SAN ANTONIO – A man arrested in connection with a South Side murder told witnesses that he admitted to hitting and killing the victim with a bat, according to his arrest affidavit.
Victor Sigala, 51, was taken into custody on Monday and charged with first-degree murder, as indicated by Bexar County court records.
The victim, identified as Eric Tellez Perez, 39, was found unresponsive at an abandoned home around 1:30 p.m. on May 8 in the 8900 block of Prairie Hill. The affidavit states that Perez was pronounced dead at the scene with severe trauma to the back of his head.
During the investigation, officers were contacted by a male neighbor who lives across the street from the crime scene. The neighbor, who had visible facial injuries, informed the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) that he and Perez were involved in an “altercation” earlier that morning. Following this, officers obtained a warrant for the neighbor’s home and seized a DVR recorder connected to cameras facing toward the crime scene.
While searching the neighbor’s home, the warrant states that Sigala was found sleeping inside. At this time, it remains unclear if the male neighbor and Sigala are the same person.
Found in the Footage
According to the affidavit, SAPD’s Digital Forensics Unit provided a detective with footage from the DVR five days after Perez’s death. On the day of the murder, the DVR footage shows three masked men entering the home where Perez was later discovered dead.
One suspect carried an aluminum bat, and a second suspect wielded a metal rod, while the third suspect did not appear to be armed. Notably, Sigala was the only suspect to remove his mask in the camera footage, allowing SAPD to identify him as the individual captured entering and exiting the crime scene with a bat.
‘I Hit Him with a Bat’
On May 21, a witness, who identified themselves to police as a “close friend” of Sigala, reported that Sigala spoke with him after returning from the home where Perez was found dead. “I hit him with a bat,” Sigala allegedly told the witness, who also stated that Sigala was aware “He (Perez) wasn’t moving” after the alleged attack, according to investigators.
Surveillance footage of Sigala returning to the neighbor’s home corroborated the witness’s account. However, police indicated that the witness was unable to identify the other two suspects seen on video.
Second Witness Comes Forward
Another witness recounted speaking with Sigala a few days after the murder at Palo Alto Park. According to this witness, Sigala allegedly admitted to killing Perez, stating, “I hit him first. I knew I killed him.” The witness further reported that Sigala claimed the other two suspects also assaulted Perez.
Sigala has been booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on a $250,000 bond, as reflected in court records.
