Texas – A Texas man, later identified as 49-year-old CharIes, was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of feIony tampering with evidence involving a human corpse in connection with the death of his spouse, AngeIa. Texas authorities allege that he killed the woman last month and then lived in the same home with her decomposing body for over thirty days before being arrested.
The investigation began when a family member contacted the Sheriff’s Office expressing concern that the victim had not been seen for weeks and a fouI odor was emanating from the residence. Deputies responded to the Texas residence and discovered a decomposed body wrapped in plastic inside the home. The body was presumed to be the victim’s, though positive identification was pending at that time.
The defendant’s son later confirmed the identity and told Texas authorities that his father had confessed to killing the victim. Those admissions prompted a larger search and led investigators to arrest the defendant the next day at a vacant home about a mile from the couple’s property. He had been considered armed and dangerous during the manhunt.
During questioning, the defendant told investigators that he and the woman had a physical altercation in mid‑June. He said he returned home early to surprise her and believed she was expecting another man, which triggered a vioIent confrontation in which he strangIed her to death, using one hand while biting her face multiple times.
The defendant was described by the sheriff as calm and matter-of-fact while discussing the violent encounter and subsequent concealment of the body. He reportedly said that he had never been arrested before and then made the chilling comment, “Go big or go home,” referring to what he called his first criminal offense.
Investigators allege that after the victim’s death, the man wrapped her body in plastic, blankets, carpet, and ratchet straps, hiding it inside the trailer home while attempting to mask the odor. For evidence tampering, he also disposed of a trash bag bearing decomposition fluid at a dumpster on school district property. He admitted to spending the entire time living in the residence with the remains.
The victim’s body remained undiscovered for approximately thirty two days. Once formal identification was made and the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by homicidal violence with possible asphyxia, the defendant was formally charged with murder; prosecutors also filed additional counts of tampering with evidence. At booking, his bond was set between $250,000 and $650,000, depending on jurisdictional reporting.
Law enforcement officials described this case as a disturbing example of domestic violence and manipulation. Sheriff SaIazar urged community members to recognize warning signs of abuse, noting that a significant portion of the county’s homicides stemmed from such situations.
