SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Police Department made a third arrest Wednesday in connection with the shooting deaths of Savanah Soto and her boyfriend, Matthew Guerra.
Myrta Romanos, 47, was arrested without incident, police said.
The gun used to kill Soto and Guerra belonged to Romanos, police officials said at a Wednesday news conference.
Romanos is charged with abuse of a corpse, alter/destroy/conceal of a human corpse and tampering with evidence, all felonies.
She is believed to be the stepmother of Christopher Preciado, 19, and probably the common-law wife of Ramon Preciado, who are also charged in the case. Romanos lived with the two men, police officials said.
When police questioned Romanos on Jan. 4, the day after Christopher and Ramon Preciado’s arrests, she said she did not recall the events from the night of Dec. 21 and stated that she thought she was asleep at the time, the affidavit stated.
However, police were able to place her at the scene after surveillance footage showed her returning home in the pickup truck with the two other suspects on the night of the shooting. The truck was seen in separate surveillance footage at the apartment complex where Soto and Guerra were discovered.
In the arrest warrant affidavit for Romanos, investigators said there was another person in the truck with Preciado who threw him that towel.
Police officials said they had an idea that Romanos was involved in the case but didn’t have enough evidence early on in the investigation to arrest her.
“(We’re) confident there are no more suspects.” Sgt. Michelle Ramos said at the news conference.
Last week, police said the Preciados were the “sole suspects.”
BACKGROUND
Christopher Preciado, 19, was charged with capital murder, abuse of corpse and alter/destroy/conceal human corpse. His father, Ramon Preciado, 53, was charged with abuse of a corpse and alter/destroy/conceal human corpse.
Authorities initially said that the father and son were sole suspects in the case, but at a news conference on Jan. 5, KSAT Investigates reporter Dillon Collier asked Police Chief William McManus if there could potentially be a third suspect.
McManus was asked by Dillon if Ramon Preciado was thrown a towel from another person in his truck prior to wiping down Guerra’s vehicle, which appears to have been captured on surveillance video at the apartment complex. The chief responded, “that’s something we’re still looking into. Something that has been brought up in conversation. We’re still looking into that.
“As the investigation continues, it could be. I’m not saying it is, I’m saying it’s possible,” McManus said.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Guerra had gone to Preciado’s home to sell him marijuana on the night of Dec. 21.
Christopher Preciado said that Guerra pointed a gun at him when Preciado “manipulated the weapon,” resulting in Soto being shot, the affidavit said.
Moments later, Guerra once again pointed the gun at Christopher Preciado, who told detectives that he “manipulated the weapon again,” resulting in Guerra being shot, the affidavit said.
The medical examiner had previously reported that Guerra died from a “contact gunshot wound to the head.”
Christopher Preciado is the alleged sole killer in the case, according to police. SAPD said his father helped hide the bodies.
According to the affidavit, Christopher Preciado drove Guerra’s vehicle to the apartment complex down the street on Danny Kaye Drive, where the bodies were discovered five days later.
Ramon Preciado admitted to detectives that he drove the pickup to the apartment complex to meet his son, which was seen on surveillance footage released by police.
Ramon Preciado also identified himself on surveillance video as the person getting out of the pickup and “knowingly treated the human corpse(s).”