3 indicted in October killings of 2 Fort Worth men whose bodies were set on fire
Three men were indicted on capital murder charges Monday in the October killings of two Burmese immigrants whose burned bodies were found less than three miles apart.
Ma Gay, Jesus Hernandez and George Vasquez were arrested in November after a police investigation led to the conclusion they had killed Za Htoo and Snay Gay because they had deemed them to be snitches, according to an affidavit previously obtained by the Star-Telegram. Snay Gay was found dead on the morning of Oct. 10, when a couple passing by in Echo Lake Park saw his body, smoldering, in a rocky area north of the railroad tracks. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office determined he was fatally stabbed in his chest, abdomen and neck before he was set on fire.
As homicide detectives were at the park, a call came in about another burned body in an alley in the 4700 block of South Adams Street between rows of houses, according to an affidavit. Htoo’s body was face down and burning in high grass. He was shot before being set on fire.
Hernandez, 22, and Vasquez, 18, were arrested on Nov. 10, according to jail records, and Ma Gay, 19, was arrested two days later. Their addresses don’t appear in jail records.
Tarrant County prosecutors charged them with capital murder on Nov. 13.
On Monday, a grand jury returned indictments for the men on the charges of capital murder of multiple persons, Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson announced in a news release. Jail records show all of the men were being held in the Tarrant County Correction Center as of Wednesday on $250,000 bonds.
Hernandez is additionally facing a $1,500 bond for the charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon.
Though he initially denied he was involved in the killings, Hernandez admitted to detectives he drove Vasquez and Ma Ney Gay to the scenes where the homicides occurred, according to the affidavit. He said he drove Vasquez and Htoo to the South Adams Street alley first, where they got out of the car and Vasquez shot Htoo. Hernandez told detectives Vasquez later admitted to stabbing Snay Gay, though he didn’t use the victim’s name.
He said hours later he drove Ma Gay and Vasquez back to both locations to burn the bodies and destroy evidence.
Police believe Htoo was shot around 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 9. Snay Gay died a little before 9 a.m. on Oct. 10, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Hernandez told detectives he believed the killings were in response to the men being snitches, but the affidavit didn’t offer more information on that allegation.
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 3:55 PM.
