SAN ANTONIO — Friends are mourning the loss of 53-year-old Mary Dempsey after she was brutally murdered on the city's west side Tuesday afternoon.
"I was totally blown away, I could not believe it just because the bond she had with her family," former co-worker Anthony Castilla said.
On Wednesday, he posted on Facebook a picture of Dempsey:
"Rest In Peace my friend," Castilla wrote. "I’ve been praying and thinking of you today. We lost a special person I’m so upset and down."
He said he worked with her for five years and described her as fun and loving.
According to court records, Dempsey's son, Matthew, provided a full confession admitting to robbing and killing his mother, along with Daniel Saucedo, 18. Matthew and Saucedo have been arrested and charged with capital murder.
San Antonio police were initially called out to Stagecoach Lane for a robbery around noon Tuesday. A family member showed up to the home after Mary Dempsey never showed up to work. The woman was found dead in her living room.
According to Matthew's statement to authorities, he and Saucedo were at Mary Dempsey's home gathering items they planned to take when Mary returned to the home.
After Mary entered the home and turned on the lights, Matthew told police he attacked her with a baseball bat from behind. According to Matthew, Saucedo also joined in and started attacking her with a baseball bat.
Following the beating, a knife was retrieved from the kitchen and used to cut Mary Dempsey's throat.
Matthew told police he got a roll of duct tape and gave it to Saucedo to so that the victim could be bound. A blanket was then thrown over the victim. According to the affidavit, Mary's credit cards were given to Saucedo and the items the pair were planning to steal were loaded into her car. The credit cards were used to withdraw money from an ATM.
Officers arrested Matthew on the 7600 block of West Military Drive Tuesday afternoon after they were informed he might be there. Officers were waiting for him when he arrived, and he was taken into custody without incident. Detectives later located the vehicle that was taken from the scene, SAPD said.
Police said it's too early to determine a motive and the investigation is ongoing.
Castilla says her friends are in shock and he hopes justice is served.
"Hopefully their family can pull through this, it's pretty awful what's happened," Castilla said.