TOMBALL, Texas — New details were revealed in court on Monday shedding light on how a man was allegedly killed by his boss and his wife after he found out she was having an affair.
The discovery
On Saturday night, the body of 32-year-old Francisco Romero was found wrapped in plastic inside a structure on a property on Ezekiel Road near SH 249 and the Grand Parkway. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said they showed up at the property when Romero's wife reported him missing. According to court documents, she told authorities that her husband called Thursday saying that he was going to spend the night at his boss' house and was going to go to work in the morning from there, which he never did. Romero's wife said she was suspicious because her husband sounded like he was injured.
The crime
According to court documents, when 49-year-old Narciso Cruz Banos found out that Romero had an affair with his wife, 42-year-old Francisca Salazar Carrizales, he tied him up with a belt and straps and beat him with the stock end of a rifle and the grip of a handgun. After the assault, which lasted for an extended period of time, Banos said he told Romero to get off his property.
According to officials, Banos said Romero appeared incoherent and wasn't able to drive. He said Romero asked to sleep at the property. According to authorities, Banos and Carrizales also tried to feed Romero after the beating. They said the couple tried to feed him Slim Fast and an energy drink through a straw but it leaked out of his mouth.
According to court documents, the couple said they went to go run errands and when they returned on Friday night, they found Romero unresponsive and determined that he was dead. According to court documents, Banos and Carrizales wrapped up Romero's body in plastic and left it in a building on their property. Cleaning supplies were found in the same room in which the body was found, investigators said.
Also on Friday, Romero's wife called Banos to question him on where her husband was since he was not answering his phone, court documents said. Banos told her that her husband had been having an affair with his wife and that he had pistol-whipped him. He added that Romero had left his property and that he did not know where he was.
Carrizales also called Romero's wife and told her to pick up her husband's last paycheck, which was suspicious because they used direct deposit, court documents said. She also told her that her husband's truck was still on the property and that she could pick it up on Monday.
The investigation
HCSO investigators found out that Banos and Carrizales own the property. It's appraised in Harris County at $1.5 million, according to the Harris County Appraisal District.
Investigators said the couple admitted they killed Romero. Both were booked into the Harris County Jail. Banos is charged with felony murder, aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence of a human corpse, according to court documents. Carrizales faces the same charges. Both requested a court-appointed attorney during their appearance in probable cause court. Neither Banos nor Carrizales is a U.S. citizen.
The total bond was set at $600,000 for Banos and at $500,000 for Carrizales.
The job
Banos has lived in the Houston area for 30 years and runs an electrical business, where his wife also serves as secretary. The couple have three children together, an 11-year-old, a 12-year-old and a 23-year-old.