Graphic testimony was shown detailing the deaths of Savanah Soto, Matthew Guerra and their unborn child as the jury prepares for closing arguments and deliberations.
SAN ANTONIO — Testimony concluded Wednesday in the capital murder trial of Christopher Preciado, with jurors hearing from the medical examiner and seeing surveillance video tied to key evidence in the case.
Both the prosecution and defense have now rested, and jurors are expected to return Thursday morning for closing arguments before beginning deliberations. Preciado, 21, faces the potential of life in prison if he’s found guilty in the December 2023 murders of Savanah Soto, Matthew Guerra and their unborn child, Fabian.
The final day of testimony included emotional and graphic evidence, as well as new video that prosecutors say connects Preciado to items taken from one of the victims.
Earlier in the day, jurors were shown surveillance video from a pawn shop on Bandera Road. The footage showed a man identified as an associate of Preciado selling two distinctive rings days after the killings.
A pawn shop manager testified the man sold the rings — described as custom pieces featuring gold, diamonds and a ruby — for $300 in a transaction that lasted about five minutes.
Prosecutors previously presented evidence that Guerra frequently wore those rings. Investigators had previously shared social media messages in which they say Preciado offered the rings to another man in exchange for car parts.
Later, Bexar County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kimberly Molina took the stand, delivering graphic testimony about the deaths of Soto, 18, and Guerra, 22.
Prosecutors warned family members in advance about the nature of the testimony. While some left the courtroom, many remained as autopsy photos were shown to the jury. Among the images: Close-up pictures of the wounds inflicted on the young couple and the condition of their bodies, which had been abandoned for days before they were discovered.
Molina testified she could not concretely determine certain details, including the exact sequence of events or who fired the fatal shots. However, she said the physical evidence did not fully align with Preciado’s account of the crime.
She also testified that the couple’s unborn child, Fabian, was full-term and died as a result of Soto’s death.
“There’s no congenital abnormalities for the child, no evidence of injuries. There’s no other reason we identified for the child to be dead other than mom died,” Molina testified. “When mom dies, that means she’s no longer providing the oxygen and the nutrients to the baby that the baby needs.”
The defense said there are many unknown factors in the case, highlighting that Molina could not identify the shooter or definitively reconstruct the sequence of the shooting.
- Defense attorney: “You can’t tell the sequence of when the shots were fired because you weren’t there?”
- Molina: “Correct.”
- Defense attorney: “So your testimony today is limited to what injuries occurred, but not who exactly caused them?”
- Molina: “Correct.”
- Defense attorney: “There’s nothing in your autopsy that identifies Christopher Preciado as the shooter?”
- Molina: “Correct.”
Attorneys for Preciado are expected to ask jurors to consider lesser charges than capital murder. If there’s a guilty verdict, a lesser charge represents the only way he could avoid a sentence of life behind bars without parole.
Judge Jennifer Peña dismissed jurors for the day around noon, instructing them to return at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. At that time, the court will read the jury charge, followed by closing arguments from both sides.
After that, the case will be in the hands of the jury.
About the case
The Soto and Guerra families have been waiting for justice since Dec. 21, 2023. That was the day the victims were last seen alive in the 6000 block of Grissom Road in Leon Valley.
Initially, the incident was handled as a missing person case. Soto, who was one week overdue to give birth, failed to show up at the hospital for a planned delivery for Fabian. Family members said she and her partner vanished, sparking massive search effort that ended four days later. They had both been shot in the head.
At the time, San Antonio police said the car had been in the parking lot for days. They also said they thought the killing was due to an argument over a drug transaction. After an aggressive investigation, Preciado was arrested on Jan. 4, 2024. He has been in jail ever since.
At the outset, Preciado told police he and Guerra argued during their meeting and he accused Guerra of pulling a weapon on him. Police said his claim of self-defense had some inconsistencies and the physical evidence didn’t match the story being told.
In addition to capital murder, Preciado’s other charges are tampering with a corpse and abuse of a corpse without legal authority. There have been some complicating factors, in that there are others who have been charged in connection with aftermath of the deaths.
Christopher’s father, Ramon Preciado, and his mother, Myrta Romanos, were both charged with helping Christopher dispose of the bodies. The charges against the mother were dismissed in November, pending further investigation.
The charges against Ramon will go forward at another time. He is out of jail on bond while he awaits trial. In addition to the criminal case, a $1 million civil lawsuit has also been filed against the three accused of involvement in the deaths.
The trial is unfolding in the 290th District Court, overseen by Judge Jennifer Pena.