Friday, September 28, 2007

UPDATED: University of North Texas student’s burned body found in Carrollton

By Minnie Payne

Updated 04:24 p.m., October 9, 2007

Ernesto Pina Reyes

CARROLLTON — UPDATE: On Oct. 9, at 12:55 p.m. Ernesto Reyes was taken into custody by U.S. Marshal deputies and Mexican Law Enforcement Authorities as he left a family member's house in Celaya Guanajuato Mexico, a town approximately four hours northeast of Mexico City. Currently, Reyes is being held by Mexican authorities awaiting extradition to the United States.

The Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force, a task force sponsored by the U.S. Marshal's office, working in conjunction with several local law enforcement agencies and other federal agencies, have been working with the Carrollton Police Department regarding this case.

On Oct. 6, an emergency provisional arrest warrant was signed by Mexican authorities. U.S. Marshal Service deputies based in Mexico City, working with Mexican authorities, began 24 hour surveillance on several suspected locations in Mexico. Authorities also continued to follow up on tips regarding Mr. Reyes' possible location in areas of Oklahoma and Texas.

At a press conference held by the Carrollton Police Department on Sept. 28, it was announced that police are still searching for Ernesto Pina Reyes of Denton for the murder of Melanie Therese Goodwin of Arlington.

According to Carrollton Police Public Information Officer John Singleton, on Sept. 25, at approximately 11:30 a.m., a Carrollton Police officer was dispatched to 3220 Keller Springs Road, location of TransTech, where he found the charred remains of a white female.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner identified the victim through dental records. An autopsy determined the cause of death as blunt force trauma.

Surveillance video obtained from TransTech, revealed that about 4:30 a.m., a vehicle matching Goodwin’s vehicle entered the parking lot and a man matching Reyes’ description dragged a body from the vehicle to the location where Goodwin’s body was found. The video also showed the unknown male igniting a fire at the location where Goodwin’s body was located.

Goodwin was last seen at a Quick Trip convenience store located at 3701 South Interstate Highway 35E, Denton.

Surveillance video from Quick Trip showed Goodwin talking with a man matching Reyes’ description at approximately 1:42 a.m. The Quick Trip salesclerk overheard the man ask Goodwin for a ride, and the clerk said that the male received and made phone calls using the Quick Trip telephone. The clerk also said that Goodwin and the male left the store together.

Through phone records obtained for the Quick Trip phone number, it was determined that Reyes called his girlfriend, Andrea Alexander. Alexander was able to positively identify the male as Ernesto Reyes. Alexander also stated that on the evening of Sept. 25 she met with Reyes and observed singed hair and burns on Reyes’ forearms.

Also, according to Carrollton Police Public Information Officer John Singleton, on Sept. 27, Carrollton Police investigators arrested 19-year-old Carrollton resident Donovan R. Young on charges of tampering with evidence in connection with the murder.

Young told Carrollton Police investigators that on Sept. 25, between the hours of 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., Ernesto Reyes came to his apartment located at 2250 Marsh Lane, stating that he needed help, because he had killed someone, didn’t mean to and needed to get rid of her body. Young said that Reyes had blood on his shirt and that when he looked in the back seat of the red vehicle Reyes was driving, he saw the body of a deceased female.

Young gave Reyes money for gasoline and a gas can to put the gas in. Reyes told Young that he would come back to his apartment when he finished, because he had no where else to go. Reyes returned to Young’s apartment one to three hours later and told Young that he burned the body a few blocks away. Young gave Reyes a new shirt to put on, and they went to sleep. After waking, Young drove Reyes to Marsh Highland Apartments, 2121 Marsh Lane in Carrollton, where Reyes had left the car. Young watched Reyes place a sock in the gas tank and light it on fire in an attempt to blow it up. Young drove to the front of the complex so that he would not be near the car when it exploded.

Reyes then asked Young to follow him and the vehicle to Sanger, but he refused and left for Denton. While driving along Dallas Drive and Duncan in Denton, Reyes pulled up to Young’s vehicle and asked for more money for gas. Reyes filled up the gas can again.

Young agreed to meet Reyes along Dallas Drive in Denton after burning the car and gave him a ride to several locations, attempting to get money. He said he did not call the police, because he wanted to wait and call his probation officer at a later time.

Young is being held on charges of assisting in the destruction of a human corpse with the intent to impair its availability as evidence in the investigation by providing Reyes with money and a gas can to obtain the gasoline to burn the body of Goodwin.

Related stories

• Homicide suspect Ernesto Reyes extradited to United States (May 21, 2008)

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