Houston police have arrested a man after he allegedly shot his ex-girlfriend to death because she broke up with him and then stuffed her body in the trunk of her car.
Ariel Cruz, 19, is charged with murder in the death of 21-year-old Idania Campos, the Houston Police Department said in a press release. Family members became concerned early Tuesday when they learned Campos had not shown up for school.
They tracked her phone to the 5400 block of Indigo Street and found her car, but they did not see her inside. She was reported missing to Houston police.
“Of course, if the family thought she was in the car, of course they would have made forced entry, but at this point, they just thought it was left there. Nobody at that point thought she was inside the trunk,” Houston police Lt. Alias Smith told local ABC affiliate KTRK.
Ariel Cruz, left, allegedly shot his ex-girlfriend Idania Campos to death because she broke up with him and then stuffed her body in her trunk, Houston police said. He’s facing a murder charge. (Mug shot: Houston police; Campos image: Facebook)
Neighbor Jenna Gonzalez told the TV station she felt like something was off so she provided a family member with a bat and towel. Around 5:40 p.m., a family member broke into the car.
“So we broke the window open, unlocked the car. I popped the trunk, and there she was, just laying there,” she said. “There was no way to save her. There was too much blood.”
Smith said police found no shell casings in the area and blood in the trunk. She believes Cruz killed Campos somewhere else and then drove to Indigo Street and dumped the car. The family lives about a half-hour from where the car was located.
Police said Cruz was on the scene most of the day and was consoling family members, the family told KTRK. He spent most of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend at their house, they said. Court documents say he killed her because she broke up with him. He allegedly confessed to the murder in an interview with detectives, cops said.
Cruz was taken into custody and is being held on $600,000 bail at the Harris County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
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