San Antonio Man Charged With Murder After Uncle's Body Found in Backyard Recycling Bin

SAN ANTONIO — A 26-year-old man faces a murder charge after police discovered his uncle's body hidden inside a backyard recycling bin at an East Side home. Aquiminee La Roy Crawford was arrested Sunday and booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on Tuesday, with bond set at $250,000, according to court and jail records.

San Antonio police officers responded to a home in the 100 block of Sterling Street at approximately 9:30 p.m. after Crawford called 911 to report the death. According to an arrest affidavit, Crawford told dispatchers he had fatally shot his uncle the previous week and that the body was in the backyard. Arriving officers reported a foul odor coming from a recycling bin, which they tipped over to discover the remains of 52-year-old Derrick Cornell Crawford wrapped in a black plastic bag.

During an interview with detectives, Crawford said he lived at the home with his uncle and became angry over recent comments. According to the police report, Crawford admitted to shooting his uncle five times in the living room on Saturday, May 9, after his uncle insulted him, causing him to "black out." Crawford then allegedly wrapped the body in trash bags, moved it to the recycling bin, and hid the gun, shell casings, and his uncle's phone in his bedroom.

A subsequent search of the home revealed blood on the walls, ceiling, and a sofa cushion, the warrant states. The victim's mother told investigators that family members had been searching for Derrick Crawford for more than a week. The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a homicide resulting from multiple gunshot wounds.