SAN ANTONIO – News of the arrests of two suspects in the murder of a San Antonio man and his pregnant girlfriend are bringing relief to some people who have been following the case.
San Antonio police named Ramon Preciado, 53, and his son, Christopher, 19, as the sole suspects in the double murder.
RELATED: Father, son arrested in connection with Savanah Soto, Matthew Guerra murder case
They were arrested Wednesday night.
Police have linked both to the murders of Matthew Guerra, 22, and Savanah Soto, 18, whose bodies were found December 26 in a car parked at a Northwest side apartment complex.
Soto, who was pregnant, had been reported missing by her family several days prior to that.
“Christopher, we believe, committed the murders of Matthew and Savanah. And then Ramon helped him,” said Sgt. Washington Moscoso, as the pair was being led off the jail.
Specifically, police believe Ramon Preciado helped his son move the bodies after the murder.
An arrest warrant affidavit says Christopher Preciado told investigators he shot the couple in self defense after he met them to buy marijuana.
However, detectives said the evidence conflicted with that claim.
Police say after the murders, the suspects then drove the bodies to an apartment complex in the 9500 block of Danny Kaye Drive, which is less than a mile from the Preciados’ home.
Esmeralda Ramirez who lives at the apartment complex said she has been wondering about the case, and also worrying about a killer on the loose.
“It was kind of crazy ‘cause it was right by us and I was thinking, ‘Are we even safe?,” she said. “(An) innocent lady, the baby. Wasn’t even born yet.”
The arrests, she says, do provide a level of relief to her. She hopes they also bring closure to the victims’ families.
“I just hope the family gets peace out of that. Hopefully everything goes well and justice is served for it,” Ramirez said.
In the days following the discovery of the bodies, police released surveillance video, hoping it would lead to clues.
Moscoso said although the video did stir up a lot of talk on social media, it did not lead to the suspects.
Instead, he said, investigators were able to track them down through information in Soto’s cell phone.