Jury finds Christopher Preciado guilty in 2023 killings of Savanah Soto, Matthew Guerra and unborn child

Verdict follows more than two years of delays and a death-penalty decision by prosecutors

A Bexar County jury has found Christopher Preciado guilty of capital murder in the deaths of Savanah Soto, Matthew Guerra and their unborn child, concluding a high-profile case that began with the disappearance of the young couple days before Christmas 2023.

Soto, 18, and Guerra, 22, were reported missing after Soto did not arrive for a scheduled hospital induction appointment on Dec. 23, 2023. A statewide CLEAR Alert was issued as concern grew for the couple and Soto’s full-term pregnancy. On Dec. 26, 2023, their bodies were found inside Guerra’s silver Kia Optima at an apartment complex in the 5900 block of Danny Kaye Drive on San Antonio’s Northwest Side. Both victims had gunshot wounds to the head, and the unborn baby did not survive.

Investigators said the killings occurred several days earlier, on Dec. 21, 2023, and that the vehicle was later moved to the location where it was discovered. San Antonio police characterized the case early as a capital murder investigation and later described it as stemming from a narcotics transaction that went wrong.

Charges, co-defendants, and the role of forensic testing

Preciado was arrested in early January 2024 and indicted on capital murder counts that, under Texas law, can be supported by allegations including multiple victims, the killing of a child under 10 (as applied to an unborn child in specific charging theories), and a murder committed during another felony such as robbery.

Two relatives of Preciado were also charged in connection with allegations that the bodies were moved and evidence was concealed. Court proceedings in those related cases repeatedly highlighted pending DNA and fingerprint testing on the firearm investigators said was connected to the killings. In late 2025, prosecutors dismissed charges against one co-defendant, citing the need for further investigation and incomplete forensic testing. Separate reporting and court filings indicated that the capital murder prosecution against Preciado was expected to be tried first among the defendants.

• Victims were found Dec. 26, 2023, inside a vehicle at a Northwest Side apartment complex.
• Investigators tied the case to a drug-related transaction and alleged the car and bodies were moved.
• Pretrial litigation centered in part on delayed lab testing of key physical evidence.

Death penalty not pursued; life without parole remained maximum punishment

In April 2025, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office publicly announced it would not seek the death penalty against Preciado. With capital punishment off the table, the maximum sentence upon a capital murder conviction was life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The guilty verdict resolves the trial phase of a case that drew sustained attention from families and the broader community since late 2023.

Sentencing procedures and any post-verdict motions were not immediately detailed in publicly available court updates at the time of the verdict announcement.