A Missing Woman’s Remains Were Found in Another County—And the Discovery Changed the Entire Case
A silver Kia sits in the far corner of a parking lot, doors shut, and inside there are two people. In the passenger seat is 18-year-old Savannah Soto, 9 months pregnant, sitting upright with a gunshot wound to the back of her head, and on her lap there is a baby car seat. In the back seat is Matthew Guerra, one gunshot to the head at point-blank range.
They have been dead for several days. There is no weapon in the car, and some of their belongings are missing, while blood is found on the doors, on the seats, and even on the outside wheel. Just a few minutes before midnight their car pulls into this parking lot, and 5 minutes later a pickup truck appears. A man in a white tank top steps out, walks up to the Kia, there is a brief conversation, and then he takes out a towel and starts wiping down the vehicle.
Both cars then move into a darker part of the lot where the cameras cannot see. Three and a half minutes pass. After that, the pickup truck drives away, but the Kia stays there forever. And just a few hours before all of this, a pregnant girl never shows up at the hospital for her scheduled delivery. She simply disappears along with the father of her child.
And only a few days later does it become clear they did not disappear. They were brought there, and someone was with them in that car at the moment the shots were fired. Hey guys, let me grab you for just a second. I’m really curious where my audience is watching from, so I’d love for you to drop a comment and tell me what city you’re in and what time it is for you right now.
Thanks for taking a moment. Go ahead and share that in the comments, and now let’s keep going. During the Christmas holidays in 2023, two families in Bay County, Texas were living through a real-life nightmare. It’s a boy, Soto. It’s a boy. It’s a boy. No one wanted to believe the worst had happened until they were forced to face a horrifying truth.
In the weeks and months that followed, social media absolutely exploded with theories about the case. I don’t know if you guys are following the case of the missing pregnant teenager out of San Antonio, Texas, Savannah Soto, but there has been some crazy updates in the case. >> They they made an an arrest on somebody that was connected to something totally different.
I personally can’t understand a single word they’re saying, but a lot of people state that you can hear them talking about Matthew being deceased. The number of suspects kept growing, and another family got pulled into the chaos. Did you ask the mother how he he be involved in this? Yeah, he can stay with his family. >> Did you get On December 23rd, 2023, the family of 18-year-old Savannah Soto gathered at Stone Oak Methodist Hospital in the northern part of San Antonio.
Savannah was pregnant and already almost a week past her due date, and she had an appointment scheduled for 6:30 in the morning to induce labor. This was the day everyone had been waiting for. It was supposed to be the first child for Savannah and her boyfriend, 22-year-old Matthew Guerra, and the first grandchild for a large, excited family.
They were expecting a boy, and they had already named him Fabian. But as minutes turned into hours, that nervous excitement shifted into confusion and growing fear. Savannah never showed up for her appointment, and no one could reach her or Matthew. Missing persons reports were filed, and their relatives launched a social media campaign, reaching out to local news outlets and putting up flyers across the streets.
Just pray to God every day, every night, every day, every minute, every second of the day we pray to God to bring her home. To bring her home safely, because we need her home to complete my family again. She was so thrilled and excited about being a mom. She had everything ready for her little boy. This is her picture here. She’s a beautiful girl, and she’s a beautiful heart.
She’ll help anybody, and I want somebody to help us to bring her back home. This is 18-year-old Savannah Nicole Soto. Her mom tells KENS 5 she left home for the hospital where she was supposed to be induced, [music] but Savannah never showed up. Police fear that she may be in imminent danger. The teen may be traveling in a 2013 gray Kia Optima with temporary tags.
If you know where Savannah may be, call the Leon Valley Police at that number on the screen. Mommy, please come home. No one’s going to judge you. No one’s going to say nothing to you. I just want you to be home. Something’s not adding up here. I want answers, and we all want answers. On the evening of December 23rd, police went to the apartment Savannah and Matthew rented in the 600 block of Graham Road in Leon Valley to check on their welfare.
No one was inside. Their personal belongings looked untouched. Several of Savannah’s bags were still hanging on the bedroom wall. The closet was perfectly organized, and a single scented candle left burning on the kitchen counter suggested the couple had only planned to step out for a short time. It felt like they had just gone out for a minute and were about to come right back.
Three days later, on December 26th, after both families had spent the Christmas holidays in a state of panic and fear, a resident of a northwest side apartment complex contacted SAPD through a friend of the family, reporting a vehicle that matched the description from the missing person’s alert. A silver 2013 Kia Optima was parked in the far corner of a lot at Cross at Medical Apartments, about 3 miles from the couple’s home.
As word of the discovery spread, relatives began arriving at the scene along with police. Joni Wassell, who had previously dated Savannah’s brother, was the first to arrive and look at the vehicle, and other family members followed soon after. The car was locked, and through the window Savannah could be seen in the passenger seat, clearly deceased.
