Affidavit: Georgetown murder suspect broke into estranged wife's home wearing ski mask
GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Investigators revealed in newly-filed court documents that a man allegedly broke into his estranged wife's home in Georgetown wearing a black ski mask before he shot and killed her not long after police arrived early Tuesday morning.
These details came out a day after law enforcement agencies shared how they eventually arrested Ricardo Quinones, 38, on a murder charge. He remains in the Williamson County Jail on a $1 million bond. A tip from a Texas state trooper ultimately led police to a store in Columbus, Texas, in Colorado County where they took him into custody Tuesday.
According to the affidavit filed by Georgetown police, Quinones wore all black clothing when he went into his wife's home in the 2700 block of Gabriel View Drive and shone a flash light in her face before pulling her from bed. He then forced his teenage daughter into a bathroom, police said. She eventually escaped the house from a bedroom window.
Police said in the affidavit they went into the home after hearing two shots fired. Officers said they found Lindsey Quinones dead on her bed.
Ricardo Quinones fled the scene in his estranged wife's green truck, according to the affidavit. The department shared that an officer reported firing at Quinones when he left the house. It’s unclear, though, if he was shot or injured. Police said the Georgetown officer who fired his gun is cooperating with the investigation.
According to the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, a trooper called in a potential sighting of Quinones heading eastbound Tuesday morning on Interstate 10 in Fayette County. A news release detailed how a sergeant then contacted the Austin County Sheriff's Office, the West Side High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas task force and the regional SWAT team. Those entities then began setting up a perimeter along the interstate and started searching nearby businesses.
The sheriff's office reported Sgt. Randy Thumann found Quinones' vehicle in the parking lot of an AT&T store in Columbus and saw him standing inside the business. He went there to buy a new phone, according to the affidavit. After another deputy arrived, they reportedly gave Quinones "verbal commands" and took him into custody "without incident."
Police said in the affidavit that Quinones "told the officers that it didn't matter anymore, he was going to prison anyway because he lost his mind that morning and the gun was in his truck." Officers said they found a pistol inside the vehicle.
The suspect remained jailed in Colorado County until Georgetown detectives arrived late Tuesday night to serve a murder warrant and then took him to the Williamson County jail, according to the Colorado County Sheriff's Office.
Williamson County jail records show there's no attorney information listed yet for Quinones.
An order signed Thursday will require Quinones to undergo a mental health assessment because the court magistrate determined there's "reasonable cause" he has a "mental illness" or an "intellectual disability." The magistrate stated in the order that Quinones will have to complete this assessment within 96 hours.
Another filing about Quinones' bond conditions will require him to have no contact with his daughter or any member of her family or household.