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17-year-old charged in Houston motel bathtub death

The Associated Press
Houston police investigate a scene after a man was found in a bath tub at the Tropical Motel, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014, in Houston.
Houston police investigate a scene after a man was found in a bath tub at the Tropical Motel, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014, in Houston. Cody Duty AP

HOUSTON – A teenager has been charged with murder in the slaying of a 35-year-old man whose beaten and stabbed body was found in a Houston motel bathtub.

Harris County jail records show 17-year-old Carlos F. Mercado was charged Wednesday in the death of Carlos Villatoro, and is being held without bond.

Jail records don’t list an attorney for Mercado.

He was arrested before dawn Tuesday for a traffic violation as he drove the victim’s car. Investigators say Mercado’s clothes were bloody and that he admitted to the killing.

A cleaner discovered Villatoro’s body in the Tropical Motel.

This story was originally published August 7, 2014 at 10:22 AM with the headline "17-year-old charged in Houston motel bathtub death."

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