SAN ANTONIO – The arrest of a suspect in the year-old murder of Stacey Dramiga has brought relief for some people.
Ever since the 63-year-old woman’s body was discovered just off a walking trail near DaFoste Park in September of last year, Andre Richardson had been avoiding the area.
“I used to walk, go down there fishing,” he said. “But not no more, unless I take (protection) with me.”
WATCH BELOW: Community in shock after neighbor charged in Stacey Dramiga’s 2024 murder
Richardson lives near DaFoste Park. His home is also one block over from that of Samuel Charon, the 23-year-old suspect arrested and charged in Dramiga’s murder.
In a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar explained how DNA taken from Charon after a criminal mischief arrest earlier this year proved to be a match for DNA samples taken from Dramiga’s body.
An arrest affidavit said Dramiga was sexually assaulted and murdered after being hit in the head with a rock. The document also said her body was burned.
“That’s a relief for me and this neighborhood,” Richardson said in response to the arrest.
Bonita Otero, meanwhile, said she is not sure when she’ll sleep peacefully again.
She lives next door to the home on Como Street where Charon lived with his family.
“You don’t know if he acted alone. You don’t know who he is with. You don’t know what happened,” she said, recounting the reasons for her continued concern.
Otero said she was watching as Charon was hauled off to jail on Wednesday. She shared that she was shocked to find out later the reason for his arrest.
“Now these days...you don’t know who your next-door neighbor is. I didn’t,” she said. “Knowing what you did a year ago to that young lady, how can you live in your conscience?”
Even after the murder, Otero said Charon seemed to be carrying on with life as usual, often walking up and down the street.
Both she and Richardson said they never perceived him as a threat, but did notice some odd behavior from time to time.
“Arguing with himself,” Otero said. “He goes to the backyard (and screams)”
Richardson said he also witnessed emotional outbursts from Charon that included “howling and saying crazy stuff.”
Salazar said the criminal charge that led to the collection of DNA from Charon was ultimately dropped.
Records show he was arrested one other time, on a shoplifting charge in early October.
A report from San Antonio police said Charon was accused of taking a beer from a cooler at a Stripes store on East Houston Street, then drinking it in a bathroom there.
KSAT 12 News attempted to talk to members of Charon’s family at his home on Thursday, but no one answered the door.
More coverage of this story on KSAT: