A fatal beating inside an abandoned South Side house has led to a murder charge for a 51-year-old man after police say he used a baseball bat to kill another man, then later admitted, "I knew I killed him." The victim was identified as 39-year-old Eric Perez.
San Antonio police arrested Victor Sigala on Monday and charged him with murder in the May 8 slaying. Officers responded around 1:30 p.m. that day to an abandoned home in the 8900 block of Prairie Hill Street near Palo Alto Park, where they found a pool of blood and Perez suffering a head injury. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene, and the Bexar County Medical Examiner later ruled the death a homicide caused by blunt-force trauma to the head, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Per the Bexar County Central Magistrate Search, Sigala was taken into custody and appears on the county booking list.
Video, Confession and Arrest
Investigators say the violence was caught on camera. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Sigala and two masked men walking into the abandoned house, with Sigala carrying a baseball bat and another man holding a metal rod.
According to the arrest affidavit, two acquaintances later told investigators that Sigala admitted to the attack, allegedly saying, "I hit him with a bat," and, "I knew I killed him," as reported by the San Antonio Express-News.
Booking, Bail and Past Record
Per the Bexar County Central Magistrate Search, Sigala remained in custody at the county jail, and booking records show his bail was set at $250,000.
Bexar County online dockets indicate Sigala has prior convictions dating back to 1994 for theft, burglary and drug offenses. Those records are public on the county's Bexar County online court docket.
Legal Implications
Sigala is charged with murder, a first-degree felony under Texas law that can carry a sentence of up to life in prison. The exact punishment range that might apply in this case, and any decision about enhanced or capital charges, will be determined by prosecutors and the courts. The statute is outlined in Texas Penal Code § 19.02.
