Inset from left to right: Alyssa Canul and Joseph Anthony Aguilar (City of Universal City). Background: The Bexar County Adult Detention Center in San Antonio, Texas (Google Maps).
A woman in Texas met boys on online dating sites and lured them into traps for her boyfriend to attack and rob them, authorities in The Lone Star State say.
Alyssa Canul, 17, faces two counts of aggravated robbery “and could face an additional charge of tampering with physical evidence,” according to the government of Universal City, Texas.
Authorities say “Canul is suspected to have partnered with her boyfriend, 17-year-old Joseph Anthony Aguilar, who was arrested earlier this week.”
According to the city, “[t]he pair recently moved to Universal City and are accused of luring young men on online dating sites then, robbing and assaulting them.” In one case, “the victim was pistol whipped” and in another, a 15-year-old boy was shot four times; he survived.
Canul”s job was to “lure young men on online dating sites” before they were robbed and assaulted, authorities said, according to San Antonio-based ABC affiliate KSAT.
Canul allegedly invited the first victim — a teenage boy — to a park bench before Aguilar attacked him and took his money.
In the second case, a 15-year-old boy reportedly traveled to a park in the city to meet Canul on the same bench used in the first alleged robbery. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by the outlet, the girl then lured the boy to Aguilar’s apartment about a half mile away.
As they approached, Aguilar is said to have made a “loud noise” and showed himself to the teen as he loaded a gun. When the victim tried to run, Aguilar reportedly shot him four times and robbed him.
The boy managed to get to a nearby coffee shop where individuals there called 911. He was brought to a nearby hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators say they caught Canul speaking on the phone with Aguilar and telling him that she got rid of the gun used in the robberies.
Aguilar faces two aggravated robbery charges.
On Friday, Canul was arrested and detained in the Bexar County Adult Detention Center.
