Police in Baytown now consider Ty Vaughn, 31, shot Luis Banos Norberto, 27, on January 14 and tried to stage the aftermath to match a false suicide narrative.

Police reported discovering Norberto’s physique mendacity on the mattress with a rifle propped up in opposition to one in every of his arms and a torn image of him and Vaughn mendacity close by. He had died from a rifle shot to one in every of his eyes, in response to court docket paperwork reviewed by ABC affiliate KTRK.

Vaughn initially advised police he and Norberto had been arguing earlier than he returned to their second-floor condominium to search out him lifeless at round 5:30 within the morning, per the filings, however subsequent investigations revealed a distinct story.

By way of interviews with neighbors and surveillance footage, detectives put collectively a timeline of recognized occasions that contradicted with Vaughn’s story.

He claimed he wasn’t dwelling at 4:05 a.m. on that day, however he was seen on footage strolling up the steps to his condominium. Two completely different neighbors advised police they heard a gunshot shortly after this.

At 4:27 a.m., after his fiancé was already lifeless, in response to police, Vaughn texted Norberto’s telephone, “Babe? Babe why are you not texting again?!?!”

Greater than an hour later, at 5:38 a.m., Vaughn referred to as 911 and advised dispatchers, “My partner is lifeless. Assist. My life is over.”

Throughout their interviews with Vaughn, police reported that he repeatedly introduced up Norberto’s immigration standing with out being prompted or requested. A search of his telephone information revealed that he had Googled, “Can I kill an unlawful human?”

In keeping with an on-line obituary for Norberto, he was born in Guerrero, Mexico, with a lot of his household now residing in Baytown, together with his brothers, mother and father, grandparents, nephews and nieces.

KTRK additionally spoke with Vaughn earlier than he’d been formally charged with Norberto’s homicide. When requested if he and Norberto had spoken the day of the homicide, Vaughn purportedly advised the outlet, “I do not know. The police know all the small print.”

When requested what police advised him, the outlet stated he replied, “I do not know. I have been form of not nice. I have never actually been going to police searching for solutions.”

When provided his condolences by the information station, Vaughn reportedly stated, “I imply, it’s what it’s.”

Vaughn is being held on the Harris County Jail on a $500,000 bond forward of his first court docket look at this time, the place he’s anticipated to be charged in relation to Norberto’s demise.