Savanah Soto was a pregnant 18-year-old who was found dead with her boyfriend, Matthew Guerra, in a car after being missing for several days. She was scheduled to give birth on December 29th, 2023, since she had been a week overdue. She went missing almost a week prior, on December 23rd. She and her boyfriend had both been shot in the head.
A week later, a father and son by the names of Ramon Preciado, 53, and Christopher Preciado, 19, were charged for the killings. It is believed that Christoper himself killed the two individuals while his father only helped with the moving of the bodies. The police used information on Soto’s phone, found in another car, to find another vehicle seen on surveillance video. The video was released to the public to find someone who would recognize the people in the video. The car guided law enforcement to the house, where they found Ramon and Christopher. Ramon understood why the police were there and cooperated with them and their investigation.
The following statement was released by Bexar County Criminal District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales, disclosing, “SAPD has recently announced the arrest of Christopher Preciado in connection with the murders of Savannah Soto and Matthew Guerra. I commend the SAPD for working diligently and effectively to investigate these murders and make arrests.
The work of the Bexar County District Attorney’s office now begins. Under Texas law, a person can be charged with capital murder when there is more than one victim in a murder, and there is evidence to believe the defendant caused the death of the individual. In this case, defendant Christopher Preciado can be charged with capital murder because Savannah Soto and Matthew Guerra were both killed. Moreover, under Texas law, an unborn child is included in the definition of a person. Therefore, Christopher Preciado can be charged with an additional count of capital murder for the death of baby Fabian.
The District Attorney’s Office will await the filing of the complete case investigation to review the facts and make the appropriate charging decisions thoroughly. Additionally, should a Bexar County grand jury find probable cause that Mr. Preciado committed these crimes and choose to indict him, our capital crimes committee will consider whether to seek the death penalty. Since the case has not yet been presented to a grand jury, it is too early to comment on what punishment will be sought. Our office is committed to holding individuals involved in these three murders accountable for this heinous crime.”
The father of Matthew Guerra felt very strongly that both Christopher and his father deserved the death penalty. “To me, there is no other option that would be considered justice if we didn’t go for the death penalty,” he told KENS-TV. He had visited the couple’s apartment, and they had set up a nursery for the baby. The Soto family had already lost the brother of Savanah, so their heartbreak is only unimaginable.
Updates from the police have yet to be released.
