SAN ANTONIO – A 25-year-old man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the death of a man whose body was found in the trunk of a car in a Walmart parking lot.
Richard Escobar, 25, was arrested without incident around 1 p.m. at a gas station near Zarzamora and Highway 90, San Antonio Police Department spokesman Officer Doug Greene said. Escobar will be charged with murder.
Surveillance footage from the store helped police identify Escobar, who Greene said beat and suffocated the victim, Jerry Gonzaba, at the suspect's home in the 800 block of East Park on Sept. 2.
"The manner of death of Mr. Gonzaba was very brutal," Greene said.
Escobar placed Gonzaba's body in his car and drove around for several hours before stopping at a Walmart in the 8500 block of Interstate 35, Greene said. The suspect then walked into the store and back to the vehicle. He may have left again and returned to the store, Greene said.
There is no clear motive for the murder, but Greene said it does not appears that the murder to be drug related. Greene said Escobar worked alone.
Gonzaba, 63, was on probation and was being sought by federal authorities when he was killed. Authorities were notified by an alert from a GPS-enabled ankle monitor that the victim was wearing, police said.
Escobar is believed to have been involved in a robbery Monday afternoon in the 1300 block of Southwest Military Drive, Greene said.
The suspect was seen on surveillance video from the robbery, and that's when the SAPD Robbery Task Force alerted homicide detectives about Escobar.