Families of murdered pregnant Texas teen Savanah Nicole Soto and boyfriend Matthew Guerra speak out after arrests
The families of Savanah Nicole Soto, a pregnant Texas teenager who was murdered in December, and her boyfriend Matthew Guerra, who was killed alongside her, have spoken out after two arrests were made.
Soto, 18, was nine months pregnant and a week past her due date. She and Guerra, 21, were reported missing in late December when they missed an appointment to have the baby induced. On Dec. 26, they were found dead in Guerra's vehicle with gunshot wounds. Police said they appeared to have been killed just before midnight on Dec. 21.
Christopher Preciado, 19, is facing capital murder charges. His father, Ramon Preciado, 53, is charged with abuse of a corpse for allegedly helping his son move Soto and Guerra's bodies after they were killed. Police said that Ramon Preciado did not participate in the murders. During a Friday morning news conference, San Antonio police said both father and son were both charged with altering, destroying and concealing evidence. Ramon was cooperating in the investigation, police said.
The father of Matthew Guerra told CBS News affiliate KENS-TV that he hopes officials seek the death penalty.
"To me there is no other option that would be considered justice, if we didn't go for death penalty," Gabriel Guerra said.
District attorney Joe Gonzales said on Thursday that it is too soon to know if his office will pursue the death penalty for Christopher Preciado, according to KENS-TV. Gonzales did say that the teen could face an additional capital murder charge for the death of Soto's unborn child, who the couple had named Fabian.
Guerra told KENS-TV that he was able to visit the couple's apartment on Thursday. The pair had already decorated a nursery for the baby, including hanging ultrasound photos by the crib, KENS-TV reported.
"I came across Fabian's gloves and it brought back talks me and Matt had about the different sports he was going to be in so you know, this one hurts," Guerra said. "I wish I could have seen him in the father stage of his life."
Soto's brother, Jordan Cordova, told the station that "nothing is going to fix the heartaches that" he and his family are having to go through. Soto's death echoes an earlier tragedy: Corona said his younger brother, 15-year-old Ethan Soto, was murdered in May 2022.
"The thing I tell myself is that my little brother, he needed them more and she needed my little brother more," Corona said. "That's all she'd talk about how she wanted Ethan to witness her be a mom."
An arrest affidavit reviewed by KENS-TV said that state investigators used Soto's cell phone and surveillance video to track down the Preciados and bring them in for questioning. San Antonio police said during the Friday news conference both victims were involved in narcotic sales and used cell phones to conduct business. According to the affidavit, Christopher Preciado admitted that he was meeting up with Soto and Guerra for a marijuana deal.
Preciado told police that Guerra pointed a gun at him, but detectives said that those claims were inconsistent with the gunshot wounds on Soto and Guerra. Family members have previously said that Soto and Guerra were shot behind the ear.
Soto's mother, Gloria Cordova, previously told CBS News that she believed her daughter had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Corona said he is still struggling to process the circumstances that led to his sister's death.
"My nephew Fabian, his mom and his dad, they're all gone over marijuana?," he told KENS5.
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Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
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