Charles Byrd faces a murder charge after police found his wife’s decomposing body in his trailer.
SAN ANTONIO — A man arrested after a woman’s body was found decomposing in his trailer over the weekend was officially charged with murder Wednesday.
Charles Byrd, 59, was arrested Sunday on a charge of tampering with a corpse. Deputies say he told them about a fight between him and his wife on June 16 that may have led to her death. Sheriff Salazar says the body found in Byrd’s mobile home on Pleasanton Road was there for more than a month.
The sheriff says Byrd tried to mask the odor of the body with carpet, blankets and trash bags. Investigators believe that body is his wife, Angela Byrd, documents say.
An arrest affidavit states that Byrd told officers he hid the body for 32 days. The document also says he confessed to killing the woman to a relative who called police to report the incident. He told the relative that he believed his wife was cheating on him, the affidavit states.
Wednesday, Byrd appeared in court and was formally charged with murder. He had previously only faced tampering with a corpse charges. He was read his rights and his bond was set at $250,000 for the murder charges. The total bond from the murder charge and two counts of tampering with a corpse is $650,000. During the court appearance, he requested a court-appointed attorney.
He was also ordered to not have contact with the victim’s family and told that he was not allowed to have firearms while awaiting trial. If he does post bond, he will be ordered to be under full house arrest.