San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Judge lowers bail for mom accused of helping son cover up couple’s slayings
A judge agreed to reduce bail Friday for the mom accused of helping her son hide the bodies of pregnant teen Savanah Soto and Matthew Guerra.
The total bail for Myrta Romanos, 47, was cut almost in half to $600,000.
Romanos’ son, Christopher Preciado, is accused of shooting Soto and Guerra in a drug deal days before Christmas. He has been charged with capital murder of multiple people and is being held without bond.
Preciado’s father, Ramon, 53, also is accused of helping hide the bodies and has a hearing on his bail scheduled for Monday.
The bail for Romanos and Ramon Preciado was “oppressive,” according to their attorneys. Ramon Preciado’s bail totals $600,000, and Romanos’ was $1.1 million. Both have been held in the Bexar County Jail since they were arrested in early January.
Court records state the defendants’ family and friends have been unable to raise the money needed to post bond.
Romanos is charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence with intent to impair an investigation and altering, destroying or concealing a corpse.
Her attorney, J. Charles Bunk, asked a judge to lower her bail to $250,000.
“Nothing can be more oppressive than a third-degree felony bond being set at $500,000 and a seconddegree bond being set at $500,000,” Bunk said during a Friday hearing.
Bunk emphasized that the bail in this case is higher than similar cases that the district attorney’s office has filed.
“I am not asking this court to do anything extraordinary. The amounts we’re asking for are consistent with bonds this DA’s office has solved before,” Bunk said.
When she was first arrested, police said Romanos “may be a stepmother” to Christopher Preciado, but they were unsure of the exact relationship. At the Friday hearing, Romanos confirmed she is his biological mother.
As Romanos sat on the witness stand, prosecutors noted the lack of family help in raising money for her bond and her not having a job for more than 10 years as factors in why a bail reduction should be denied.
Romanos told prosecutors that her family has not tried to raise the money.
“They don’t have the funds for that — or means for that,” Romanos said.
She added that it’s not her family’s responsibility to come up with the money for her bail.
Prosecutors emphasized Romanos’ alleged involvement in helping her son hide and dump the bodies of Soto and Guerra.
“Did she call for help? Did she ask anyone to help this person? Did she call 911? Did she render aid? Did she do anything to try and preserve human life? No, she did not do that. She handed her husband a towel to wipe his (finger) prints off the car,” a prosecutor said in final statements.
Judge Miguel Najera reduced Romanos’ bail for two of her three charges from $500,000 to $300,000 and $500,000 to $200,000. Her third charge was denied a reduction.
Ramon Preciado is charged with abuse of a corpse and with altering, destroying or concealing a corpse. His court-appointed attorney, John Kuntz, said the elder Preciado can’t afford his own lawyer, that his family ties are in San Antonio and he would not pose a flight risk if freed
on bail.
The two are accused of helping Christopher Preciado, 19, hide the bodies of Soto, 18, and Guerra, 22. Police said Christopher Preciado killed the couple after
they met with him to sell him marijuana.
Soto and Guerra disappeared shortly before Christmas. She was due to give birth to a boy, Fabian. Her family grew frantic after she failed to show up for an appointment at a hospital where doctors planned to induce labor.
On Dec. 26, the couple’s bodies were discovered in Guerra’s car, a 2013 Kia Optima, which had been abandoned outside the Colinas at Medical Apartments on the Northwest Side.
Both had been shot in the head. Guerra’s death was listed as a “contact gunshot wound,” meaning the barrel of the gun was pressed directly against his head, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The father and son were arrested on Jan. 3. Romanos was arrested a week later. Romanos has a prehearing set for April 16.