On September 11, 2023, the body of 30-year-old Salvador Sanchez was discovered with gunshot wounds at John Treviño Jr. Metro Park in East Austin, Texas. The Austin Police Department (APD) responded to a call from the Travis County Sheriff's Office around 9:30 p.m., after the body was found in a dense bamboo thicket within the park. Due to the state of decomposition, immediate identification was challenging.
Investigations revealed that neighbors had reported a disturbance between Sanchez and 45-year-old Jared Nelson on September 8, at a residence in the 4000 block of Lower Drive. Witnesses recalled hearing multiple gunshots from Nelson's property between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. on September 9. A subsequent search of Nelson's residence uncovered spent cartridges and blood spatter, indicating a violent altercation.
Nelson was apprehended on September 15, initially on a trespassing charge. During police interviews, he confessed to shooting a man known as "Diablo"—later identified as Salvador Sanchez—on his property. Nelson claimed that Sanchez had confronted him with a metal crowbar, prompting him to open fire until his firearm malfunctioned. When Sanchez attempted to flee, Nelson admitted to striking him in the head with a wooden post before dragging his body to the bamboo area where it was later found.
Following his confession, Nelson was charged with first-degree murder and booked into the Travis County Jail. This incident marked Austin's 44th homicide of 2023.
