He R*ped a Pregnant Woman in Front of Her Boyfriend | True Crime Documentary

On December 23rd, 2023, the family of 18-year-old Savanna Soto gathered at Stone Oak Methodist Hospital in the northern part of San Antonio. Savanna was pregnant and her due date had already passed by nearly a full week. She was scheduled to be induced at 6:30 that morning. It was the day everyone had been waiting for.

For Savanna and her boyfriend, 22-year-old Matthew Guerra, this would be their first child and for their large family, their first grandchild. They were expecting a baby boy. They had named him Fabian. But as minutes turned into hours, the excitement gave way to confusion and growing fear. Savanna never showed up for her appointment.

 Neither she nor Matthew could be reached. Their families reported them missing and loved ones launched a social media campaign, reached out to local television stations, and handed out printed flyers throughout the city. Friends, let me interrupt for just a moment. I’m really curious where my audience is watching from, so I’d love for you to tell me what city you’re watching this video from and what time it is where you are.

 Thanks so much for watching. Let me know in the comments and I’ll continue. >> We just pray to God every day, every night, every day, every minute, every second of the day, we pray to God to bring her home. To bring her home safely because we need her home to complete my family again. She was so thrilled and excited about being a mom.

She had everything ready for her little boy. This is her picture here. She’s a beautiful girl and she’s a beautiful heart. She’ll help anybody. And I want somebody to help us to bring her back home. >> This is 18-year-old Savanna Nicole Soto. Her mom tells KENS 5 she left home for the hospital where she was supposed to be induced, but Savannah never showed up.

 Police fear that she may be in imminent danger. The teen may be traveling in a 2013 gray Kia Optima with temporary tags. If you know where Savannah may be, call the Leon Valley police at that number on the screen. >> Mommy, please come home. No one’s going to judge you. No one’s going to say nothing to you. I just want you to be home. >> Something’s not adding up here.

 I want answers and we all want answers. >> On the evening of December 23rd, police went to the apartment Savannah and Matthew rented in the 6100 block of Grissom Road in Leon Valley to conduct a welfare check. No one was home. Their personal belongings appeared untouched. Several of Savannah’s bags were hanging on the bedroom wall.

The closet was neatly organized and completely full of clothes. A scented candle was still burning on the kitchen counter as if the couple had only planned to step out for a short while. Everything looked as though they had just run out for a minute and were about to come back at any moment. Three days later, on December 26th, after both families had spent Christmas in a state of panic and fear, a resident of an apartment complex on the city’s northwest side contacted the Soto family through a family friend. He

reported seeing a vehicle that matched the description from the missing person’s alert. A silver 2013 Kia Optima was parked in a far corner of the parking lot at Colinas at Medical Apartments, about 3 miles from the couple’s home. As news of the discovery spread, family members began arriving at the scene at the same time as the police.

 Joni Wassel, who had previously dated Savannah’s brother, was among the first to arrive to look at the car. Other relatives followed soon after. The vehicle was locked. Through the passenger side window, Savannah could be seen sitting in the front passenger seat. It was immediately obvious that she was dead.

 Matthew was found in the back seat. He had also died a violent death. By all appearances, both of them had been inside the vehicle for several days. San Antonio police officers who responded to the apartment complex struggled to bring the chaotic and deeply emotional scene under control. The news spread with incredible speed. Relatives rushed to the scene, but officers kept them away from the vehicle so they wouldn’t witness the heartbreaking sight, the one they would never have been able to forget.

>> He basically said they’re adults, if they want to disappear, they can disappear. And again, I reminded him, you know, the the baby’s overdue. It’s been overdue. They missed her due date. And uh to me, that’s a life-threatening, uh you know, it’s it’s it would There should have been more urgency.

 I never knew a pain like this existed. You know, you you hear about a uh parent losing a child, and you’re like, man, I can’t imagine what they’re going through. Well, it’s it’s exactly how you can’t imagine it. You can’t imagine it. >> When paramedics arrived at the scene, they had to break a window to get inside the vehicle.

