A Baytown family is desperate for answers after what was first ruled a suicide is now being investigated as a murder.
27-year-old Luis Banos was found dead in January, and for months, his loved ones believed they had lost him to tragedy. Now, his fiancé, Ty Vaughn, is facing a murder charge.
OUR FIRST REPORT: Authorities say Baytown man searched ‘Is it illegal to kill an illegal immigrant?’ hours before fatally shooting fiancé
KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel spoke with Banos’ family about the shocking turn in the case.
Banos’ cousin, Diana Ascencio, remembers him as a kind and funny person with a passion for art.
“He was very kind, sweet, funny. He would always laugh all the time, make jokes. He’s always smiling,” Ascencio said.
Banos was a graduate of Impact and Lee College and worked as a manager at a McDonald’s franchise. His sister-in-law recalled how he loved to spoil his nieces and nephews.
“Every Christmas, he would fill up my living room with Christmas gifts,” she said.
Banos loved his fiancé, Vaughn, and had posted a heartfelt message on social media in 2021, writing, “Cheers to our beginning…. With the time death gives us on this planet… I promise to be by your side.”
That love story took a tragic turn on Jan. 14 when Vaughn called police, saying he had found Banos in their apartment with a gunshot wound. Police said they found Banos had been shot in the head.
Banos’ death was initially ruled a suicide. His family, however, had doubts.
“It did [seem strange] because he was happy. He had so many goals in front of him,” his sister-in-law said.
It wasn’t until Vaughn’s arrest on Friday that the family learned the case had turned into a murder investigation.
Investigators said Vaughn staged the scene to look like a suicide. Records show he had searched online just hours before Banos’ death, asking if it was illegal to kill an illegal immigrant. Banos’ family said he moved to the U.S. from Mexico at age 10 and was a DACA recipient.
His cousin, Diana Ascencio, expressed her heartbreak, saying she never imagined the person Banos loved could be responsible for such a heinous crime.
“I would have never thought the person my cousin was sleeping next to, the person who gave him a ring, who said that he loved him could do something like this,” she said.
Banos’ family said Vaughn showed some signs of jealousy, but they never believed he was unsafe. Now, they are left asking why.
“Why? Why? Why? What’s the reason for this? Because we welcomed him in, and we treated him as family,” Banos’ sister-in-law said.
The family plans to attend Vaughn’s next court date, scheduled for April 30. He is currently being held in the Harris County jail on a $500,000 bond.