04 January 2024 , 16:06
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Savanah Soto's murdered boyfriend has been vindicated over the pregnant teen's death as cops have revealed the double slaying was a drug deal gone wrong.
Christopher Preciado, 19, and his dad Ramon Preciado, 53 were arrested by police in Texas on Wednesday evening in connection to the murders of Soto and her boyfriend Matthew Guerra.
Soto, 18, and Guerra were discovered dead on December 26 in a car outside a block of flats in San Antonio. Their unborn baby was tragically also declared dead. The teenager had been reported missing by worried family members on December 22, the day before she was scheduled to be induced into labour. Soto had failed to turn up to her appointment at Stone Oak Methodist Hospital.
READ MORE: New doorbell footage shows pregnant Savanah Soto before she was shot dead
Savanah was pregnant at the time (Rivera Kass/Facebook)Cops believe the pair were killed at around midnight on December 21 after Soto's mobile phone was recovered by investigators and proved crucial in determining their last movements.
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Authorities said they were able to trace a possible location where the suspect's car, as seen in CCTV footage, might have been. The Kia Optima, which belonged to Matthew, can be seen driving in from the opposite direction and parking next to the first vehicle. In the footage, one of the suspects gets out of the pickup truck and approaches the driver's side of the Kia.
Police has released CCTV footage of a vehicle they wanted to trace in connection with the murders (fox)Officers believe one of the pair was wiping down the seat before fleeing the scene. Preciado is accused of killing the two victims while Precicado allegedly helped move the bodies to another location, according to police. Officers are no longer looking for other suspects following the arrests.
"Tonight, SAPD arrested 19-year-old Christopher Preciado for the murders of Savanah Soto and Matthew Guerra," the SAPD said in a statement.
Ramon Preciado, 53, has been charged with Abuse of a Corpse (San Antonio PD)"Christopher is charged with Capital Murder. SAPD also arrested his father, 53-year-old Ramon Preciado, who is charged with Abuse of a Corpse for helping Christopher move the bodies after they were murdered. Our deepest condolences go out to the Soto and Guerra families."
Savanah's mum, Gloria Cordova, had suggested boyfriend Matthew was the main target and that her daughter could have been killed as a witness. She said the deaths "had something to do with him and things that he was doing".
Christopher Preciado, 19, has been charged with capital murder (San Antonio PD)Ms Cordova said: "I think it had something to do with him and things that he was doing, not my daughter. My daughter just was there with him and they didn't want... they didn't want someone to say what happened, somebody that's going to say it's so-and-so or this is what he looked like. She just was there at the wrong time."
Two GoFundMe pages set up for the couple had raised over $23,000 (£20,000) since Thursday morning .