SAN ANTONIO – The suspect in a Northeast Side homicide was on parole in an unrelated case two weeks before he shot and killed a woman, police records show.
San Antonio police said Zachary Duncan, 29, shot and killed Pilar Horton-Garcia, 33, on April 30. Her body was found near some railroad tracks on a remote stretch of East Evans Road.
Robert Moya, a family friend, said although Duncan's arrest does little to relieve their pain, those who knew and loved Garcia are grateful to the San Antonio Police Department homicide division and the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force "for their professional and diligent work."
But nothing has been said about a possible motive or whether she may have known Duncan.
"We're probably going to have a lot of questions that aren't going to be answered," Moya said.
Despite the arrest, police said the investigation continues. The arrest warrant affidavit refers to three witnesses with knowledge of the crime.
Duncan was taken into custody without incident around 1:30 a.m. Friday at a mobile home park on Walzem Road.
Duncan is now being held under a $150,000 bond at the Bexar County charged with Garcia's murder.
Duncan had been sentenced to two years in connection with a drug-related conviction. He was paroled in mid-April.
Moya said Horton-Garcia was a former combat medic and instructor, but had fallen on hard times, "going from apartment to apartment, homeless shelter to homeless shelter."
In an earlier interview, Moya said Garcia also battled mental health issues.
He said even so, she was loved by her four children who have planted a memorial garden in tribute to their mother.
Moya said, "We will continue to say Pilar was a very sympathetic, very compassionate person that always put other people's lives in front of hers."
He said Horton-Garcia was buried with full military honors after Memorial Day in her home state of Pennsylvania.