SAN ANTONIO – A 22-year-old man has been arrested on murder charges after San Antonio police say he killed two men in two days after connecting through the Grindr app.
Jer Auntey Bernard Pleasant was arrested around 10 p.m. Sunday on two first-degree felony murder charges, Bexar County booking records show.
According to one arrest warrant affidavit, Pleasant connected with a 54-year-old man named Larry Wilson on Grindr. The two messaged back and forth multiple times and made plans to meet on the evening of April 14.
Just before 11 p.m., Wilson drove to the Banyan Tree Apartments in the 8100 block of Cross Creek where he told Pleasant, who went by the name “Derek” on the app, that he was parked at the complex in a white Ford SUV.
That’s when witnesses say they saw a man in a red hoodie standing on the passenger side of the SUV fire multiple gunshots at the driver of the vehicle, who was later identified as Wilson.
The witnesses said the suspect took a black duffel bag from the SUV before fleeing the area. SAPD’s K-9 officers and their EAGLE helicopter searched the area for the suspect but were unsuccessful.
According to the affidavit, San Antonio police were able to gain access to the victim’s iPhone where they found explicit messages between the victim and the suspect. In the exchange, the suspect told the victim he was wearing a red jacket.
Fingerprints found at the scene matched Pleasant’s, police said.
The following day, on April 15, police received a call for a welfare check at an apartment complex in the medical center, located in the 5000 block of Von Scheele Drive.
A second arrest warrant affidavit states that a friend hadn’t heard from Joseph West, 21, in several days and went to his apartment to check on him. When the friend looked into a window and saw a foot hanging off West’s bed, he called 911.
Officers, with assistance from the San Antonio Fire Department, were able to gain access to the apartment and found West lying face-down on his bed.
West was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Police found a single 9mm shell casing at the scene, which matched casings found at the Banyan Tree apartment shooting from the day prior.
Pleasant’s fingerprints were also found on a condom wrapper inside the apartment, according to police.
Police linked both murders to Pleasant and a warrant for his arrest was issued on April 21.
He is currently being held at Bexar County Jail on bonds totaling $700,000. Pleasant is facing anywhere from 5-99 years in prison for each murder charge.
Bexar County court records show Pleasant also has previous arrests for assault and terroristic threats stemming from an incident in April 2019.