On January 16, 2023, 19-year-old Sanaa Keilani McNeil and her boyfriend, Gabriel Sanchez, were found deceased in a room at the Travelodge By Wyndham located in the 3800 block of Interstate 35 North in San Antonio, Texas. A housekeeper discovered their bodies, both having suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the cause of death as homicide.
Surveillance footage from the hotel showed Sanchez returning to the room around midnight, accompanied by an unidentified man later identified as 19-year-old Kristian Ray Belmudez. The trio was seen leaving and returning to the hotel multiple times during the early morning hours. At approximately 3:39 a.m., Belmudez was observed leaving the room alone, carrying a handgun in each hand and a backpack, before exiting through the hotel's back door.
Investigators learned from a witness that Sanchez had met him at a local gas station earlier that night to conduct a narcotics transaction, with McNeil and Belmudez present during the meeting. This information, along with surveillance footage from the gas station, helped authorities identify Belmudez as a suspect.
On March 10, 2023, Belmudez was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder. However, in June 2023, the Bexar County District Attorney's Office dismissed the charges due to insufficient evidence, leading to Belmudez's release. Shortly thereafter, on June 14, 2023, Belmudez was rearrested for the same offenses after further investigation provided additional evidence, including his admission of being present with the victims on the night of the murders.
As of December 2024, the case remains under investigation, with Belmudez facing charges for the murders of Sanaa McNeil and Gabriel Sanchez. The legal proceedings are ongoing as authorities continue to gather and assess evidence related to the case.