Matthew was found in the back seat, and he too had been killed in a brutal way. It appeared they had both been inside the car for several days. Officers with the San Antonio Police Department who responded to the apartment complex tried to take control of what had become a chaotic and emotionally overwhelming scene.
The news spread instantly, and while family members rushed to the location, they were held back, not allowed to see the tragedy that would stay with them forever. They basically said they’re adults, if they want to disappear, they can disappear. And again, I reminded them, you know, the the baby’s overdue.
It’s been overdue. They missed the due date, and to me that’s a life-threatening, you know, it’s it’s there should have been more urgency. I never knew a pain like this existed. You know, you hear about a parent losing a child, and you’re like, man, I can’t imagine what they’re going through.
Well, it’s it’s exactly how it is. You know, you can’t imagine it. When paramedics arrived, they broke a window to get inside the car. Savannah was still sitting upright, [music] and there was a visible gunshot wound to the back of her head, right at the base of her neck. A baby car seat was resting on her lap. It had no visible stains, even though there were traces of her injuries underneath it, which indicated the seat had been placed there after she was shot.
Matthew was lying in the back seat, his pants pulled down below his waist, possibly as a result of being dragged. He had also suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, with the bullet entering from the left side. A projectile was lodged in the roof of the car, behind the visor above the driver’s seat, and blood on the driver’s side door frame suggested that Matthew had been sitting there at the moment he was shot.
An unfired round and a spent casing found on the back seat pointed to the shooter’s position. There was no weapon inside the vehicle. Outside the car, detectives noticed blood inside the rim of the rear wheel on the driver’s side, and it belonged to Matthew Guerra. Investigators believe that after he was shot in the head, Matthew was pulled out of the driver’s seat, briefly propped against the wheel, and [music] then moved to the back seat where he was later found.
A cell phone was discovered near Savannah’s feet, but most other valuables and personal items were missing. Her bag was gone, and Matthew’s wallet and keys were not found, although a single gold chain was spotted on the back seat. His distinctive and very expensive gemstone rings were also missing. What we’re looking at right now is a very, very perplexing crime scene.
The medical examiner determined that the shot that killed Matthew was fired not just from close range, but essentially point-blank. And a dark ring on his skin marked the exact spot where the barrel of the gun had been pressed tightly against him when the trigger was pulled. In Savannah’s case, she may not have even realized the shot was about to be fired.
There were no signs of a struggle, and tragically, it was determined that if medical help had been provided immediately, Savannah or her unborn son Fabian might have been saved. Did you get a baby gender reveal for my baby girl? Now they’re going to cut it and see what it is. The couple was overjoyed when they found out about the pregnancy, and they were eagerly looking forward to starting this new chapter of their life together.
It’s a boy, Soto. It’s a boy. It’s a boy. The Soto family, unfortunately, already knew what tragedy felt like. In May 2023, less than a year before Savannah was found, her 15-year-old brother Ethan had also been shot and killed. It was an act of retaliation tied to a drug-related robbery. He was >> [snorts] >> He was a piece of my heart.
But now that he’s gone, more than a piece is gone. The killer, 17-year-old Victor Rivas, claimed that the day before Ethan had stolen drugs from him. He set up a meeting between Ethan and a young girl near his home, but it was a trap meant to lure him out and kill him. Investigators later described it as an ambush.
Ethan was rushed to the hospital where he later died. Devastated by grief, the Soto family sought revenge and attacked Victor Rivas right inside the courtroom in Bear County during his preliminary hearing. Among those throwing punches in the courtroom was Matthew Guerra, and it was not the first time he had lost control.
In fact, he already had a growing criminal record, ranging from reckless driving to assault. At least one of those charges involved his treatment of Savannah, an assault that had taken place about a year earlier. Despite their past, relatives insisted the couple was very happy. And with the baby on the way, they seemed to have worked through their struggles and left their old problems behind.
He definitely didn’t hang around the best crowd. >> Matthew’s father confirmed the assault charge involved Savannah and happened last Christmas. But since then, he says they’ve been a happy couple living together in Leon Valley. They were inseparable. Was it the perfect relationship? No, but but she definitely was not a a prisoner there.
Her and Matthew were both overjoyed and couldn’t wait for their baby’s arrival. After the bodies of the young couple were discovered, investigators returned to their home on Graham Road, and this time it looked very different from just a few days earlier. Right near the entrance, the couch cushions had been moved. A plant in the kitchen corner was knocked over, and on the counter, where a lit candle had once stood, there was now an overturned container of flour.
