‘Go big or go home’: Husband accused of killing his wife and hiding remains ffor a month
A Texas man accused of killing his wife during a violent fight, then living in their home with her decomposing body for more than a month, has been arrested after a 24-hour manhunt.
When questioned by investigators, Charles Byrd was reportedly open and cooperative. But what stood out to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar was the jarring comment Byrd made while calmly describing how he attacked his 44-year-old wife Angela Byrd during the June 16 altercation.
“He detailed to the investigator that he had never been arrested before, that he had never committed a crime before, and then blurted out the comment to our investigator, ‘You know, go big or go home,’” Salazar said at a news conference. “And that was pretty shocking to me.”
Byrd, 49, was arrested Sunday on a charge of tampering with evidence with intent to impair a human corpse. Additional charges, including murder, are expected after the medical examiner determines Angela’s cause of death.
The case came to light Saturday morning, when an unknown individual called the sheriff’s office to report that Byrd had admitted to killing his wife.
Authorities launched a manhunt, which ended just over 24 hours later when SWAT officers surrounded a vacant home on the 21000 block of Pleasanton Road, about a mile from the crime scene. Byrd surrendered without incident.
Investigators say Byrd lived for more than a month with Angela’s body inside their home on the 22000 block of Pleasanton, attempting to mask the odor with blankets, plastic, and household cleaning products. He told investigators he knew he’d eventually be caught but was trying to delay the inevitable.
Authorities believe Byrd fled to the nearby vacant house, a property he had once done plumbing work on, after the smell became too difficult to conceal. Angela’s remains were found wrapped in plastic during a search of the couple’s home.
Neighbors say Byrd was a familiar face in the community, known for doing plumbing jobs for years.
As he was being escorted to a patrol vehicle Sunday, Byrd told KSAT, “I’m so sorry. I loved my wife,” and described having a “mental break.”
A mental health evaluation for Byrd is underway. He is currently behind bars at the Bexar County Jail.
