BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A man was formally charged with murder for allegedly killing his wife and hiding her decomposing body in their south Bexar County home for a month.
Charles Byrd, 49, was booked on a murder charge Wednesday morning in connection with the death of his wife, Angela Byrd, 44.
Deputies were dispatched to the residence on Saturday, July 19, in the 22100 block of Pleasanton Road after Byrd’s son reported that his father, Charles Byrd, killed his stepmother, Angela Byrd.
Here is everything we know about the case and investigation so far.
Byrd arrested after wife’s decomposed body found in south Bexar County home
On Saturday, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that it was looking for a wanted man accused of killing his wife and tampering with evidence.
Detectives and a tactical team descended on the property that morning, searching for evidence and Byrd.
Authorities later located him inside another home in the 21300 block of Pleasanton Road, about a mile away from the Byrds’ residence, and arrested him on Sunday afternoon.
In a Sunday evening news conference, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said investigators were waiting on an autopsy to determine how Angela Byrd died and whether her husband would face additional charges.
After his arrest, Byrd was escorted to a patrol vehicle and briefly told reporters he killed his wife during a “mental break” and said, “I’m so sorry. I loved my wife.”
Byrd asked that his actions not define him and apologized to his children.
‘I killed her’
Charles Byrd told Sheriff’s Office investigators on June 16 that he arrived home early to surprise his wife, according to his murder warrant affidavit.
Byrd said that when he arrived, he “perceived cues that Angela Byrd was expecting another man to come over,” which prompted a verbal altercation, the affidavit states.
Documents state the altercation between the couple escalated when he began choking her until she lost consciousness.
During a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Salazar said Byrd told authorities that he choked his wife with one hand and he bit her face several times.
Investigators asked Byrd what made him think that she was “cheating.” He told them they would have to look at her phone, which he said was located in their bedroom, the affidavit stated.
During the news conference, Salazar said authorities had recovered the phone.
“He was very forthcoming, you know, and he did gave us information that led us back to that residence and executed a second warrant,” Salazar said. “I believe that phone was exactly where he said it would be.“
Byrd later told authorities that he attempted to conceal his wife’s body by wrapping it in plastic bags and rugs. He also told investigators that her body was hidden for 32 days.
Byrd took a trash bag containing decomposition fluid residue from Angela Byrd’s body and disposed of it in a dumpster at Floresville Independent School District, according to the warrant.
Investigators said Byrd repeatedly told them how he killed Angela Byrd. He also said he thought about calling the police, but wanted more time before facing the consequences.
During a conversation with his son on July 18, Byrd said, “I killed her,” referring to Angela Byrd, the warrant stated.
Byrd worked at Floresville ISD
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Floresville Independent School District confirmed Byrd had worked in the maintenance department as a master plumber since 2021.
After Byrd’s arrest, the spokesperson told TheTXLoop that he is no longer employed by the school district.
While employed at the district, the spokesperson also noted that Byrd did not have any direct contact with students.
On Wednesday, TheTXLoop reached out to Floresville ISD for comment.
Floresville ISD told TheTXLoop has been cooperating with the investigation. However, the district denied to confirm further details and directed TheTXLoop to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
‘Go big or go home’
During the Wednesday afternoon press conference, Salazar said this is Byrd’s first arrest and Byrd even told investigators, “Go big or go home.”
Salazar said the comment was “pretty shocking” to hear, even for those with decades of law enforcement experience.
“I’ve been in the presence of a certain person or seen or heard a certain thing that will stay with me forever,” Salazar said. “Hearing this person tell one of my detectives that just matter-of-factly go big or go home, when talking about violently murdering his spouse, that’s gonna stay with me for a long, long time.”
Salazar said Byrd was wearing a suicide prevention smock while being booked for the murder charge.
“Clearly something that we either observed during the evaluation or something that he told us led us to believe that he’s a suicide risk,” Salazar said. “He was placed in a suicide smock to be able to prevent or lessen the chance that he may harm himself.”
Charges details for Byrd
Byrd faces a $250,000 bond for the murder charge, court records indicate. Additionally, he has been ordered not to have contact with the victim’s family or possess firearms. He will also be under house arrest if he bonds out, according to records.
Byrd also faces two charges of tampering with evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, which are considered second-degree felonies.
In all, Byrd faces a total bond of $650,000 for his multiple charges, court records indicate.
Salazar reminds public domestic violence can happen to anyone
Salazar said at a news conference that 19 homicides occurred in 2024, with 10 related to domestic abuse. He added that last year’s domestic homicides increased compared to the previous year.
“Domestic violence doesn’t care where you live, it doesn’t care anything about socioeconomic status, race, anything,” Salazar said. “It can happen anywhere.“
Salazar reminds the public that anyone in a domestic violence situation or in a relationship that seems to be heading that way should know that domestic violence “usually ends in a homicide.”
Salazar described domestic violence as starting small, with verbal abuse followed by pushing, shoving or grabbing, and then escalating in severity.
“If you know somebody that’s involved in domestic violence or dating violence type situation, urge them to get out because it doesn’t go away,” he said. “It escalate to the point where someone dies usually.”
Domestic violence resources
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there is a long list of resources on TheTXLoop’s Domestic Violence page, which includes a breakdown of what abuse is and how it builds gradually.
If you are in crisis, you can:
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Call or text 911
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