Murder suspect Googled is it ‘illegal... to kill an illegal immigrant,’ Texas cops say

A man accused of fatally shooting his fiancé searched online hours earlier to see if it was legal “to kill an illegal immigrant,” Texas authorities say.

Ty Vaughn is now charged with murder after his fiancé, Luis David Banos, was found shot and killed in Harris County on Jan. 14, authorities in Baytown say.

Vaughn, 31, is accused of shooting Banos in the face, then staging the scene to make it look like Banos died by suicide, according to a criminal complaint.

Authorities said Vaughn waited more than 90 minutes to call 911, telling dispatchers Banos was dead and his “life is over,” KTRK reported.

Banos was discovered lying on a bed with a gun against his arm and a torn-up photo of him and Vaughn nearby, investigators said, according to the court records obtained by KTRK.

But during their investigation, investigators said they uncovered evidence pointing Vaughn to the alleged crime.

“(Vaughn) performed an internet search regarding whether or not it was illegal for him to kill an illegal immigrant in the house prior to when he shot his fiancé,” court records show.

Authorities said Vaughn told them that Banos was not a legal citizen of the United States, but police did not provide confirmation.

According to an obituary, Banos, 27, was from Guerrero, Mexico.

Vaugn was jailed on a $500,000 bond, records show.

This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 9:42 AM with the headline "Murder suspect Googled is it ‘illegal... to kill an illegal immigrant,’ Texas cops say."