Left: Ty Vaughn (Harris County Jail). Right: Luis Banos Norberto (Guillen-Baytown Funeral Home).
A man in Texas was arrested by authorities for allegedly killing his fiancée. The man reportedly searched on Google, “Can I kill an illegal human,” as his fiancée was reported to be an undocumented immigrant.
The suspect, Ty Vaughn, aged 31, has been charged with murder in connection to the death of Luis Banos Norberto, 27, who was fatally shot in the face. The incident occurred on January 14 at an apartment complex in Baytown, near Houston. Vaughn is accused of staging the crime scene to make it appear as though Norberto had committed suicide, as stated in a criminal complaint.
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Local ABC affiliate KTRK obtained an arrest affidavit that further details the allegations against Vaughn. He claimed he came home shortly after 5:30 a.m. to find Norberto dead, but surveillance video and interviews with neighbors told a different story. Video showed that Vaughn actually returned home shortly after 4 a.m., the affidavit reportedly said. Neighbors reported hearing a gunshot a few minutes later.
Around 4:30 a.m. as Norberto lay dead in the apartment, Vaughn allegedly texted the victim, “Babe? Babe why are you not texting back?!?!” Cops reportedly said Vaughn waited until after 5:30 a.m. — some 90 minutes after the murder — to call 911.
“My spouse is dead,” he allegedly told dispatchers. “Help. My life is over.”
Officers found Norberto’s body lying on a bed with a lever-action rifle up against his arm and a ripped up picture of him and Vaughn nearby, the affidavit reportedly said.
Detectives noted Vaughn kept saying that Norberto was an undocumented immigrant. When they searched his phone, they allegedly uncovered that he searched, “Can I kill an illegal human,” on Google.
KTRK spoke with Vaughn before his arrest. He told the TV station that the “police know all the details.” When offered condolences he allegedly replied “I mean, it is what it is.”
Police arrested Vaughn on Saturday. He’s at the Harris County Jail on a $500,000 bond. He has a court date scheduled for Monday.
Norberto’s obituary said he was born in Guerrero, Mexico, and much of his family now lives in Baytown.
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