CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — According to an arrest affadavit, 46-year-old Jose Guadalupe Deluna Jr. said he killed his girlfriend of three months Vanessa Pecina because she refused to drop assault charges against him.
A witness told Corpus Christi police that Deluna admitted to choking Pecina with the seat belt of her Cadillac Escalade on Aug. 27.
Pecina had taken out a protective order against Deluna following the initial assault. Despite the order, Pecina reportedly picked Deluna up from a house where he had been staying because of the order. The witness said Deluna said he was driving Pecina's Escalade, and she was in the passenger seat. He said he went to kiss her and choked her.
De Luna reportedly was taken into custody Tuesday, and booked into the Nueces County Jail around 6:30 that night. He is charged with murder.
Pecina's body was located by Nueces County Sheriff's deputies Sept. 3 near County Roads 20 and 63 in Petronila. The discovery came days after CCPD featured her on its blotter page as a missing person.
Deluna's bond was set at $400,000.
