AUSTIN, Texas — A man is facing three felony charges, including first-degree murder, following a homicide that occurred in South Austin in January.
According to the Austin Police Department (APD), the incident happened at a homeless encampment in the 1700 block of Nelms Drive, near Interstate 35 and East Stassney Lane on Jan. 4.
Police said officers were called to a wooded area around 3:50 a.m. after reports of a fire. Austin Fire Department crews also responded and were able to extinguish the fire.
Once firefighters extinguished the fire, they found a man, identified as Jonathan Salas, dead inside the homeless encampment, APD said. Salas was pronounced dead at 5:03 a.m. Homicide detectives soon believed that the incident was a homicide and that the fire had been started as an attempt to cover up the murder.
An autopsy conducted on Jan. 5 revealed that Salas died from trauma sustained by sharp force injuries.
On Jan. 6, members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force located and arrested Gonzalez.
On Feb. 5, three warrants were issued against Gonzalez, including one for first-degree murder, one for second-degree felony tampering with evidence and one for third-degree tampering with evidence.
Gonzalez is currently in the Travis County Jail. He is also under investigation for a separate murder that occurred in 2022, in a case that had previously been dismissed.