that the court denied, prosecutors dismissed all charges against Romanos.
The case against Christopher Preciado moved forward and was finally set for trial.
The trial is expected to last more than a week. The witness list includes law enforcement officers from multiple agencies, an expert witness and family members from the Guerra and Soto families.
The witness list also includes Ramon Preciado and Romanos, but it is not yet known whether they will be called on to testify.
The judge is not allowing the trial to be livestreamed, but KSAT 12 News will provide continuous updates on the case from inside the courtroom.
More recent coverage of this story on KSAT: