EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Newly obtained court documents do little to shed light as to why a Parkland High School student was gunned down in the Northeast El Paso desert earlier this month, only stating that both suspects were allegedly intoxicated when it happened.
Ramon Vargas, 18, was found shot to death in the desert area off Dyer Street near Sun Valley Drive on the afternoon of Dec. 13. The investigation led to the arrest of 21-year-old Dalton Delgadillo and 17-year-old Angel Duran for his murder.
Court documents state Vargas’ 16-year-old girlfriend used an app to track his cell phone to the desert area where they found his body.
According to the documents, Vargas told his girlfriend he was going to the desert on Dec. 12 with his friend — Duran — and another unknown man who police later identified as Delgadillo to shoot guns. When he failed to return, she used the tracking app to locate his body the following day.
Investigators learned residents spotted two men on Saturday afternoon walking from the desert area near a mobile home park at 6111 Sun Valley Dr. The pair got into a silver BMW and backed into a portable metal trash bin, causing some damage to the rear of the BMW.
Investigators said Duran’s mother told them he was staying with a relative, but the day before he’d been involved in a fight with Delgadillo outside her home. She told police she’d contacted authorities at the time of the fight and that she later learned Delgadillo was taken into custody for unlawful carrying of a weapon as a result of the investigation into Saturday’s fight with Duran.
A Ruger semi-automatic 10mm handgun and a silver BMW were taken into police custody as part of the investigation into Saturday’s fight.
During an interview with Duran, he implicated Delgadillo and said he’d shot Vargas and told Duran not to talk about it. Duran said he was intoxicated and couldn’t provide a motive as to why Vargas was shot. He said after the shooting, Delgadillo drove him home and assaulted him.
During a separate interview with Delgadillo, he implicated Duran as the shooter. He also claimed he was intoxicated at the time of the shooting and doesn’t remember what led to Vargas’ death.
Court documents also state Duran’s wallet and identification were found within the area of Vargas’ body. Neither suspect contacted authorities to notify them of the shooting.
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