A Texas man confessed to killing his wife and then living with her body in their shared home for over a month, authorities say.
49-year-old Charles Vandoil Byrd, who works as a janitor at a school district in San Antonio, Texas, was arrested following the discovery of the body of his wife, 44-year-old Angela Byrd. He was taken into custody on Sunday, with Angela's body being discovered just the day before his arrest.
As he left the courthouse on Monday, Charles told journalists from KSAT that he suffered a "mental break".
"I'm so sorry. I loved my wife," he added.
His bond was set at $200,000 following his court appearance.
According to police, they arrived at the Byrd residence on Saturday and could strongly smell decomposition. Upon entering, they discovered a body wrapped up in plastic, carpet, and blankets and secured with ratchet straps. Police believe the body is Angela Byrd, but this suspicion is yet to be confirmed by a medical examiner, along with her cause of death.
Byrd has only been charged with tampering with a corpse thus far. Police were able to arrest him with little trouble, as they found him outside his home with his hand up, according to the arrest affidavit.
Charles Byrd was reportedly cooperative with law enforcement, admitting that him and his wife got into a physical fight on June 16 that "led to her death", Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar revealed at a press conference.
Salazar added that Charles is likely to face "at least a murder charge" after autopsy results have been revealed.
Originally published on Latin Times