 Savannah was still sitting upright in the passenger seat. A gunshot wound was clearly visible on the back of her head near the base of her neck. A baby car seat had been placed on her lap. The seat itself showed no traces of blood, but investigators found evidence of her injuries underneath it. That indicated the car seat had been placed on her lap only after she had been shot.

Matthew was lying in the back seat. His pants had been pulled below his waist, most likely while his body was being moved. He had also suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, with the bullet entering from the left side. Investigators found the projectile lodged in the roof of the vehicle behind the driver’s side sun visor.

 Blood stains on the driver’s side door frame also indicated that Matthew had been sitting behind the wheel when he was shot. An unfired cartridge and a spent shell casing were recovered from the backseat, helping detectives determine the likely position of the shooter. No firearm was found inside the vehicle. While processing the scene, detectives also noticed blood on the inside of the rear driver side wheel.

Testing confirmed it belonged to Matthew Guerra. Investigators believe that after Matthew was fatally shot in the head, he was pulled from the driver seat, briefly propped against the wheel of the vehicle, and then lifted into the backseat where his body was ultimately found. A cell phone was lying near Savannah’s feet, but most of their valuables and personal belongings were missing. Savannah’s purse was gone.

Matthew’s wallet and keys were also missing. At the same time, a single gold chain had been left behind on the backseat. Matthew’s expensive gemstone rings were missing as well. >> What we’re looking at right now is a very, very perplexing crime scene. >> The medical examiner determined that the single shot that killed Matthew had not just been fired from close range, it had been fired at point-blank range.

 A distinctive dark ring on his skin marked the exact spot where the barrel of the gun had been pressed firmly against his head when the trigger was pulled. In Savannah’s case, investigators believe she most likely had no idea the shot was about to be fired. There were no signs of a struggle. Most heartbreaking of all, experts concluded that if emergency medical assistance had been called immediately, there was a chance that either she or her unborn son, Fabian, could have been saved. The couple had been overjoyed

when they learned about the pregnancy and had been eagerly looking forward to beginning the next chapter of their lives together. Tragically, this was not the first devastating loss the Soto family had endured. In May of 2023, less than a year before Savannah was found, her 15-year-old brother, Ethan, had also been shot and killed.

It was a revenge killing over stolen drugs. The killer, 17-year-old Victor Rivas, claimed that Ethan had stolen drugs from him the day before. Victor arranged for a young woman to meet Ethan near his home. It was a deliberate plan designed to lure him out of the house and into a place where he could be killed.

Investigators later described the scheme as a carefully planned ambush. Ethan was rushed to the hospital, but later died from his injuries. Devastated by grief, the Soto family decided to seek revenge in their own way. When Victor Rivas appeared at a preliminary hearing in Bear County Court, members of the family attacked him right inside the courtroom.

 Among those throwing punches was Matthew Guerra. It wasn’t the first time Matthew had resorted to violence. By then, he had already built a growing criminal record that included offenses ranging from reckless driving to assault. At least one of those charges involved his treatment of Savannah, and assault that had taken place the year before.

 Despite their troubled past, family members insisted that Savannah and Matthew were genuinely happy together. According to those closest to them, the upcoming birth of their child had helped them overcome their struggles and leave their previous conflicts behind. >> He definitely didn’t hang around the best crowd. >> Matthew’s father confirmed the assault charge involved Savannah and happened last Christmas.

 But since then, he says they’ve been a happy couple living together in Leon Valley. >> They were inseparable. Was it the perfect relationship? No, but but she definitely was not a prisoner there. Her and Matthew were both overjoyed and couldn’t wait for their baby’s arrival. >> After the young couple’s bodies were found, investigators returned to their apartment on Grissom Road.

