A Texas man is accused of beating his mother to death in an attempted ‘exorcism’, cops say.
Fort Worth Police were called to a home in Tarrant County after an anonymous 911 tip-off, from a caller saying they had received a “very concerning” photo on Snapchat. The caller said the photo appeared to be “a woman on the ground covered in something red, possibly blood”, an affidavit stated.
Arriving at the property in the early hours of Friday, April 18, police say they found Alexander Taylor Valdez holding what appeared to be a bible in his hand and with blood on his body, the affidavit claimed.
Valdez said “It was an exorcism” as he walked out of the house and sat down on a chair on the front porch, the report continued.
When asked by officers why he had blood on him, Valdez allegedly responded “I was doing witchcraft to kill my mom,” before adding “There is a dead body in there, it’s my mom”, the affidavit said.
Carrying out a search of the property, officers discovered a woman in the master bedroom with blood on her body and what appeared to be trauma to the face and upper body. They also found a dead dog in the room with her.
Cops identified the woman, who was pronounced dead later that night, as Valdez’s mother Teresita Sayson. Police allege the 58 year-old was hit multiple times with a blunt force object.
Police found a broken jewelry box in the same room as the body, with blood and hair wedged into it that was consistent with the hair color and style of the victim, the affidavit added.
Several of Valdez’s friends were at the scene, with one telling cops the picture showing the body had been posted in a group chat.
Valdez was arrested but allegedly refused to answer any questions, and requested an attorney when taken away for questioning, the affidavit stated.
The 23 -year-old suspect is being held in custody at Lon Evans Corrections Center and his bond is set at $750,000, according to Tarrant County Jail records.
