HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Charges have been upgraded against a man and his wife who admitted to their roles in the death of a 32-year-old man after his body was found Saturday, according to court documents.
Narciso Banos, 49, of Mexico, was initially charged with murder and his wife, Francisca Carrizales, of Mexico, was charged with tampering with a human corpse in the death of Francisco Romero.
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After further investigation, charges for Banos and Carrizales were both upgraded to murder, aggravated kidnapping and tampering with a corpse.
During the suspects’ court appearance, prosecutors released gruesome details of the victim’s death.
What happened
Deputies said they were called for a welfare check on Romero, who was last seen in the 11500 block of Ezekiel Road. He had been reported missing by his wife and was last seen alive at his boss’s residence.
Romero’s wife told investigators that she had received a text that her husband would be staying the night at his boss’ house and was going to go to work in the morning from the residence, which he never did. She also stated that she was suspicious because he sounded like he was injured.
According to prosecutors, Romero’s wife called Banos on Friday because her husband was not answering his cellphone. He told her that her husband was having an affair with his wife, Carrizales. Banos reportedly told Romero’s wife that he pistol-whipped her husband and that he had left the property and did not know where he was located.
Prosecutors said Banos told Romero’s wife to come pick up his last paycheck, which she said was suspicious because they used direct deposit. He also reportedly asked her to pick up her husband’s truck from their property and that the keys will be inside the vehicle.
When Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies made it to the home where Banos and Carrizales lived, they found Romero’s vehicle and what appeared to be a human body wrapped in plastic and tape inside of a detached structure on the property. Officers said the keys were also found inside the truck.
When the suspects arrived at the home, Banos stated, “I’m the one you’re looking for,” and told officers the body on the property was Romero. Both suspects signed a voluntary consent for search and were taken to the police station for further questioning.
Gruesome details released
Investigators said Banos admitted beating Romero with the stock end of a rifle in the head, face and body multiple times, striking him with his fists all over his body and repeatedly kicked him in the head, resulting in deep bruising on Banos’ right foot.
According to prosecutors, during the beating, Banos had Carrizales go and get a pistol from the house, which she handed to him and he struck Romero with that pistol. Carrizales then allegedly handed Banos an airsoft BB gun, where he continued to beat the victim until the weapon had broken and the BB gun pellets fell out.
Banos also told investigators that he tied up Romero’s arm with a belt and the beating continued for an unknown amount of time from Thursday into Friday.
When the assaults finally stopped, Romero was told to leave the property, but he could not drive and asked if he could sleep on at the home, according to prosecutors. The suspects had the victim call his wife and send her the message.
During the interview with investigators, Carrizales also confirmed the beatings and stated that after finding Romero still on the property, they restrained him with a belt and fed him Slim Fast through a straw and then later tried to give him an energy drink but that it leaked out of his mouth and he appeared to be really stiff, prosecutors said.
Both suspects said they left the property to go run errands and when they returned, they found Romero to be unresponsive and later determined he was dead, according to prosecutors.
Neither Carrizales nor Banos called 911 or rendered aid to Romero, but instead, bounded his body in plastic and left him inside of the office on Friday night, prosecutors revealed during court. The suspects reportedly attempted to clean evidence at the scene.
Evidence reportedly showed that blunt force trauma contributed to his death from the beatings.
Bond set for suspects
Both were booked into the Harris County Jail.
During Monday’s court appearance, a judge set Carrizales’ bond at $200,000 for the murder charge, $150,000 for the aggravated kidnapping charge, and $150,000 for the tampering of a human corpse, totaling her bond amount at $500,000.
Banos’ bond amount was set at $300,00 for the murder charge, $150,000 in the aggravated kidnapping charge, and $150,000 for the tampering of a human corpse, totaling his bond amount at $600,000.