 This time, they were met with a completely different scene than the one they had seen just days earlier. Right inside the entrance, the couch cushions had been flipped over and thrown around. A house plant had been knocked over in the corner of the kitchen. On the countertop, where officers had previously seen a lit scented candle during their initial welfare check, there was now an overturned container of flour.

There were no signs that anyone had tried to clean up afterward. A ceiling air vent had been removed. The bedroom raised even more concern. The dresser drawers had been pulled open. And Savannah’s collection of handbags, which had previously been neatly displayed on the wall, was gone. The closet, which had once been carefully organized and filled with most of their belongings, had been completely ransacked.

 Investigators found no signs of forced entry, and it was impossible to immediately determine whether anything had actually been taken from the apartment. But one thing was clear. Someone had entered the apartment sometime between December 23rd, the day the couple was reported missing, and police conducted the welfare check, and December 28th, two days after their bodies were found.

Whoever entered the apartment was clearly searching for something, either a specific item or anything of value. Investigators believe the person most likely had a key to the apartment, possibly the same one that had been taken from the crime scene. It was no secret that Matthew Guerra had money. He wore expensive gold jewelry covered in precious stones worth thousands of dollars.

 Matthew and Savannah frequently showed off their lifestyle on social media. While Savannah proudly displayed her growing baby bump, Matthew posed with thick stacks of cash in his hands. His Instagram and Telegram accounts were even more provocative. Matthew openly promoted his illegal drug business, posting collections of photos featuring his inventory alongside pictures of his expensive jewelry collection and firearms.

 Investigators concluded that after the murders, the couple had been robbed with their personal belongings taken directly from the car. Later, someone broke into their apartment and thoroughly searched it. Increasingly, the evidence pointed to the idea that Matthew’s habit of flaunting his lifestyle online had made him and his young family targets for robbery and murder.

 Surveillance cameras near the apartment complex on Danny Kay Drive captured Matthew’s silver Kia entering the parking lot 1 minute before midnight on the night of December 21st. About 5 minutes later, a pickup truck pulled into the lot behind the Kia. It slowed briefly as if the driver was deciding whether to turn the corner into the apartment complex.

 The footage showed that the truck’s tonneau cover was sitting unevenly. A camera on the opposite side of the building captured the pickup approaching the Kia, which had also slowed down and was waiting with its headlights already turned off. After both vehicles came to a complete stop, the driver of the pickup turned off his headlights as well.

 A stocky man wearing a white tank top stepped out of the pickup. He briefly spoke with the driver of the Kia, then retrieved a towel from inside the truck. He appeared to wipe several areas of the silver vehicle with it. After the brief meeting, the Kia slowly drove deeper into the parking lot toward the far corner, the exact spot where Matthew and Savannah’s bodies would later be found.

The pickup followed behind it. Both vehicles remained in the most isolated section of the parking lot for about 3 and 1/2 minutes. There were no cameras covering that area, so no one could see what happened during that time. When the pickup came back into view, its tonneau cover was now properly aligned and securely closed.

 The truck then left the apartment complex. Um the silver Kia, of course, never followed, but the cameras on Danny Kay Drive were not the only witnesses that night. The apartment complex where Matthew and Savannah lived was also under around-the-clock video surveillance. At 10:30 that night, the cameras recorded Matthew walking out to the parking lot.

 He met with people who first arrived in a Toyota Corolla and later in a Mercedes. Afterward, he was seen returning to his apartment. He was wearing the same tracksuit he would later be found dead in. His gold rings and chain were also clearly visible. The footage recorded over the following days proved to be just as important.

 The same pickup truck appeared once again. It drove into the apartment complex and parked too far away for the driver to be identified in the darkness, but the implication was obvious. The killer had returned to break into Matthew and Savannah’s apartment while their friends and family desperately continued searching for them.

 The motion-activated cameras did not capture the moment the driver left the truck, but they did record him returning. Investigators believed he used Matthew’s stolen key to enter the apartment. According to their findings, the suspected killer spent about 40 minutes searching through the couple’s belongings before returning to his truck and driving away.