There were no signs that anyone had tried to clean up, and the ceiling vent cover had been removed. Even more concerning, in the bedroom, the dresser drawers were pulled open. The collection of Savannah’s bags that had once hung neatly on the wall was gone, and the previously organized closet had been completely turned upside down. >> [music] >> There were no signs of forced entry, and at first it was hard to determine exactly what had been taken.
But investigators quickly realized that someone had been inside the apartment sometime between the welfare check on December 23rd, the day the couple was reported missing, and the follow-up search on December 28th, 2 days after the bodies were found. Whoever entered the home had clearly been looking for something, either a specific item or anything of value, and it was likely that this person had a key to the apartment, possibly taken from the crime scene.
It was no secret that Matthew Guerra had money. He wore expensive gold jewelry worth thousands of dollars, and both he and Savannah often showed off their lifestyle on social media. While Savannah posed with her pregnant belly, Matthew posted photos with stacks of cash, and his Instagram and Telegram accounts were even more provocative, openly advertising his involvement in illegal drug sales, sharing images of his products alongside pictures of jewelry and firearms.
Investigators concluded that the couple had been robbed, that after the murders their personal belongings were taken directly from the car, and then their home was broken into and searched afterward. It increasingly appeared that Matthew’s online displays had made him and his young family a target for robbery and murder.
Surveillance cameras at the Medical Apartments on Danny Kaye Drive captured Matthew’s silver Kia entering the parking lot 1 minute before midnight on the night of December 21st. And about 5 minutes later, a pickup truck entered, briefly slowing as if hesitating before turning into the complex, with its truck bed cover appearing misaligned as it pulled in.
A camera on the other side of the building showed the pickup approaching the Kia, which had slowed down and pulled up with its headlights off. And once both vehicles stopped, the pickup also turned off its lights. A large man wearing a white tank top stepped out, had a brief conversation with the driver of the Kia, then took a towel from the pickup, and appeared to start wiping parts of the silver car.
After that, the Kia drove forward toward the far corner of the lot, the same spot where it would later be found with Matthew and Savannah inside, and the pickup followed. Both vehicles remained in that far section of the parking lot for about 3 and 1/2 minutes, an area with no camera coverage, making it impossible to know exactly what happened during that time.
When the pickup reappeared on camera, the truck bed cover was now straightened and properly aligned, and the pickup then left the complex, while the silver Kia, of course, did not move. The cameras on Danny Kaye Drive were not the only ones that captured activity that night, because the apartment complex where Matthew and Savannah lived, just a few miles away, was also equipped with surveillance.
At 10:30 that same night, Matthew was seen walking out into the parking lot, where he met with people who first arrived in a Toyota Corolla, and then in a Mercedes, before he was later recorded returning to the building. He was wearing the same tracksuit he was later found in, and his gold rings and chain were clearly visible.
Even more revealing were recordings from the following days, where the same pickup truck appeared again, entering the complex and parking far enough away that the driver could not be clearly seen in the dark. But the intent was obvious. The killer had come back to break into Matthew and Savannah’s apartment while friends and family were desperately searching for them.
Motion-activated cameras did not capture the moment the driver exited the truck, but they did record his return, and investigators believe he used Matthew’s stolen key to enter the apartment. He was likely inside for about 40 minutes, going through the couple’s belongings before returning to the vehicle and leaving the area.
The key piece of footage showing a large man in a white tank top wiping down the outside of the silver Kia was released to help identify the owner of the pickup truck. Despite the number of recordings, the license plates could not be made out. But according to detectives, the man in white had a distinctive appearance that someone might recognize, and eventually, someone did.
The investigation led authorities to the home of Ramon Preciado on Charlie Chan Drive in San Antonio. The 53-year-old lived there with his wife, Myrta Preciado, and their 19-year-old son, Christopher Preciado. By the time investigators arrived, they already had a sense of the role the father, and possibly the son, had played after the murders.
But there were still critical pieces of the case that remained unclear. The two Preciados were informed of the reason for the visit, and then separated for individual interviews with detectives. How do you say your last name? Preciado? Preciado? Preciado. Preciado. Okay, Christopher. Uh I never did that. Never. Uh what’s your middle name, Christopher? You go by Chris or Christopher? Chris.
Christopher told detectives he knew about the incident from the news, saying he had seen the video on the local KATV channel that showed his father wearing a white tank top. Other than that, he claimed he didn’t know anything. Just Okay, well, I guess you don’t You know what this is all about, too. Do you have any idea why we’re taking the truck? What What What video are you referring to? KATV? The one with the people in it? The one with the apartment girl? With Matthew? Okay.
From the front yard of the house, investigators noticed surveillance cameras. And if they were working, the footage could potentially fill in the missing pieces of the case. >> [music] >> What Christopher told the detectives wasn’t true. The home surveillance cameras didn’t just stream live video, they recorded it as well.
