SAN ANTONIO — A man was arrested and is facing charges in the hit-and-run deaths of two teenagers earlier this month.
Lee Roy Morales, 23, is charged with Failure to Stop and Render Aid-Death, according to an arrest affidavit from San Antonio police.
On the night of Dec. 16, 17-year-old James Solis and 15-year-old Jordan Canedo were heading home from the mall. Loved ones say the two friends had been Christmas shopping.
The teenagers got off a bus near Rigsby Avenue and Bonair Drive.
According to police, Solis and Canedo were walking across Rigsby Avenue in a designated crosswalk when they were struck by an eastbound vehicle. Lee Roy Morales was the driver of the car and took off without stopping to help the victims, police said in arrest documents.
Police say they were able to track down Morales and his maroon Toyota Camry through parts of the car left at the scene and an anonymous tip called into Guadalupe County authorities.
On the night of the crash, investigators found a broken piece of the front left cover from the vehicle and a part number imprinted on it that showed it belonged to a Toyota Corolla. The report states an anonymous caller contacted investigators from Guadalupe County and provided the suspect's name, date of birth, and current address. The caller also said the suspect had a 1999 Maroon Toyota Camry.
At the night of the vigil a few days later, a 911 caller told police over the phone that a man was seen during the victim's memorial earlier this month, walking around a building near the crash location.
The caller described him as having a tattoo near his right ear and wearing black frame glasses. The caller spoke to the man that night and she said he told her he did not know anything about the crash but he was trying to "find out if the building (which appeared to be an old business) was for sale," the report states. The man would then drive off in a Jeep Cherokee. The jeep's license plate was noted by the caller and given to police.
Police then researched the Jeep and found it to be registered to the same address as the Toyota. Investigators went to the home and spoke to Morales' sister who said her brother, Lee, was not there, but at work. She provided police with his work address and also said her brother used to drive a maroon Toyota but he sold it because "he hit something on the road and it shattered the windshield."
“For him to have the audacity to just come around again - that was flat out disrespectful,” said Hector Lara, Cadeno’s brother. “I feel like he was just throwing it in our face that he killed my brother and James. For him to hit two people and just leave them in the street like they didn’t mean [anything], then for him to come a couple days later to their vigil and not come forward … he is a really sick person for that.”
When investigators arrived to Morales' work, he stated he was indeed involved in a crash on Rigsby Avenue, the arrest report says. He also matched the description given by the 911 caller with the tattoo near his right ear. Morales told police he was driving home from the gym that night when he something hit his vehicle windshield. He said he was driving the Toyota. He also texted police a picture of the damage from the crash. He said he did not have the vehicle because he sold it to someone because he was "having too many mechanical issues."
He was taken to headquarters where he provided a recorded statement, the report said.
In that statement, he said he put new lights on his car and they often "malfunction on their own." He said he was traveling on Rigsby Ave when his headlights "weren't working properly and he struck something with his vehicle."
He admitted to seeing an arm coming through his windshield as he was also covered in glass because the windshield shattered. He states he got out of his vehicle but did not see anything, but knew "he possibly hit someone." He said he left the scene on purpose in fear of going to jail. He also told police his sister and niece depend on him financially.
“He had another Christmas with his family,” said Lara. “My brother Jordan and his friend James didn’t. I hope he rots. We are thankful to the community and law enforcement for helping catch him. I am hoping that he gets put away for life.”
Investigators said have reason to believe that Lee Roy Morales was knowingly involved in the crash that killed both victims.