Fiancé dead after man allegedly searched legality of 'killing an illegal immigrant': Police

A Texas man who was charged in his fiancé's death allegedly searched for the legal ramifications of "killing an illegal immigrant" before the slaying, according to court records.

Homicide detectives with the Baytown Police Department allege 31-year-old Ty Vaughn made the internet search before shooting 27-year-old Luis Banos in the face with a lever action rifle at their apartment on Jan. 14, a Harris County probable cause document says.

According to the court document, Vaughn said the couple had argued earlier that day, and following the disagreement, he left their apartment to visit his mother. Vaughn told police he was intoxicated when he returned home and found Banos dead.

Vaughn appeared in court on Monday morning and was given a $500,000 bond, Harris County court records show.

Paste BN contacted Vaughn's appointed defense attorney on Tuesday but has not received a response.

What happened to Luis Banos?

Baytown police learned about Banos' death when Vaughn called them on Jan. 14 around 5:30 a.m. and said he had found his fiancé dead from a gunshot wound, according to the department.

Vaughn's story changed during the investigation as he provided "inconsistent statements," Baytown police said. Detectives would later determine Banos' cause of death was a homicide by gunshot to the head, and Vaughn was subsequently arrested and charged with murder on March 7, police said.

Police believe Vaughn staged the scene as a suicide, the probable cause document states.

"There were some indications, including blood on the bed away from the position that the complainant was found in, that the scene had been tampered with essentially," Harris County prosecutor Michael Hanover told KHOU 11.

According to the probable cause document, Vaughn is an Army veteran who worked at an industrial company in Houston.