And when he sat down with investigators, he was confronted with what they had already seen. The footage showed Matthew and Savannah arriving at the house on Charlie Chan and picking up Christopher on the night they were last seen alive. And then what happened when he arrived at your house? When he arrived at my house, he was kind of agitated or anything with me.
Like, he was like, “Man, I told you to be out here already. But why aren’t you already out here waiting for me?” But the cameras showed that Christopher was already outside waiting for them, pacing back and forth. The silver Kia then drove off and returned a few minutes later. During that time, according to Christopher, Matthew was acting nervous and irritated, and his behavior made Christopher uneasy.
He told the detective that he had seen Matthew’s Instagram and knew he carried a gun. Christopher claimed he only wanted to buy a small amount of marijuana. But no, I got in the backseat of the car. Okay. And he was already agitated. He was like, “Come on, man. Just Just get the [ __ ] in. Just get the [ __ ] in, bro.
Come on, hurry up. Let’s do this and get the [ __ ] out of here.” I was like, “What?” It was weird to me because that was the first time he’s ever like telling me to get in his car. Okay, so that And that was Yeah, it was that normal thing because he always just like this fast to you people. Yeah. He usually walks away. Okay.
So, it was weird seeing that he wanted me to get in the back already. Open side door. And I go about that, I want to be like, “No.” Cuz I don’t know I don’t know what it was gas that he took. Yeah. According to Christopher, he gave Matthew $100 in exchange for marijuana worth $60. During the handoff, he reached toward his phone in his pocket, and he said that triggered Matthew’s suspicion and paranoia.
Christopher claimed the young dealer, who had money on him, was likely under the influence of something. And that’s how he explained his agitated behavior and aggressive reaction when he went for his phone. And I was like, “Something right here.” And he does his his gun. Yeah. And what you did with She was like already agitated with her.
And he was He was just sitting there. And then all of a sudden, he’s like, “Man, bro, you know what? You was No, bro, just get out, bro. Just get out.” And I was like, “What are you talking about?” I was like, “Confused.” He’s like, “Bro, just get the [ __ ] out.” And I’m like, “Why? Why do you want me to get out?” And I was like, “Whatever.
I’m just I’m just like I’m going to take the last stop.” Yeah, so you guys had money? Yeah, I had a good amount of money. So, I was about to get out, but I guess And then like this, like to grab my phone cuz I wanted to flash. Cuz it’s [music] dark in the middle of the night. And then I never been in that car before, so I didn’t want to step on anything. So, I just opened the door.
I was about to open the door. I like I like this with my phone. I tried to turn the flash on. And then as soon as he does that, he reacts to me like, “Dude.” And he pulls his little I don’t know. I don’t know what to do at that point. Christopher described in a fragmented and confusing way I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. Like that.
Like she was already like about like foot one and then she like she was like seriously continuously just continuously like rolled with the people. Like reaching to like what he just kept asking that. I didn’t want All the way I thought I could not pick my hands up quick enough. Like I don’t know. I stopped. I stopped her like this.
And then the girl stopped. He stopped while I was saying to him, “Yo, I don’t know what I’m doing with this.” After he did that, I could tell he was a lot of pulling on me. So, it was like like this pretty much like this, you know? So, I go like that. So, then he pulls it. Was it hurting? And then And then he bring me to the back seat.
I’m in the back seat. >> So, he pointed it to you. So, it goes out in the back seat. Yeah, [snorts] it’s water in the back seat. Like I push it cuz I don’t want it in my face, you know? Like this. So, I just I go like that. And then I kind of push it away. And I kind of duck down cuz I don’t want it to hit me. And he just went like that.
And She started yelling, “Babe.” I didn’t know he was yelling but cuz I heard the my ears were all ringing. Trying to push Matthew’s gun away from himself, Christopher claimed he shoved it with an open hand while Matthew’s finger was still on the trigger and a shot went off. Savannah, who was 9 months pregnant with Fabian, was hit.
In the chaos that followed, a second struggle broke out and somehow another push changed the direction of the gun leading to a second shot, also fatal, this time striking Matthew. Did you push it? I pushed it. Yeah, he was in the driver’s seat, right? Yeah, he was in the driver’s seat. He already had his finger on the trigger though when I was facing him.
When he was facing you? Yes. He already had his finger on the trigger. I pushed it and he like I guess he thought I was going to grab something but I don’t have anything to grab. Mhm. And then uh so, you’re saying he shot her? Okay. So, you’re saying Matthew shot her. And where did he shoot her from? It looked like she just started bleeding like right here.
On the left side of her neck? Well, yeah. Yeah, so that would be she’s here, right? >> Yeah, it was the light on the first side. On her side. So, it looks like she’s bleeding on the left side of her neck. >> It looks like she’s bleeding on the left side of her neck. And she’s like just like he’s just yelling, “Babe. Babe.” Detectives believe there were a lot of inconsistencies in Christopher’s story starting with clear contradictions against the physical evidence.
