SAN ANTONIO – Nearly a week after Gavin Guedea's body was discovered by his father and best friend at Meyers Park, his uncle Gilbert Carrasco said his 19-year-old nephew "trusted the wrong person."
Now charged with Guedea's murder, 18-year-old Christopher Lee Hanna had been an acquaintance of the victim when both attended Warren High School.
"Somehow this guy got in contact with him, so they only had been talking for a week or so," Carrasco said.
Speaking on behalf of Guedea's parents, Carrasco said they believe Hanna took advantage of their son's friendly and trusting nature.
When others tried to warn Guedea against hanging out with Hanna, Carrasco said his nephew told them, "He hasn't done anything to me. I feel sorry for him. He doesn't have any friends or family."
Carrasco said Hanna also was homeless, living in the woods behind Meyers Park.
"I think they went back there to have a couple of beers. They're not of age. They have nowhere else to go," Carrasco said.
He said the victim's family now point to robbery as a possible motive.
Carrasco said his nephew had just cashed his paycheck from a local deli, but his wallet was never recovered along with his cellphone and tennis shoes.
He said after Hanna lured Guedea into the woods, "Once he had him by himself, he turned around and attacked him."
Carrasco said it was a violent death. He said his nephew was shot multiple times and his head bludgeoned.
His uncle said Hanna's arrest last Friday leaving a local restaurant, is of some comfort for Guedea's family.
He said, "We do want him prosecuted to the fullest, think he deserves that. It was so senseless."