From left: Christopher Preciado and Ramon Preciado. Inset: Matthew Guerra and Savanah Nicole Soto (SAPD).
A Texas man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a pregnant woman and her boyfriend during a failed drug transaction. The couple was just days away from welcoming their baby when the tragedy occurred, and the man later had his parents dispose of the bodies.
Christopher Preciado was found guilty of capital murder for the deaths of 18-year-old Savanah Soto, 22-year-old Matthew Guerra, and their unborn son, who was to be named Fabian, according to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office.
The incident took place in December 2023, when Preciado arranged to meet Soto and Guerra for a drug deal at an apartment in San Antonio. However, the meeting turned fatal when Preciado shot the couple while they were seated in their car.
Following the shooting, Preciado sought the assistance of his parents to dispose of the bodies at a nearby apartment complex.
“This case’s resolution marks a challenging journey for all parties involved. We are thankful to the jury for their contribution to this conviction,” stated Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzalez. “Although no sentence can erase the sorrow of Matthew and Savanah’s loved ones, it serves to honor their memory and ensures accountability for the perpetrator.”
Previously reported by Law&Crime, Preciado’s father, 55-year-old Ramon Preciado, is facing charges of abuse of a corpse related to the murders and is scheduled for trial later this year. Ramon Preciado’s partner, Myrta Romanos, initially faced charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and altering/destroying/concealing a human corpse, but these charges have been dismissed.
The San Antonio Police Department says it was Romanos’ gun that Christopher Preciado used to murder Soto and Guerra. According to the probable cause affidavit posted on San Antonio ABC affiliate KSAT’s website, surveillance showed Romanos accompanied the Preciados as they drove Soto and Guerra’s car to another location and ditched it. Cops say Soto and Guerra were already dead inside the car.
Soto’s family reported her missing on Dec. 23, 2023 after she missed an appointment where she was scheduled to be induced for her pregnancy and they could not get ahold of her. Guerra’s family also could not reach him.
After a description of the car was sent out to the media, a resident contacted the family on Dec. 26, 2023. to say they saw the vehicle behind a building in the 5900 block of Danny Kaye Drive. Soto and Guerra were dead inside, suffering from gunshot wounds to the head. While Soto was in the front seat, Guerra was in the back seat and it appeared he had been shot first and then dragged into the vehicle, the affidavit said.
Surveillance video from the scene showed a Chevrolet Silverado with its lights turned off pull up on the block shortly before midnight on Dec. 21, 2023, followed by the victim’s vehicle. A man, who police later identified as Ramon Preciado, got out of the Silverado and walked up to the victim’s car and started talking to the driver, believed to be his son. Romanos allegedly threw a towel to Ramon Preciado so he could wipe down the driver’s side door of the victim’s vehicle.
Christopher Preciado then drove the victim’s vehicle behind the building and left with his father and Romanos in the Silverado, the affidavit said.
Detectives later learned Guerra sold drugs and posted pictures on social media of him with drugs and cash which made him a potential robbery target and he had reportedly been shot at before. The affidavit said a review of one of the victim’s cellphones — the affidavit did not specify whether it was Soto’s or Guerra’s — showed one of them searched for Charlie Chan Drive. The victim vehicle also pinged to that location, which is not far from where it was recovered.
Investigators found the Silverado at a home on Charlie Chan Drive and Ramon Preciado reportedly came out to say he knew why they were there and that they should talk to his son. Cops transported the Preciados to the San Antonio Police Department headquarters for interviews. Ramon Preciado allegedly admitted to helping his son get rid of the bodies.
Christopher Preciado allegedly told detectives that Soto and Guerra came to his home to sell him marijuana. He allegedly claimed Guerra pointed a gun at him and he “manipulated the weapon resulting in” Soto being shot. He allegedly said Guerra pointed the gun at him and he again “manipulated” the weapon and shot the victim. Police say the evidence does not support Christopher Preciado’s claims.
Romanos claimed she was sleeping the night of the murders but video showed her entering and later exiting the Silverado in her driveway with Ramon Preciado.
Police said they still believe the victims were killed at a different location before being dumped in the car and left where they were later found.