If the first shot had really happened because of a sudden push, Savannah would have been hit from the side, not in the back of the head. And the way Christopher described her wound didn’t match where blood was later found both on her and throughout the car. The hardest part to explain was his version of how Matthew was shot because the angle he described the gun being held at would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to recreate.
She was about to reach for the door. She like faces towards me again. So, I go like that. Okay. Like I push it on the side like that way. I mean, I did the first time on the back. Mhm. It went like that. Okay. So, he shoots it. All right. So, he if his point if he’s pointing his left hand at you, right? So, I’m sitting in the driver’s seat.
All right. So, let’s say that he’s in the driver’s seat. I’m turned this way. Right? I’m looking at I’m looking at the girl, right? You’re in the back seat behind me. Right? So, I’m in the driver’s seat. No. You’re behind me here. Right in your back behind me here. So, he’s pointing the weapon like you at you like this.
Right? So, his hand it’s impossible to get that in. Shine it that way. You do it like pointing it here, you’re probably going to hit it with you so that So, that would be hitting there. And the gun is not coming all the way this way unless I said unless you grab it and you put it to his head. I didn’t I didn’t touch his gun.
I just kept pushing his head and pushing it away. The only time I touched the guy I guess was when I went like that. Okay. Where did his gun go? I couldn’t have told you. I think it I think whenever it went like that, it kind of went like that, it fell in your lap there. On her lap. So, you got to feel in here. Like the bottom.
In the bottom of the bottom seat? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I just picked it up cuz I didn’t take it cuz I never touched it. Okay. So, you never touched the gun? And then was the car locked? What do you mean? When you left, did you lock the car up? Uh no. I just got out of the car cuz I didn’t know how to deal with it. I just He started it and left it.
I told my dad meet me on this side. He picked me up, you know? So, you and your dad meet first and then your dad comes up to the car and knocks on >> comes to the car and tries to talk to me and I’m like, “Just go over there real quick.” He’s like, “Did you steal this? Did you steal this?” And I’m like, “No. No. No.
” And he’s talking about this over there. And then that’s when I went to the space and then Christopher tried to downplay his father Ray Own’s role insisting that his dad never even looked inside the car when he showed up to pick him up that night. And according to him, his father had no idea what had happened. But the surveillance footage told a different story.
On video, the older man can clearly be seen leaning into the vehicle where Savannah Soto was still sitting in the passenger seat and the father of her child was lying in the back. On January 3rd, 2024, Christopher Preciado and his father were arrested and formally charged. Why did you do it? >> Are you sorry for what happened? Did you know Savannah was 9 months Did you know she was pregnant? Did you do it? Were you involved? What gun? The two individuals we uh we just walked out today again is a father and son. The
first individual is the father, the second individual is the son. Uh they’re going to be charged with The father’s I’m sorry. The son’s going to be charged this this afternoon this evening with capital murder and the father’s going to be charged with abuse of a corpse. We do expect uh more charges to be uh to be pending.
Meanwhile, countless theories about the murders were spreading online. When the parking lot footage was released, it caught the attention of internet sleuths who spent hours watching, analyzing, and debating every detail of the case. So, I don’t know if you guys are following the case of the missing pregnant teenager out of San Antonio, Texas, Savannah Soto, but there has been some crazy updates in the case.
All right. Let me know if this is better. Here we go. You guys can see it? Now, I don’t know who these three guys are but a lot of people are thinking that one of them is the boyfriend of that one chick who was talking all that crap about Savannah on her Instagram and then her Tik Tok. There was a lot of misinformation out there.
These two individuals are to are the only sus- suspects that we were looking for. They They were arrested There were many names being thrown around on the internet. Uh those people had nothing to do with this. We We vetted them and and everything. They They didn’t have anything to do with these murders. One of the biggest points of discussion became the parking lot video where the towel Ray Own used to wipe down the car appears to show up on the seat inside the pickup.
Almost as if someone handed it to him from inside the cab. And that detail led many to suspect there was a third person involved. And in fact, 7 days after the initial arrests, investigators made another one. Cameras near the Preciado home captured that shortly after Christopher left in the Kia with Matthew and Savannah, Ray Own Preciado headed toward his pickup with his wife Murda following right behind him.
Murda, as a mother, how could you you be involved in this? Murda, did you give anything for your family? Do you have anything to say to these families? Did you Did you use your gun Did you use it in this murder? Why did you do it? There was a lot of information on social media that there was a third individual involved.
