SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Police Department has arrested a man accused of fatally shooting a man in an apartment, and they've also arrested the victim's wife who they believe tried to help move the body and clean up the murder scene.
Jose Carlos Alvarez has been charged with murder and tampering with a corpse. Police said the suspect knew the victim and his wife and invited them to a social gathering inside an apartment on Medical Drive. Police said on Sunday that Alvarez shot the man during the gathering, and the victim's wife called the police and told them that Alvarez had shot her husband and held her against her will at gunpoint.
Police said that when they got to the scene around 8 a.m. they began communicating with the suspect, who was still in the apartment. The 50-year-old suspect came out after a short time and was arrested. Police then entered the apartment where they found the victim, identified as Nick Hallam, dead inside.
SAPD changed their tune on Monday after reviewing more evidence. They said that the victim's wife, Maryann Demetro, attempted to remove the body from the apartment and clean up the crime scene. Homicide detectives obtained a felony warrant for tampering with a corpse, and arrested her at the San Antonio airport attempting to leave the city.
Police said they weren't sure if Demetro was forced to help move the body, but the evidence that they had did not suggest that. They said they reviewed surveillance footage from the complex which showed her carrying the body with the shooter, then attempting to clean up the blood alone.
"The defendant was clearly not in a state of duress, and she did not remove herself from the Actor when she had a clear opportunity to do so," investigators said in an arrest affidavit.
That affidavit shed more light on what happened. The alleged shooter reportedly told police that he and Demetro had been involved in a sexual relationship for a few months, and said that he had shot the victim in self defense. He also told police that Demetro tried to help him move the victim's body, but it was too heavy for them to carry. He also said that he took her back to her apartment at her request.
Police said that Demetro had not told them about trying to help move the body, and said that she had escaped the apartment on foot. Police asked her about what the alleged shooter said, and she reportedly admitted that she tried to help move the body and asked the shooter to take her home. Demetro told police that the shooter told her that he shot the victim because he loved her and wanted to be with her.
This is a developing story.
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