Police released the crucial surveillance footage showing the stocky man in the white tank top wiping down the silver Kia, hoping someone would identify the owner of the pickup truck. Despite the large amount of surveillance footage, investigators were unable to make out the truck’s license plate. However, detectives described the man in the white tank top as having a very distinctive appearance, and they were convinced someone would recognize him.

They were right. The investigation led law enforcement to the home of Ramon Preciado on Charlie Chan Drive in San Antonio. 53-year-old Ramon lived there with his wife, Marta, and their 19-year-old son, Christopher. By the time investigators arrived at the house, they already understood the roles Ramon and most likely his son had played after the double murder had been committed.

But, there were still important pieces of the case that remained unknown. Both members of the Preciado family were informed of the reason for the visit and then separated so detectives could question each of them individually. >> How do you say your last name? Preciado? >> Preciado. >> Preciado. >> Preciado. >> Okay.

 Christopher? >> I’ve never been to that. Never. Uh what’s your middle name, Christopher? You go by Christopher, Christopher? >> Just >> Christopher told detectives that everything he knew about the case came from the news. He said he had seen the surveillance footage aired by local television station KSAT showing his father dressed in a white tank top captured by security cameras.

 Other than that, he claimed he knew nothing. >> Is that your dad? >> Yes. >> Okay. All right. That’s Do you know what this is all about, Christopher? Do you have any idea why we’re taking the truck? What What What video are you referring to? >> KSAT video. >> The one with the people walking in. >> Like the one with the apartment girl? That’s the same one. Okay.

>> From the front yard of the house, investigators could clearly see the home security cameras. If they were working properly, the recordings could fill in many of the missing pieces of the investigation. What Christopher had told detectives turned out to be false. The home surveillance system didn’t just provide a live video feed, it also stored recordings.

 When Christopher sat down for questioning, detectives showed him what they had already seen on the footage. The cameras captured Matthew and Savannah arriving at the house on Charlie-Chan Drive the night they were last seen alive to pick up Christopher. The footage showed Christopher already waiting outside, pacing back and forth nervously.

 The silver Kia then drove away, but returned a few minutes later. During the interview, Christopher described Matthew as extremely agitated and upset. According to him, Matthew’s behavior made him feel uncomfortable. He told detectives that he had seen Matthew’s Instagram page and knew he carried a gun. As for himself, he claimed he had only wanted to buy a small amount of marijuana.

>> No, I got in the backseat of the car. >> Okay. >> And he was really agitated. He was like, “Come on, man. Just get Just get the [ __ ] in.” Just get the [ __ ] in, bro. Come on, hurry up. Let’s do this and get the [ __ ] out of here. So, I was like, “What?” It was weird to me because that was the first time he’s ever like telling me to get in his car.

>> Okay. So, that And I was >> Yeah, it was like normal to me because he always just like this backseat smoking. >> Okay. >> Mhm. He wanted to go to the >> Okay. >> So, it was weird to me that he wanted me to get in the back or anything. So, I was like, “I don’t know I didn’t know about that. I wanted to be like, “No.

” Cuz I didn’t know what it was going >> According to Christopher, he handed Matthew $100 in exchange for $60 worth of marijuana. While the transaction was taking place, Christopher reached for his cell phone, which was in his pants pocket. He claimed that this movement immediately made Matthew suspicious. Uh Christopher said the young wealthy drug dealer appeared to be under the influence of something.

In his opinion, that explained both Matthew’s agitation and his aggressive reaction when Christopher simply reached for his phone. >> He has like something right here. Where he does his phone. >> Yeah. >> And what he did was he was like already agitated with her. And he was he was just sitting there. And then all of a sudden he’s like, “Man, bro, you know what?” He was all “No, bro, she Get out, bro.