Our homicide detectives were aware of that. However, we were looking for enough probable cause to make that arrest and to present the best case forward to the DA’s office. Today, that happened. They were able to develop enough evidence to charge 47-year-old Murda Romanos. Uh she is believed to be I’m not sure exactly what the relationship is but maybe a stepmother uh to Christopher, 19-year-old Christopher.
Uh she is being charged with three felonies. At this time, we’re confident that there’s no more suspects. At this time, we’re we’re confident that these were the three individuals that were involved in this case. Christopher [music] continued to insist it was self-defense. His version of events became less and less convincing as new evidence kept emerging in the case.
Each new detail, every confirmed fact, seemed to push that story further into the background making it more fragile and increasingly hard to believe under the weight of the circumstances. In the courtroom, that shift was especially noticeable as the tension grew alongside the mounting evidence that was forming a much clearer and very different picture of what had actually happened. The murder weapon, a .
380 caliber pistol that he claimed belonged to Matthew, was found in his home locked away inside a closet in his parents’ bedroom. The fact that it was stored there raised even more questions because the gun was not just hidden, it had been deliberately kept out of sight, which did not look like an accident but rather something that took time and a conscious decision.
Police only gained access after threatening to break the door down, a moment that quickly changed the dynamic of the situation, and that was when Murda suddenly found the key. That detail stood out in a troubling way because it raised an obvious question, why was the key not handed over right away? And what could have been behind that delay? In the context of the entire case, it felt like yet another piece that added to the growing doubts about the truthfulness of the original explanations.
How cooperative was she? You know, I know there was a search warrant that was issued a few days ago. Um There was a search warrant. So, they they had the authority to go into that home. Uh today, I don’t believe she said much. They matched her weapon to the ballistics. Right. That tampering with evidence from what we understand, she stated that was her gun.
Um so, we do know that that was her weapon. The pistol was found loaded with two rounds, and next to it was a full magazine with five more, a detail that immediately caught investigators’ attention and became an important piece in reconstructing what happened. The weapon appeared ready to be used, and its condition at the time it was found only deepened suspicions about the events of the night before.
Exactly three bullets were missing, which matched perfectly with the two fatal shots and a third bullet recovered near a casing inside the silver Kia. That alignment did not look like a coincidence. Instead, it formed a clear and unsettling logic that connected the crime scene, the vehicle, and the recovered weapon into one consistent chain of evidence.
The gun was registered to Ramon Preciado’s ex-girlfriend, and she told investigators that after their breakup, the weapon had gone missing. A detail that added another layer to the case and raised questions about how it ended up in the hands of those connected to that night. Her statement was calm but precise, clearly outlining the timeline of when the gun disappeared.
Christopher was being held in the Bexar County Jail on a $1 million bond, a figure that in itself reflected the seriousness of the charges and the risks the court saw. His attorneys filed multiple motions asking for a significant reduction, pushing for a review of the conditions, but each request was denied, and the court left the decision unchanged, emphasizing that the circumstances did not allow for any leniency.
As prosecutors prepared for trial, they continued to strengthen their case against Christopher, building their argument step-by-step. According to them, the motive was clear. He wanted Matthew’s money and was willing to kill Matthew, Savannah, and Fabian to get it. It was presented as a straightforward but brutal explanation without unnecessary speculation.
The very next day, a neighbor on Charlie Chan Drive, while walking his dog, made a disturbing discovery. $160 in cash lying on the driveway near the Preciado home, crumpled bills stained with blood. It felt almost random, yet at the same time, it sharply contrasted with the routine of a morning walk, turning it into a moment directly tied to the events of the previous night.
Christopher’s messages and social media posts also became key pieces of evidence that helped complete the bigger picture. In the days leading up to the murders, his conversations with an acquaintance named Anthony showed he was desperately trying to arrange a deal to buy car parts with money he did not have, and the tone of those messages carried a sense of urgency, like he was running out of time.
In one message, he even offered two rings as collateral. One, he said, engraved with 10K, and the other with a large ruby, details that were specific and later proved important to the investigation. Two rings matching that description were sold by his acquaintance at a local pawn shop for $300 after the murders, and when they were recovered, investigators confirmed [music] they belonged to Matthew Guerra, adding yet another link between a financial motive and the events of that night.
As Christopher’s trial approached, both of his parents were released from custody, a decision that once again drew attention to each person’s role in this complex and layered case, all while tension continued to build ahead of the proceedings. Rayon was the first to be released. After about 13 and a half months in custody, his bond was reduced to $450,000, allowing him to be freed, a move that became another turning point in the case, sparking mixed reactions but not changing the central fact that everyone was still waiting for the
trial, where the final answers were expected to come out. Two murdered people and unborn child, anything you want to say about yourself? This is your chance to say your side. Last chance. To the surprise and outrage of the Guerra and Stow families, Myrta Romanos was later released as well, and the charges against her were dropped.
