Texas man who allegedly doused girlfriend with gasoline sentenced for fatally beating her

ARLINGTON, Texas (TCN) — A 46-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for beating his girlfriend to death and leaving her body in a parking lot.

The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office announced March 4 that Jose Luis Moreno Castaneda was found guilty of murder in connection with Evila Yanes’ death. He received a life prison sentence, as well as a $10,000 fine.

In the early hours of Oct. 30, 2022, Arlington Police officers responded to the 400 block of North Cooper Street after a passerby noticed a woman unresponsive in the parking lot. Authorities reportedly found Yanes face down and determined she died of blunt force trauma to her head.

According to prosecutors, Yanes and Castaneda were in a “lengthy dating relationship that had a documented history of domestic violence.” He once allegedly doused Yanes with gasoline.

Investigators recovered surveillance footage of the couple together on Oct. 29, 2022, hours before Yanes’ body was found.

Detectives identified Castaneda as a person of interest, and he was taken into custody for a probation violation warrant. Police said he “declined to speak with detectives about the case,” but they continued working on the investigation and discovered his DNA on multiple items from the crime scene, including a beer bottle.

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