 She Get out.” I was like, “What are you talking about?” You know, I was like confused. He’s like, “Bro, just get the [ __ ] out.” >> [music] >> And I’m like, “Why? What do you mean get out?” And then I was like, “Whatever. I’m just I’m just like I’m going to take the loss.” And I Yeah. So, you guys didn’t have the money? Yeah, we didn’t have any money.

So, I was about to get out, but I guess he did like this. Like to grab my phone cuz I wanted to flash cuz it’s dark in the middle of the night. You know? And I’ve never been in that car before, so I didn’t want to step on anything. So, I was just opening the door. And I was about to open the door. I like like this with my phone.

I tried to turn the flash on. And then as soon as she does that, he reacts and goes like this. He pulls He’s a little guy on the passenger side. I didn’t know what to do with that. >> What happened next Christopher seemed to struggle to put into words. >> So, I was just like Sorry. He was about to pull out cuz he had like that like she was already like about a foot.

 And then she was like she was like she was just constantly like continuously like, “Bro, what the [ __ ] is going on?” Like reaching for the money. She just kept asking me that. I didn’t like it. I was like I couldn’t pick my head up. Like it was like, “Bro, you know, like stop. Like stop.” I had it like this. I was like, “Bro, stop. Just stop, bro.

I see you going, bro. I don’t want to deal with this.” After he did that, I could tell he was about to pull out on me. So, he It like this pretty much like this. You know? So, I go like that. So then you push it. Was it loaded? I did. >> And then it was pretty much in the back seat. >> I’m in the back seat. >> So you’re saying that the gun goes off in the back seat.

>> Yes. Well, not in the back seat. Like I push it cuz I don’t want it in my face, you know, like this. So I just I go like that and I kind of push it away. And I kind of duck down cuz I don’t want it to hit me. And he just went like that and he started yelling, “Babe.” I didn’t know he was yelling but because I heard the My ears were all ringing.

>> Trying to push Matthew’s gun away from himself, Christopher claimed he struck the weapon with his open hand at the exact moment Matthew’s finger was on the trigger. The gun fired. The bullet struck Savannah, who was 9 months pregnant and carrying Fabian. In the chaos that followed, another struggle broke out.

 According to Christopher, during another shove, the gun changed direction once again and a second shot was fired, also fatal. This time, the bullet struck Matthew. >> And then you push it. >> I push it. >> And so you’re saying the gun goes off and he’s yelling, “Babe.” >> Here he is. Finger on the trigger, the gun was facing me.

>> And it was facing you. >> Yes. >> And so you pushed it off of the trigger. >> I pushed it and he Like I guess he thought I was going to grab something but I don’t have anything to grab. >> And then uh so you’re saying he shot her? Okay. So you see her not responding. And where is she bleeding from? >> It looked like she just started bleeding in her head.

>> On the left side of her head? Well, yeah. And obviously she’s here, right? >> She has the right on on her side. >> On her side. So it looks like she’s bleeding on the left side of her neck. >> It looks like she’s bleeding on the left side of her neck. And he’s like just like he’s just yelling, “Babe. >> Detectives believed Christopher’s story contained far too many inconsistencies.

The first thing that raised suspicion was how badly his account conflicted with the physical evidence. If the first shot had gone off because Christopher suddenly pushed the gun away, the bullet should have struck Savannah from the side, not in the back of the head. In addition, Christopher’s description of her wound did not match the blood evidence later found on her body and throughout the vehicle.

 The most difficult part of his story to believe was his explanation of how Matthew suffered the fatal gunshot. Based on Christopher’s account, the position Matthew would have had to be holding the gun in at the moment it fired would have been extremely difficult, if not physically impossible, to recreate. >> If he knows about the issue of the gun, he like faces towards you again slightly like that.

>> Okay. >> Like he pushed it with his side like that way like I did the first time with that. >> Mhm. >> It went like that. >> Okay, so he turns his hand. All right, so he if his point if he’s pointing his left hand at you >> All right, so I’m going to show you the privacy >> All right, so this is the seat of the privacy. I’m turning this way.

