Investigators say a handgun, shell casings and a cellphone were recovered after the suspect identified their location.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Prosecutors in Bexar County are weighing a murder case built around a reported confession, recovered physical evidence and the body of a 52-year-old man found in a backyard recycling bin, police said.
Aquiminee La Roy Crawford, 26, is accused in the death of his uncle, Derrick Cornell Crawford, after police say he admitted shooting him inside their East Side home on May 9. The records released so far show investigators tying Crawford’s statements to items found during a search, the condition of the living room and the medical examiner’s ruling that the death was a homicide by multiple gunshot wounds.
The case began in court records as a violent death inside a home in the 100 block of Sterling Street. Police said Crawford told detectives he became angry after Derrick Crawford made an insulting comment. In the interview, Crawford said his uncle called him a derogatory name, which caused him to “black out,” according to police. He also told investigators he was angry about his uncle borrowing most of his money. Police said Crawford described retrieving a handgun from his bedroom, returning to the living room and shooting Derrick Crawford five times. At least two shots struck the victim in the chest and head, according to the arrest records described by authorities.
The evidence trail described by police followed Crawford’s own account. He told detectives the gun used in the shooting, a clear plastic bag containing spent shell casings and his uncle’s cellphone were in his bedroom, police said. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the Sterling Street home and found those items, according to records. Police have not publicly released the make or caliber of the handgun. They have not said whether ballistics testing has been completed. Still, the recovery of the firearm and shell casings from the suspect’s bedroom gives prosecutors evidence beyond the statement police say Crawford made during questioning.
The living room also became part of the probable-cause record. Investigators reported blood spatter along walls and the ceiling and a sofa cushion drenched in blood. Those findings supported the police account that the shooting happened inside the home rather than at another location. The affidavit summaries did not say whether detectives recovered bullets from the room, whether there were bullet defects in walls or furniture, or whether any surveillance video was found. The records released publicly identify the living room as the shooting scene and the backyard as the place where Derrick Crawford’s body was later discovered.
Police were not first called to the home on the day they say the shooting happened. They arrived more than a week later, around 9:30 p.m. May 17, after a 911 call. Officers said the caller was Aquiminee Crawford. At the house, he told officers his uncle was “shot up in the back,” according to police records. Officers searching the backyard smelled a foul odor coming from a recycling bin. One officer tipped the bin over, causing the lid to open. Police said a human hand became visible. Derrick Crawford’s body was inside the bin, wrapped in black plastic bags, with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The charging path has shifted as the investigation developed. Reports said Crawford was initially booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on an abuse of a corpse allegation before murder charges were filed. Some law enforcement accounts described the case as involving two counts of murder connected to Derrick Crawford’s death, while jail and local court reports also described a murder charge with bond set at $250,000. The distinction may be clarified through formal indictments or amended charging documents. Police have not said whether prosecutors will seek a separate charge related to the concealment of the body.
Texas homicide cases often turn on the way a charge is framed, but the public record at this stage is still limited. The available reports do not show a plea, an indictment or a scheduled trial date. They do show that the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Derrick Crawford’s death a homicide and that police reported a confession. A confession alone does not end a criminal case. Prosecutors still must prove the charges in court, and Crawford is presumed innocent unless convicted. Future filings may address whether defense lawyers challenge the interview, the search warrant, the seizure of evidence or the way officers handled the scene.
The records also contain details about people in the home. A woman identified in reports as Derrick Crawford’s mother told police she did not know he had been killed. She said relatives had been searching for him for about a week. Police have not released information showing that she witnessed the shooting or knew the body was in the backyard. A neighbor later told a local station off camera that an odor near the property had raised concern. Police have not publicly identified any eyewitness to the shooting, and the known account of the confrontation comes from the suspect’s reported interview with detectives.
The alleged motive remains narrowly described in records. Police say Crawford blamed anger over a comment and also mentioned money he said his uncle had borrowed. Investigators have not released text messages, financial records or witness statements that expand on that dispute. They also have not said whether the cellphone recovered from Crawford’s bedroom has been searched or whether it contained messages relevant to the case. Those unknowns may matter as prosecutors decide what evidence to present and how to explain the events between May 9 and May 17.
Crawford remained detained on $250,000 bond as the case moved forward. The next public steps are expected through court filings, possible indictment records and hearings that may set out the exact charges, evidence challenges and future schedule.
Author note: Last updated June 19, 2026.