Affidavit: Man let couple move in, then killed them over fear they’d ‘take’ his house

A 29-year-old murder suspect told a witness that he shot and killed a couple inside his Fort Worth residence because he feared they were trying to “take” his house, according to court documents.

Juan Alfredo Alvarez told Fort Worth police he’d recently met the couple — identified by officials as Donald Jenkins, 47, and Cheryl Trimmier, 52 — and allowed them to live in his home in the 7000 block of Wildbriar Court.

Alvarez called 911 early Thursday, stating he’d found the couple dead after he and a friend arrived home, according to an arrest warrant affidavit written by Detective J. Cedillo.

Responding officers found Jenkins on his back with gunshot wounds to his neck and face. Trimmier, who died from a gunshot wound to the head, was found hunched over inside the home.

In a voluntary interview with detectives, Alvarez denied any knowledge about their murders, the affidavit states.

But he grew uncooperative when Cedillo and Detective E. Pate requested his clothing and refused to voluntarily give investigators a DNA sample.

Later that same day, a witness contacted investigators , saying they had information about the murders.

In a subsequent interview, the witness told detectives that Alvarez had told him that he’d shot a man and woman in the head “because the victims were trying to ‘take’ his house,” the affidavit states.

“There is no evidence that the victims were trying to harm or take anything from Alvarez,” Cedillo said Tuesday.

Alvarez was arrested that afternoon on a capital murder warrant. He remained held in the Tarrant County Jail Tuesday with bail set at $500,000.

Neighbors have said that Alvarez was often up all times of the night, playing loud music and sometimes walking around the neighborhood in a military uniform.

Tarrant County records show he has previous misdemeanor convictions for assaulting a family member and resisting arrest.

This story was originally published August 7, 2018 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Affidavit: Man let couple move in, then killed them over fear they’d ‘take’ his house."