Right? I’m looking at I’m looking at the girl, right? You’re in the backseat behind me. >> All right, so I’m in the backseat. >> No, there’s a female here, right in your back behind you. So he’s holding the weapon at you at you like this. Right? So his hand it’s impossible to get that in. Straight in that way you do it my point of view you’re probably going to hit over you sure as hell you hit there and the gun is not coming all the way this way unless like I said unless you grab it and you put it to his head.

>> I didn’t I didn’t even touch his gun. I just kept pushing his hand and pushing it away. >> The gun was out. >> I didn’t touch it I guess it was my arm like that. >> Okay, where did his gun go? >> I couldn’t touch it. Thank you. I think whatever like that it kind of went like that and fell on your lap though.

>> Fell on your lap so you got fell on your >> like the bottom >> the bottom of the bottom seat. >> Yeah, I never touched it because I didn’t take it cuz I never touched it. >> Okay. So you never touched the gun. And was the car locked? >> What do you mean? >> When you left did you think the father? >> Uh no, I was still up but I didn’t know what else to do but I just he got in after I told my dad to meet me on this side.

He picked me up there. So you and your dad leave first and then your dad comes up to the car and talks to He goes to the car and tries to talk to me and I’m like just go over there real quick. He’s like, “Did you steal this? Did you steal this?” And I’m like, “No, no, no. Just tell him to go over there.

” He goes, “Go over there.” And then that’s when I go into the space and then >> Christopher tried to downplay his father Ramon’s role insisting that when Ramon arrived to pick him up after the murders he never even looked inside the vehicle. According to Christopher Ramon had no idea what had happened when he drove to the apartment complex near Medical Apartments to pick up his son.

 But the surveillance footage told a very different story. The video clearly showed the older man leaning into the vehicle during the conversation in the parking lot. Inside Savannah Soto was still sitting in the front passenger seat. The father of her unborn child Matthew was lying in the back seat. On January 3rd, 2024 Christopher Preciado and his father Ramon were arrested and charged.

>> Why did you do it? Are you sorry for what happened? Did you know that Savannah was 9 months pregnant? Did you know she was pregnant? >> [clears throat] >> Did you do it? Were you involved? >> The two individuals who we uh we just walked out today again is a father and son.

 The first individual is the father and the second individual is the son. Uh they’re going to be charged the the father’s uh I’m sorry, the son’s going to be charged this this afternoon this evening with capital murder and the father’s going to be charged with abuse of a corpse. We do expect uh more charges to be to be pending. >> Speculation about the murders spread rapidly across the internet.

 After the parking lot surveillance footage was released, the case drew intense attention from online sleuths who spent countless hours reviewing the videos, analyzing every detail, and developing their own theories about what had happened. >> There was a lot of misinformation out there. These two individuals are are the only suspects that we were looking for. They they were arrested.

There were many names being thrown around on the internet. Those people had nothing to do with this. We we vetted them and and everything. They They didn’t have anything to do with these murders. >> One of the biggest topics of discussion centered on a moment in the parking lot footage when the towel Ramon used to wipe down the vehicle appeared to suddenly show up on the seat inside the pickup’s cab, almost as if someone in the passenger seat had tossed it to the driver.

 That led many people to speculate that a third person had been inside the truck. And in fact, 7 days after the initial arrest, investigators took another person into custody. Surveillance cameras outside the Preciado family’s home showed that shortly after Christopher left in the Kia with Matthew and Savannah, Ramon Preciado walked toward his pickup truck.

Right behind him was his wife, Martha. >> Do you think that as a mother, how could you be involved in this? Do you think that you gave anything to your daughter in the family? Do you have anything to say to this family? Did you give Christopher your guidance in using this murder? >> Why did you do it? >> There was a lot of information on social media that there was a third individual involved.

 Our homicide detectives were aware of that. However, we were looking for enough probable cause to make that arrest and to present the best case forward to the DA’s office. Today, that happened. They were able to develop enough evidence to charge 47-year-old Martha Romanos. She is believed to be I’m not sure exactly what the relationship is, but maybe a stepmother, uh to Christopher, 19-year-old Christopher.

