Austin Police Charge Suspect With Murder of Gay Man

Austin, Texas, police have charged the man suspected of murdering a 36-year-old gay man, after the suspect was placed in custody on drug possession charges, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

Matthew Bacon, 26, was arrested around midnight on July 16 after officers were notified that he was trying to sell narcotics at a truck stop more than 250 miles northwest of New Orleans, an arrest affidavit reads. The report says Bacon, who lives in Austin, was found with a glass pipe, two bottles containing pills and marijuana.

Though Austin police found him in Louisiana, the affidavit says a detective traveled from Austin to interview him. Bacon admitted that he met David Villarreal, who was murdered earlier this month, at a bar in Austin and went home with him.

Video footage shows Bacon and Villarreal entering Villarreal's condo around 2:20 a.m. on July 13, the affidavit for his arrest on the murder charges reads. About two hours later Bacon left the building alone but returned less than an hour later. He finally left at 6:30 a.m. with a roller suitcase.

Villarreal's friends and family say a number of his items were missing from his home when his body was discovered. His iPhone, iPad, Amazon Kindle and X-Box were gone, the affidavit reports.

Police were able to trace the victim's iPhone to a woman who claimed to buy it at an inn in Belton, Texas, (about 60 miles north of Austin) from a man who was staying in there. According to the inn's records, a man named Matthew Villalahana used Villarreal's credit card to pay for the room. That man's address, however, was connected to Bacon, not someone with the last name, Villalhana.

When Bacon spoke with the detective in Louisiana, he said he noticed all of Villarreal's belongings in his condo, found a hammer under the kitchen sink and hid it under the couch, according to the affidavit. He said that he used the hammer to hit Villarreal in the back of the head several times. Bacon added that he then used a knife from the kitchen to cut Villarreal's throat to "finish him off."

He then cleaned up, left to get his car and came back to steal the victim's items. He sold and gave most away. Bacon told the detective that some of the items were still in the car as were the hammer and knife used to kill Villarreal.

Bacon has been charged with the murder of Villarreal and his bail has been set at $50,000. Bacon was in custody for possession when police charged him with murder, officials said on Thursday.