1 of 2 | Christopher Preciado, 19, has been charged with capital murder for the deaths of 18-year-old Savanah Nicole Soto, who was nine months pregnant, and her boyfriend, Matthew Guerra, 22. Photo courtesy of San Antonio Police Department/
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Jan. 4 (UPI) -- A 19-year-old man and his father have been arrested and charged in the deaths of a pregnant teenager and her boyfriend whose bodies were found last week abandoned in a car parked out front of a San Antonio apartment complex, authorities said.
The suspects were identified to reporters Wednesday night as Christopher Preciado, 19, and his father, Ramon Preciado, 53. The pair were arrested more than a week after 18-year-old Savanah Nicole Soto, who was nine months pregnant, and Matthew Guerra, 22, were found shot to death on Dec. 26.
Police said the bodies were found in Guerra's car following a search for the pair that began after Soto missed a medical appointment scheduled before Christmas to induce labor as she was past her due date.
Sgt. Washington Moscoso of the San Antonio Police Department told reporters during the Wednesday night press conference that Christopher Preciado has been charged with capital murder for their deaths and Ramon Preciado has been charged with abuse of a corpse for helping his son move the bodies.
"We do expect more charges to be pending," he said.
Moscoso said Soto and Guerra were killed before midnight on Dec. 21 in a drug deal gone bad, after which the bodies were moved to the apartment complex parking lot. There are no other suspects, he said.
Asked if there will be further charges connected to the death of the unborn child, Moscoso replied that their detectives were going to talk to the district attorney.
The arrests come after police on Thursday released surveillance footage taken a few days before the bodies were found showing one suspect, believed to be Christopher Preciado, driving Guerra's grey Kia Optima into a parking lot where he is met by a man, seemingly his father, who was driving a pickup truck.
Moscoso told reporters that data from Soto's cellphone, which was found at the crime scene, was used to locate the suspect's vehicle. After determining which house it belonged to, police knocked on the door and Ramon Preciado answered.
"He knew why the police were there," Moscoso said, adding that the father was cooperative and his son was also home.
The pair were then taken to the police station where enough information was retrieved during interrogations to secure the signature from a judge Wednesday night for their arrest, he said.
