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Inset: Aquiminee La Roy Crawford (Bexar County Jail). Background: The house where Crawford allegedly killed his uncle and hid his body in San Antonio, Texas (Google Maps).
A Texas man has been arrested following the fatal shooting of his uncle, whose body was subsequently concealed in a backyard recycling bin for several days, according to Texas law enforcement.
Authorities have charged Aquiminee La Roy Crawford, 26, with two counts of murder related to the death of Derrick Crawford, as reported by the San Antonio Police Department.
The tragic events unfolded at a home on Sterling Street in the Colosseum Willow Park area of east San Antonio. Investigators believe the suspect shot and killed the 52-year-old victim on or around May 9.
During the weekend, a 911 call led police to the scene. The call was made by the suspect himself, local news stations KSAT and KABB reported.
Upon arrival, officers were informed by Crawford that his uncle had been “shot up in the back,” according to the arrest report. Officers also detected a “foul odor” emanating from a recycling bin situated in the backyard.
One of the officers tipped the bin over, law enforcement said. As the lid opened, a human hand became visible. Inside the bin, officers found a dead man with multiple gunshot wounds; the man”s corpse was wrapped in multiple black garbage bags, police said.
During an interview with police on Sunday night, the defendant admitted to getting a handgun from his bedroom two Saturdays earlier and then shooting his uncle inside the house, authorities said.
Crawford said he killed his uncle because he was upset about a comment the victim made to him, according to the police department.
While in custody, the defendant told a detective that his uncle called him a “b– a– nephew,” which caused him to “black out” and open fire — ultimately shooting the man five times in the living room, police said.
At least two of those shots struck Derrick Crawford in the chest and head, authorities wrote in the arrest report.
The defendant also said he was angry with his uncle for regularly borrowing most of his money, according to law enforcement.
Based on the defendant’s account, authorities recovered the gun said to have been used in the murder, a plastic bag of spent shell casings and the uncle’s cellphone from Crawford’s bedroom, police said.
Investigators corroborated the location of the shooting by taking note of blood spatter on the living room walls and ceiling as well as a couch cushion drenched in blood, according to law enforcement.
The victim’s mother — who also lives in the home — was questioned and said she was unaware of the murder. Rather, the woman said, she and her family had been looking for the victim for roughly a week.
Crawford was initially booked in the Bexar County Adult Detention Center for abuse of a corpse before the upgraded charges were later filed. He remains detained on $250,000 bond.