Teen accused of murder burns evidence as cops arrive at his home, Texas officials said

Deputies investigating a murder found a teenage suspect setting evidence on fire when they arrived at his Texas home, officials said.

An investigation was launched after a caller dialed 911 on Saturday, Aug. 10, reporting someone shot to death on Brownsville’s north side, the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 12 news release. Officials have not publicly identified the victim, but said they were a male.

The man was carrying out a drug deal involving the teen suspect, 17-year-old Angel Sanchez, when Sanchez “demanded the victim to give him the money and the narcotics,” according to the sheriff’s office.

He tried to talk Sanchez down and “calm” him, but Sanchez shot him in the back of the neck, killing him, deputies said.

The next day, deputies swept the neighborhood for evidence and discovered surveillance video that showed a suspect leaving the scene around the time of the killing. Deputies said they learned the person on the video was Sanchez, who lived nearby.

As deputies arrived at Sanchez’s home, they saw him setting clothes on fire, which prompted them to take action, officials said. Deputies stopped him before the evidence was destroyed, according to deputies, then arrested him.

“Sanchez confessed to shooting the victim and burning the clothing he was wearing at the time he committed the murder to impede the investigation,” the sheriff’s office said.

Sanchez is facing charges including murder and tampering with or fabricating evidence, officials said.

This story was originally published August 13, 2024 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Teen accused of murder burns evidence as cops arrive at his home, Texas officials said."