Suspects in Arlington killings had gone to rob ‘trap house,’ affidavit says

A 25-year-old man accused of fatally shooting two men at an Arlington apartment in October had gone there to steal marijuana and “kill whoever was in the apartment so that there wouldn’t be any witnesses,” according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Star-Telegram on Friday.

Christian Edwards was arrested Thursday after a standoff with police that lasted more than five hours at an apartment in far east Fort Worth.

A second suspect in the double killing in October, Sebastian Rinaudo, 19, surrendered to Arlington police Friday morning, said Lt. Chris Cook, police spokesman.

Edwards and Rinaudo face capital murder charges in the deaths of Johnathan Phillips, 25, and Jordyn Clemons, 20, on Oct. 26.

Phillips and Clemons were found dead inside the apartment in the 1000 block of Benge Drive, near the UT-Arlington campus, police said.

The apartment was a known “trap house,” where drugs were sold, Rinaudo had told a witness, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Rinaudo said he and Edwards went to the apartment early on the morning of Oct. 26 and knocked on the door, the affidavit said. When they went inside, Phillips was sitting at a desk and Clemons was on a couch, Rinaudo told the witness.

Edwards shot both of the men, Rinuado told a witness, according to the affidavit. Edwards and Rinaudo then took marijuana and money and left.

Police arrived and found seven 9mm casings inside the apartment.

Clemons and Edwards both died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office.

Investigators first interviewed a witness to the shooting in March, according to Rinaudo’s arrest warrant affidavit.

The witness had met with Rinaudo “within hours” of the shooting and Rinaudo told the witness what happened, the affidavit said.

Investigators had a second interview with a witness Wednesday, according to Edwards’ arrest warrant affidavit. The witness identified Edwards as the shooter and said Edwards had bought marijuana at the apartment several times before the killings.

Rinaudo has been convicted three times on misdemeanor drug possession charges in Tarrant County, according to court records.

Edwards had previously been arrested in Arlington, the affidavit said, but he has not faced charges in Tarrant County, according to court records.

Edwards was in the Arlington jail Friday afternoon with his bail amount set at $1 million. Rinaudo’s bail amount had not been set Friday.

This story was originally published July 7, 2017 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Suspects in Arlington killings had gone to rob ‘trap house,’ affidavit says."