That decision came as an unexpected blow to the families, who had been living for a long time with the hope of justice and answers. Both inside the courtroom and outside of it, there was a sense of tension mixed with frustration, because yet another figure in the case had effectively walked away from the charges, leaving behind more questions than answers.
For nearly 2 years, prosecutors repeatedly asked to delay the case, saying they needed more time to continue the investigation. Each delay dragged the process out further and deepened the uncertainty the families had been dealing with the entire time. In the end, it became clear that there was not enough evidence to support the charges against her in court, and that turned out to be the key factor, despite all the suspicions and expectations.
Myrta was released in November 2025 after 22 months in custody, a period that was long and exhausting not only for her, but for everyone following the case. Her release marked another complicated turning point in the investigation, but it did not bring any real sense of closure or relief for those who were still searching for justice.
How have the last 2 years been? How does it feel to be released from jail? Talk about it. How does it feel the last 2 years? Do you believe Christopher and Ramon are innocent? Do you have anything to say to the victims? Anything to say to them? The trial of Christopher Preciado on three counts of capital murder began in March 2026, a process people had been waiting on for months, filled with tension, anticipation, and a heavy emotional weight for everyone in the courtroom.
From the very first days of testimony, it became clear this case was not just about legal language, it was about human lives, loss, and the search for answers that could no longer change anything. The atmosphere in the courtroom was controlled but heavy, like every word carried a weight you could actually feel.
The prosecution decided not to seek the death penalty, even if there was a conviction, a decision that in itself carried significance and set the tone for the entire trial. It meant that no matter the outcome, the case was not about the ultimate punishment, but about a different kind of final judgment, >> [music] >> and that choice, whatever the reasons behind it, became a clear framework within which the entire legal battle unfolded.
There are no eyewitnesses for this offense. Nobody’s going to testify that said they saw Christopher Preciado pull the trigger with any sort of intent or deliberation. >> [snorts] >> There’s no video evidence of this crime that took place. You’re not going to receive any blood spatter evidence that implicates him in this capital murder.
There’s no DNA evidence that’s going to implicate him of capital murder. The evidence will show you’re not going to find any evidence of fingerprints of any kind that would implicate him in this capital murder. A drug transaction gone wrong where a gun is pulled on him by the drug dealer, a struggle, and then chaos when shots are fired after that.
In court, the defense stuck to the same version Christopher had given right after his arrest, a version he never backed away from, not even under pressure as more details came out, or as the emotional weight in the courtroom kept building. Their argument came across as steady and controlled, almost rehearsed, and it was clearly aimed at presenting a completely different picture from the one the prosecution had been laying out.
According to the defense, he did not bring a gun to the deal, and the shots were fired during a struggle, sudden, chaotic, and completely out of control. The deaths were tragic, but in this version, they were the result of self-defense, not a planned act. It framed everything as a chain of events that spiraled beyond control, where even a second could change the outcome.
While prosecutors described the killings as a deliberate execution based on the nature of the wounds, the medical examiner could not say with full certainty in what order the shots were fired or whether they were intentional, and that uncertainty became a key point for the defense, emphasizing that even expert conclusions did not provide a clear and definitive account of what happened in those critical moments.
Gunshot residue was found on both Matthew and Savannah, but the results could not determine whether either of them had handled or fired a weapon, leaving room for doubt, something the defense tried to expand on by suggesting alternative scenarios different from the prosecution’s version. At the same time, much of the evidence related to what happened after the crime, what looked like attempts to clean up, was explained by the defense as panic and fear, the reaction of someone caught in a situation that had suddenly spiraled out
of control. According to their argument, those actions were carried out under Rayon’s direction, not Christopher’s, and were driven not by cold calculation, but by shock and confusion. Ultimately, the defense argued that Matthew Guerra’s illegal activities, his criminal background, and the risks tied to that lifestyle should make the jury consider whether his own actions inside that car that night may have led to his death and the loss of his young family.
It was an attempt to shift the focus, to redirect responsibility, and to cast doubt on the role of the victim in this story. His attorneys tried to portray Matthew as the aggressor, someone who could have posed a threat, while presenting their client as a passive and overwhelmed young man pulled into events that spun out of control, creating a contrast meant to plant even a moment of doubt in the minds of the jury.
Christopher is this 19-year-old stoner gamer who’s sitting there. When they picked up his possessions from his room, he had a sweatshirt that says, “Virginity rocks.” It’s in the pictures. Can’t find it right now, but they showed it to y’all. This is the kind of guy that they’re saying is a stone-cold executioner, to use Ms.
Albin’s word when she started this case, that these people were executed. They’re saying that guy is an executioner. She showed you pictures at the very beginning of Matthew holding a gun. When you look through those Instagrams, which there’s a lot of stuff to look through. There’s picture of Matthew holding a Matthew holding a long arm, Matthew holding an extended clip.
