SAN ANTONIO – Gone but never to be forgotten is a message that echoed at a vigil on Monday for 22-year-old Matthew Guerra, whose body was found in a vehicle on the Northwest Side a day after Christmas.
The body of Guerra’s pregnant girlfriend, 18-year-old Savanah Soto, was found in the same car. The couple was set to have a baby boy named Fabian.
“Jesus, my pain is so deep, my anger is fierce, and my fear is crippling as we grieve Savanah, baby Fabian, and Matthew,” said the family as they gathered and prayed.
Dozens gathered at Woodlawn Lake to pray, mourn and show support during the vigil for Guerra. His and Soto’s deaths happened just before Soto was going to give birth.
“I thought that I’d be babysitting Fabian for New Year’s or something. I and Savanah had talked about so many things she had planned for Fabian,” said Raquel Guerra, Matthew’s stepmother.
Any chance of making new memories with their grandchild was ripped away from the Soto and Guerra families. They are now forever linked by tragedy as they wait for justice in an ongoing capital murder investigation.
“I love you, Matthew. I love Savanah, and I love Fabian,” said one of Matthew Guerra’s brothers.
Through the wave of emotions, hugs, and tears, there were some smiles as the family remembered the lives lost and the good times they shared.
“He was the only one in the family that didn’t need braces,” joked Matthew Guerra’s cousin.
A brother added, “He would say, ‘Mom, I want some chicken with a bone.’”
The brief moments of laughter were a needed break from the reality that their family would never be whole again.
The overwhelming message by those in attendance was said best by Matthew’s dad, Gabriel.
“I miss him, and I’m going to be his voice in this time, and we’re never going to forget him, Fabian, and Savanah and the love they have for each other,” said Gabriel Guerra.
Matthew Guerra’s family has set a date for a public viewing. Raquel Guerra told KSAT that his public viewing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Jan. 8 at Mission Park Funeral Home.
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