Sister of murder victim claims suspect in case was abusive boyfriend

SAN ANTONIO – The sister of a woman found dead in her North Side apartment claims the man charged in the murder was an abusive boyfriend who at one time was like part of the family.

Police said 28-year-old Lisa Meisel’s body was placed in her apartment on Heimer Road near Bitters after she was killed at the suspect’s home in Schertz.

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Police haven't said exactly how long Meisel’s body was in the apartment before they discovered it, but her sister, Leslie Rangel, is certain the death was the end result of years of domestic abuse.

Rangel said her sister started dating the suspect, 28-year-old Derek Conley, in high school and the two had a rocky on-and-off relationship.

Police arrested Conley on Sunday at his home in Schertz.

Meisel was an aspiring entrepreneur and is described as a selfless and caring person who would rescue animals off the street. Rangel said her sister also took in Conley at one point when he didn’t have a place to stay.

Memories of Meisel will include the dreaded phone call about her death as the family braces to learn more details of exactly how the crime happened.

“The medical examiner says it looked like she got beat up in her face pretty badly, but I know there was blood,” Rangel said about her sister. “(There was) blood in the back seat of her car. There was blood in the steps leading up to her apartment. There was a little bit of blood on her carpet. There was blood on the couch where she was left. I don't know where the blood came from.”

Schertz police have not said if this is a case of domestic violence.

A viewing for Meisel is scheduled for Wednesday, but the family says that's tentative pending the condition of her body.

Conley is in the Guadalupe County Jail charged with murder with a $1 million bond.


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