Ty Vaughn told police that his fiancé, Luis Banos, died by suicide inside their Baystown, Texas apartment on January 14 — then investigators uncovered his incriminating Google search.
Baytown PoliceTy Vaughn, 31, has been charged with killing his partner, Luis Banos, and disguising the scene as a suicide.
A Texas man now faces charges for murdering his fiancé after investigators discovered that he’d Googled “Can I kill an illegal human?”
Ty Dalton Vaughn, 31, of Baytown reportedly made the Google search shortly before shooting his partner Luis Banos, 27, inside their apartment on January 14.
Although Vaughn claimed that he returned to the apartment drunk at around 5:30 a.m. to find Banos dead, court documents obtained by ABC13 allege that Vaughn had been searching online to determine “whether or not it was illegal for him to kill an illegal immigrant” just hours before Banos’ death.
Detectives additionally claim that Vaughn intentionally made the scene look like a suicide and noted that he brought up Banos’ immigration status several times, without being prompted, during interviews with police. After reviewing security footage and interviewing neighbors, investigators were able to piece together a timeline of events quite different from the one that Vaughn initially presented.
The Events Leading Up To The Sudden Death Of Luis Banos
FacebookLuis Banos and Ty Vaughn.
According to Ty Vaughn’s version of events, he and Banos had gotten into an argument sometime during the day on January 13. Following the fight, Vaughn claimed to have left the apartment and gone to visit his mother. Around 4:27 a.m. on January 14, Vaughn sent a text to Banos that read, “Babe? Babe why are you not texting back?!?!”
At 5:38 a.m., Vaughn called 911 and told dispatchers, “My spouse is dead. Help. My life is over.”
However, security camera footage shows Vaughn returning to their apartment at 4:05 a.m., when he claimed not to be home. Furthermore, two neighbors told police they heard a gunshot shortly after, and by the time Vaughn had texted Banos with the seemingly worried message, Banos was already dead. Vaughn did not call 911 until a full 93 minutes had passed after the murder.
Police said they found Banos’ body lying on a bed with a rifle propped up against his arm and a torn picture of him and Vaughn nearby. Banos had been shot through one of his eyes with the rifle.
FacebookTy Vaughn and Luis Banos reportedly got into an argument the day of the murder.
During interviews with the police, Vaughn reportedly mentioned that Banos was an illegal immigrant several times without being prompted.
“Throughout the investigation, Vaughn provided inconsistent statements,” Baytown Police said in a news release. “Detectives later determined the cause of death to be a homicide. On March 7, 2025, investigators arrested Ty Vaughn.”
Ty Vaughn Is Eventually Charged With His Fiancé’s Murder
Seven weeks after the murder took place, charges against Vaughn were accepted by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. He was booked at the Harris County Jail with a bond set at $500,000.
FacebookLuis Banos was just 27 years old at the time of his death.
“There were some indications, including blood on the bed away from the position that the complainant was found in, that the scene had been tampered with essentially,” prosecutor Michael Hanover told KHOU 11.
Before he was officially charged, ABC13 interviewed Vaughn about the incident and asked him if he had spoken to Banos on the day of the murder. Vaughn replied, “I don’t know. The police know all the details… I don’t know. I’ve been kind of not great. I haven’t really been going to police looking for answers.”
When the outlet offered their condolences, he replied, “I mean, it is what it is.”
GoFundMeFamily and friends remembered Luis Banos as kind, helpful, and artistic.
A GoFundMe was set up by Banos’ cousin Diana Ascencio following his death in order to help pay for funeral expenses.
“Luis was known as an amazing son, uncle, brother, best friend, manager, and student,” she wrote in the post. “He was always there when you needed him. He was talented, artistic, creative, and such a hard worker. If you knew him, you know he was a true angel and kind soul, he deserved so much more than what this world gave him.”
After reading about Ty Vaughn and Luis Banos, learn all about the dark history of the Texas Killing Fields. Then, read about the death of Ellen Greenberg — and why police ruled her death a suicide, despite her family’s insistence she was murdered.
