A young Belizean male is under lockdown in Texas, USA, after he was accused of killing his classmate, who had been reported missing on Tuesday, November 16.
Multiple news reports from Texas indicate that the accused, Hermilo Vildo Moralez, 19, a citizen of Belize, confessed to bludgeoning his classmate to death, but claimed that the deceased, Josh Wilkerson, 18, had made sexual advances at him.
The reports say that Moralez’s accounts of the incident were inconsistent. He claimed that Wilkerson gave him a ride home in his pickup, but they fought when Wilkerson made a pass at him. Police have indicated that they don’t believe Moralez’s stated motive.
Police encountered Moralez on the day Wilkerson went missing, walking along a ditch near the 500 block of Broadway. Wilkerson’s Toyota Tacoma was found nearby. The officers say that he appeared nervous, was shaking when he spoke to them, and had a fresh scratch on his face, from his left eyebrow to his neck area. He identified himself as Milo.
Moralez, the news reports say, will face several charges, including failure to identify himself to the police. More than that, he is accused of trying to wrestle away the gun of a police officer who was trying to climb a fence at the crime scene. He would, therefore, also face a second charge for attempting to take the weapon, authorities said.
The murder victim, found Wednesday, November 17, had been bound – hands and feet – and partially burned, according to court details cited in the news reports.
Moralez had told police that the two were at his father’s home when Wilkerson was killed, and that he, Moralez, had beaten Wilkerson on the back patio near a barbecue pit. A lot of blood was found on the patio, the reports say.
The accused (who is illegally in the US) had been living with a friend, since he reportedly could not get along with his parents. His father had already returned to Belize, one news report said.
Geoffrey Weis, described as Moralez’s best friend and roommate, told 11 News in Pearland, Texas, where the accused had been living, that on the same day of the killing, he and Moralez went to see the 3D cartoon Megamind, and he hadn’t noticed anything different about Moralez.
“I went to a movie afterwards with him and he didn’t act distraught or scared or anything,” said Weis. “You would never think your best friend would kill somebody until he actually does.”