 Uh she is being charged with three felonies. At this time, we’re confident that there’s no more suspects. At this time, we’re we’re confident that these were the three individuals that were involved in this case. >> Although Christopher continued to insist that he had acted in self-defense, his version of events became less and less believable as more evidence came to light.

 The murder weapon, a .380 caliber pistol that Christopher claimed belonged to Matthew, was found inside his home locked in a cabinet in his parents’ bedroom. Officers were only able to access it after threatening to pry the cabinet door off its hinges. At that point, Merda suddenly found the key, which had supposedly been missing.

>> How cooperative was she? You know, I know there was a search warrant that was issued a few days ago. Um There was a search warrant, so they they had the authority to go into that home. Uh today, I don’t believe she said much. >> [music] >> They matched her weapon to the ballistics. >> Right.

 That tampering uh with evidence, uh from what we understand, she stated that was her gun. Um so, we do know that that was her weapon. >> The pistol was recovered loaded with two rounds still inside, and next to it was a full magazine containing five additional rounds. In total, exactly three bullets were unaccounted for, the precise number that matched the two fatal shots and the additional bullet found near the spent shell casing inside the silver Kia.

 The gun was registered to Ramon Preciado’s former girlfriend. She told investigators that after their relationship ended, the pistol had disappeared without a trace. Christopher was held in the Bear County Jail. His bond was set at $1 million. His attorneys repeatedly asked the court to significantly reduce his bond, but each request was denied.

 As prosecutors prepared for trial, they continued strengthening the case against Christopher. According to the prosecution, his motive was clear. Investigators believed he intended to steal Matthew’s money and was willing to kill Matthew, Savannah, and Fabian to get it. The day after the murders, one of the neighbors on Charlie Chan Drive was walking a dog when the neighbor found $160 in cash lying in the driveway outside the Preciado family’s home.

The crumpled bills were stained with blood. Christopher’s text messages and social media activity became equally important pieces of evidence. Just days before the murders, messages he exchanged with an acquaintance named Anthony showed that he was desperately trying to come up with money to buy car parts he clearly couldn’t afford.

 At one point, he even offered two rings as collateral. He described one as a ring engraved with 10K and the other as a ring with a large ruby. A few days after the murders, Christopher’s acquaintance sold two rings matching that exact description to a local pawn shop for $300. After the jewelry was recovered, investigators confirmed that the rings belonged to Matthew Guerra.

 As Christopher’s trial date drew closer, both of his parents were released from custody. Ramon was released first. After spending 13 and a half months behind bars, his bond was reduced to $450,000, allowing him to secure his release. To the shock and outrage of the Guerra and Soto families, Marta Preciado was later released as well after all charges against her were dismissed.

 For nearly 2 years, prosecutors repeatedly asked the court to delay the case, arguing that they needed additional time to continue the investigation. Ultimately, there was not enough evidence to prove Marta’s involvement. In November 2025, after spending 22 months in custody, Marta was released. >> How have the last 2 years been? How does it feel to be released from jail? How does it feel the last 2 years? Do you believe Christopher and Ramon are innocent? Do you have anything to say to the victims? >> In March 2026, Christopher Preciado went on trial on

three counts of capital murder. Prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty, even if he were found guilty. >> There are no eyewitnesses for this offense. Nobody’s going to testify that said they saw Christopher Preciado pull a trigger with any sort of intent or deliberation. There’s no video evidence of this crime that took place.

You’re not going to receive any blood spatter evidence that implicates him in this capital murder. There’s no DNA evidence that’s going to implicate him of capital murder. The evidence will show you’re not going to find any evidence of fingerprints of any kind that would implicate him in this capital murder. A drug transaction gone wrong where a gun is pulled on him by the drug dealer, a struggle, and then chaos when shots are fired after that.

