A 19-year-old has been arrested in connection with the death of a 17-year-old who was the subject of an Amber Alert last month, according to jail records.
Angel Leonel Estrada Ramirez is charged with capital murder, according to Bexar County jail records. He’s accused in the death of Darian Alexandre Rangel, who was reported missing by his mother on Sept. 8 after he did not return from allegedly visiting a friend the day before.
Two people found Rangel’s decomposing body on Sept. 11 in a grassy field near Wurzbach Parkway and Vista Del Norte, not far from a reservoir.
Shell casings were found about 3 to 5 feet from his body, along with his Cash App card. More shell casings were recovered near the water’s edge, along with a cap Rangel was reportedly wearing when he disappeared.
Police said ballistics evidence linked shell casings found near Rangel’s body to a separate aggravated assault in Austin on Sept. 6. In that case, shooters in two vehicles opened fire on people attending a party at an apartment, leaving two injured. Investigators identified the vehicles as a gray Cadillac and a red Toyota Corolla. The Corolla was linked to Ramirez, according to the affidavit.
According to investigators, Ramirez and Rangel lived in the same apartment complex and communicated before Rangel’s disappearance. The two made plans to meet on Sept. 7 and exchanged videos of themselves holding guns and using e-cigarettes, police said. The last message Ramirez sent to Rangel was just before 10 p.m. that day, police said.
The affidavit states Ramirez was pulled over on Sept. 18. Investigators said shell casings found in his vehicle matched evidence from both the Austin shooting and the area where Rangel was found dead.
Ramirez admitted he had been at the party in Austin but denied involvement in the shooting, according to investigators.
A search warrant for Ramirez’s phone revealed WhatsApp messages from Sept. 7 discussing plans to rob someone of money, a gun and THC e-cigarettes, according to police. In another message, Ramirez allegedly told someone that two people in his group wanted to “kill someone” and the situation did not lend itself “to only robbing the person.”
Investigators said the messages also included a discussion about robbing someone after taking him “below” to shoot. During the conversation, one person discussed possibly shooting the individual himself.
Police also found a screenshot on Ramirez’s phone of a TikTok post detailing the investigation into Rangel’s disappearance and death, according to the affidavit.
Detectives said they found a video showing three males firing a handgun at night while standing near rocks along the water’s edge. Police said the area appeared similar to the location where shell casings and Rangel’s cap were recovered.
Based on the evidence, police said they believe Ramirez “committed the murder of” Rangel while committing another felony, including robbery.
The Austin Police Department told KSAT that San Antonio police arrested Ramirez on four outstanding warrants related to the Austin shooting. Austin police said he faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon involving the discharge of a firearm at or into a habitation, building or vehicle, causing serious bodily injury.
The warrant for Ramirez’s arrest was signed Wednesday, according to court records.
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