Man arrested in pregnant girlfriend's death

Posted Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009 Comments   (0) Print Share Share Reprints
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By MITCH MITCHELL

mitchmitchell@star-telegram.com

FLOWER MOUND — Early Tuesday, the day she died, Brittany Munoz, 16, sent a text message to her 20-year-old boyfriend, Garrett Cole Gower.Munoz told Gower that she was informing his mother that she was pregnant.

"I’m texting your mom to make sure that you get home and don’t do anything stupid," the message said.

Later that day, Munoz’s older sister called 911 after finding the girl in her bed, bloody and unresponsive, Flower Mound police reported.

On Friday, Gower, of Fort Worth, was taken into custody at a mental-health facility in Bedford, police said.

He is accused of killing Munoz and her unborn child and could be charged with capital murder, said Wess Griffin, a Flower Mound police spokesman. Gower was in the Denton County Jail on Friday night. Bail was withheld.

The Tarrant County medical examiner’s office confirmed that Munoz was six weeks pregnant, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Munoz’s mother and sister told investigators that the couple’s relationship was volatile. Gower was at the Munoz family’s apartment in the 1700 block of Timber Creek Road on Monday night and into Tuesday morning, police said Wednesday.

Munoz’s 19-year-old sister reported finding the body about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the affidavit stated. Munoz was in bed on her back with the covers pulled up to her chin. Detectives found broken glass in Munoz’s hair and face, on the floor and under her body, the affidavit stated. Larger pieces of glass were found beneath the bed and dresser. The area around her left eye was black and blue, the affidavit stated.

Relatives told police that they believed that Gower was the baby’s father and that he had killed Munoz, according to the affidavit.

Gower turned off his cellphone late Tuesday morning, returned home and then checked into a psychiatric facility, the affidavit stated.

Munoz, a student at a private school in Lewisville, had previously attended Keller Central High School.

This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.

MITCH MITCHELL, 817-390-7752

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