>> During the trial, the defense stood by the same version of events that Christopher had given detectives immediately after his arrest. According to the defense, Christopher did not bring a weapon to the drug deal. The gunshots were fired during a struggle. Matthew and Savannah’s deaths were a tragic outcome, but the defense argued that everything happened in self-defense.

 Prosecutors, however, maintained that the killings were executions, pointing to the nature of the gunshot wounds. At the same time, the medical examiner was unable to say with absolute certainty in what order the shots had been fired or whether they had been intentional or accidental. In addition, gunshot residue was found on the hands of both Matthew and Savannah.

 However, forensic testing could not conclusively determine whether either of them had handled or fired the weapon. The defense argued that much of the evidence related to covering up the crime was the result of panic and fear. According to Christopher’s attorneys, everything he did after the killings was done at the direction of his father Ramon rather than on his own initiative.

Finally, the defense argued that Matthew Guerra’s illegal activities, criminal history, and high-risk lifestyle should lead the jury to consider whether his own actions inside the vehicle that night ultimately caused not only his own death, but also the deaths of his young family. The attorneys attempted to portray Matthew as the aggressor and their client as a quiet passive young man.

>> Christopher is this 19-year-old stoner gamer sitting there when they picked up his possessions from his room. He had a sweatshirt that says “virginity rocks”. It’s in the pictures. Can’t find it right now, but they showed it to y’all. This is the kind of guy that they’re saying is this stone-cold executioner, to use Ms.

 Albin’s word when she started this case, that these people were executed. They’re saying that guy is an executioner. She showed you pictures at the very beginning of Matthew holding a gun. When you look through those Instagrams, which there’s a lot of stuff to look through. There’s picture of Matthew holding a Matthew holding a long arm, Matthew holding an extending clip.

When I was a young prosecutor, I put that kind of guy in jail. And now here, we’re calling him a great guy, a family man. He was going to have have baby the next day. They showed you video of Matthew walking in his apartment complex, looking all cool with his track little uniform on or whatever he was wearing, and he’s happy as a clam cuz he just made two drug deals on video right in front of God and everyone.

 He’s just walking around like, “Hey, more money. I don’t have to pay taxes on this money. IRS don’t even know that I’m making cash.” >> It’s objective facts on evidence, ma’am. >> You can infer from looking at that video what he’s doing. The Mercedes-Benz that I’m sure did not live at that apartment complex and the Toyota, and he’s walking out there, and then he’s walking back in to go pick up his pregnant girlfriend and take her to another drug deal.

That’s what he’s doing. But they want to portray him as this really great family man, this guy who was going to have a baby the next day. Parenting gone wrong? She’s a mom. Savannah’s a mom. But she’s going to have a baby the next day? They’re supposed to be going in a matter of hours, and she makes a decision to go to a drug deal? Does she not watch TV? >> The jury deliberated for just under 2 hours before returning to the courtroom with a unanimous verdict.

 Christopher Preciado was found guilty on all three counts of capital murder for the deaths of Savannah Soto, Matthew Guerra, and their unborn son Fabian. Those convictions automatically carried a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. >> You took my granddaughter, my great-grandson. You will will never see them again.

>> [snorts] >> But I’m glad that they found you guilty. >> And her mother right here and her father, they cannot talk, but I will. I will talk for my cousin and her boyfriend. You took their unborn son. He didn’t even have a chance to live. >> Ramon Preciado’s trial is scheduled to begin on May 11th, 2026. He has been charged with tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

 The Soto family also ultimately received justice in the murder of Savannah’s younger brother Ethan. His killer, Victor Rivas, eventually pleaded guilty and reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison. >> What’s your message to the Bear County District Attorney’s office about keeping momentum on this case? >> Um I think that they know uh what’s best to do.

 Um you know, I mean, I think they were just as involved as uh Christopher was and I I’m you know I think justice should be served when it comes to them too as well, the mom and the dad.