New details have emerged in the case of a 49-year-old Texas man who allegedly confessed to killing his wife and concealing her body in their home for more than a month before being arrested.
Charles V. Byrd was arrested last week and charged with one count of felony tampering with evidence with the intent to impair a human body in the death of Angela Byrd, according to records reviewed by Law&Crime.
According to court documents obtained by San Antonio ABC affiliate KSAT, Byrd told investigators from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office that he returned home early on June 16 to surprise his wife.
However, he claimed that when he arrived at the house, he “perceived cues that Angela [Byrd] was expecting another man to come over.”
The alleged discovery of Angela Byrd “cheating” resulted in a verbal altercation between the two, which escalated into Byrd choking his wife with his hands and biting her face multiple times, according to police.
When asked to explain why he “believed Angela [Byrd] was cheating,” Charles Byrd allegedly said investigators needed to look at his wife’s phone, which he claimed was in their bedroom.
As previously reported, the investigation began shortly after midnight on Sunday morning, when deputies responded to a home in the 22100 block of Pleasanton Road after one of Angela Byrd’s relatives called “out of concern” for her. The relative stated that Charles Byrd had made disturbing remarks implying that he may have murdered his wife.
The relative did not enter the Byrd home, but was able to let deputies in. When authorities arrived, they “very quickly smelled the odor of decomposition — of a body.” They soon discovered a body, believed to be Angela Byrd, wrapped in plastic, carpet, and blankets and secured with ratchet straps.
While police believe the body was Angela Byrd, an autopsy will determine the body’s identity, as well as the cause and manner of death.
Charles Byrd is currently facing charges of tampering with evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse. He allegedly told detectives from the sheriff’s homicide unit about fatally attacking his wife.
“He did describe a physical confrontation between himself and Angela, which he believes led to her death,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a press conference. “He then spent the next 32 days living in that residence with Ms. Byrd’s corpse, taking certain steps to mask the odor and attempting to explain the source of the odor to family members. He was very matter-of-fact about his violent encounter with Ms. Byrd.”
According to KSAT, Charles Byrd, a janitor at a San Antonio school district, was fired after being arrested. A school district spokesperson stated that Charles Byrd had no direct contact with the students while working there.
Charles Byrd is being held in the Bexar County Jail on a $200,000 bond. Salazar stated that he will most likely face “at least a murder charge” once the autopsy results are released.
