Man charged with murder after searching online about ‘legal citizen’ killing ‘illegal immigrant’

A Texas man charged with murder in the death of his fiancé searched online what the legal consequences were for a “legal citizen” who killed an “illegal immigrant,” according to a court document.

Ty Vaughn, 31, has been charged with the murder of Luis David Banos Norberto, 21, nearly two months after authorities said he called 911 to report finding Banos dead at a Baytown, Texas, apartment.

Prior to Banos’ death, Vaughn “made an elaborate electronic inquiry on the world-wide web to determine the legal ramifications of killing an ‘illegal immigrant’ by a ‘legal citizen,'” according to a court document regarding bond and filed in the 183rd District Court in Harris County.

In a news release posted Monday, the Baytown Police Department said it arrested Vaughn on Friday in connection with the Jan. 14 death of Banos, whom they identified as his fiancé. Police said they found Banos shot in the head and held Vaughn for questioning.

“Throughout the investigation, Vaughn provided inconsistent testimony,” the police news release states.

The court document alleges that Banos was shot in the face with a lever action rifle and afterward the scene was staged as a suicide. It also states that Vaughn is a U.S. Army veteran who was honorably discharged.

Vaughn told authorities the two had an argument Friday and then he left the apartment to visit his mother. He returned home at 4 p.m. in “an intoxicated state of mind,” the court document states. One witness told police they heard gunfire at about that time and another reported seeing Vaughn enter the apartment at about 4:05 p.m. and then hearing a loud noise, according to the document.

Bond was set for Vaughn at $500,000 on the condition he wears a GPS monitor if released. An arraignment hearing was set for April 30.

Vaughn’s court-appointed attorney Inger Chandler said her client is presumed innocent and “cases are rarely as clear-cut as they seem.”

She said Vaughn “is devastated by the loss of his fiancé; he loved Mr. Banos very much and hoped to marry him.”

The obituary for Banos posted online states he was born in Guerrero, Mexico, and is survived by his parents, grandparents and three brothers, all of whom live in Baytown.

“The artwork you’ve shared with me I will cherish even more closely. The volunteer work we’ve done over the years goes to show your character and big heart, and I’ll continue,” one person wrote in an online guestbook.

A cousin posted a GoFundMe request for Banos in January on behalf of his mother, saying, “Our family is devastated with the loss of Luis.”