When I was a young prosecutor, I put that kind of guy in jail. And now here, we’re calling him a great guy, a family man. He’s going to have a baby the next day. They showed you video of Matthew walking in his apartment complex, looking all cool with his track little uniform on or whatever he was wearing.
And he’s happy as a clam cuz he just made two drug deals on video right in front of God and everyone. He’s just walking around like, “Hey, more money. I don’t have to pay taxes on this money. IRS don’t even know that I’m making cash.” It’s objective facts on the evidence, ma’am. Just state You can infer from looking at that video what he’s doing.
With the Mercedes-Benz, that I’m sure did not live at that apartment complex, and a Toyota, and he’s walking out there, and then he’s walking back in to go pick up his pregnant girlfriend and take her to another drug deal. That’s what he’s doing. But they want to portray him as this really great family man, this guy who was going to have a baby the next day.
Parenting gone wrong? She’s mom. Savannah’s a mom. Like she’s going to have a baby the next day. They’re supposed to be going in a matter of hours, and she makes a decision to go to a drug deal? Does she not watch TV? And we did not shy away from the fact that Matthew dealt drugs to make money. We were not hiding from that.
We didn’t stand up here and try to paint them as these angelic people who never made mistakes. I think I actually said, “You’re going to hear they made mistakes.” Those were my words. And those you have heard. But that doesn’t mean that they deserve what happened to them. That does not justify the execution that this man perpetrated on them.
It doesn’t. You can see Christopher is not this Virginity Rocks innocent guy that they want you to think he is. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Violence. Extreme. Dr. Molina testified Savannah’s wound wasn’t necessarily fatal. If somebody would have done something about it, that baby might have been able to to be saved.
This was extreme. This was violence. This was senseless. It was unnecessary, and it was unjustified. It was selfish. It was monetarily based. There was no good reason for it. The jury deliberated for just under 2 hours, a relatively short amount of time that only underscored how convincing they found the evidence presented to them.
Behind closed doors, they were deciding one person’s fate, but also the question of justice for those whose voices would never be heard again. And when they returned to the courtroom, the tension in the air felt almost physical. Then a unanimous verdict was announced. Christopher Preciado was found guilty on all three counts of capital murder for the deaths of Savannah Stow, Matthew Guerra, and their unborn son Fabian.
Each count represented a separate loss, a separate life cut short, but together they formed one tragic and undeniable picture of what had happened. The verdict became [music] a formal acknowledgement of the truth and a legal recognition of the scale of this tragedy. Those convictions automatically carried a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, the harshest penalty available under the law, meaning he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
It was a final decision, one that left no room for reconsideration or leniency. And while it brought the trial to an end, for the victims’ families it was not closure, but a painful reminder that no verdict can bring back what was lost. He took my granddaughter, my great-grandson. We will never see them again.
But I’m glad that they found him guilty. And her mother right here. And her father. They cannot talk, but I will. I will talk for my cousin and her boyfriend. You took their unborn son. He didn’t even have a chance to live. Ayon Preciado is set to stand trial on May 11th, 2026, on charges of tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
Serious allegations that in themselves point to an attempt to hide the truth and erase what happened. That date has already become a symbol for the family, a long and exhausting wait where each day seems to move slowly, bringing them closer to a moment that may offer answers, but at the same time reopen old wounds.
The court may put the final pieces in place, but it cannot bring back what was lost. The Soto family also saw justice in the case of Savannah’s younger brother, Ethan. His killer, Victor Rivas, ultimately admitted his guilt and was sentenced to 40 years in prison, a decision that came after a long and painful process filled with grief, waiting, and a fight for the truth.
That admission closed one of the darkest chapters of this story, but it did not ease the pain of the loss. For the family, it was more than just a sentence. It was the moment the truth was finally spoken out loud, when responsibility was officially established. And even though justice was achieved in a legal sense, the emotional emptiness left behind by this tragedy never went away.
Your message to Lumberton District Attorney’s Office about keeping momentum on this case. Um I think that they know uh what’s best to do. Um You know, I mean, I think they were just as involved as uh Christopher was, and I you know, I think justice should be served when it comes to them, too, as well, the mom and the dad. This was a tragic, deeply painful story of Savannah Stow, Matthew Guerra, and their unborn son Fabian, a story that leaves behind a heavy sense of loss, silence, and questions with no answers.
It is the story of three lives connected to each other even before one of them had the chance to take a first breath. A story that was meant to be about a new beginning, about anticipation and hope, but instead turned into a tragedy that changed everything forever. This was the story of Savannah Stow, Matthew Guerra, and their unborn son Fabian, a story where the future disappeared before it ever had the chance to begin.
