Man charged with murder of mom told Fort Worth PD: ‘It was an exorcism'

Alexander Valdez, a 23-year-old man, is charged with the murder of his own mother, 58-year-old Teresita Sayson.

On Friday, April 18, around 1:30 a.m. officers with the Fort Worth Police Department knocked on the door of a home at the corner of Farmers Branch Street and Bodart Lane. Police said Valdez answered the door, with blood smeared throughout his body.

“The position of what appeared to be blood included his face, neck, chest, torso, hands, and feet,” police said in a warrant.

Police said the man was holding a Bible.

He told police, “‘It was an exorcism’ as he walked out of the house and sat on a chair on the front porch”.

Officers questioned Valdez about the blood on his body. Valdez allegedly replied, “I was doing witchcraft to kill my mom."

Before officers entered the home, they asked Valdez if anyone was in the home. He allegedly replied, “There is a dead body in there. It’s my mom."

The discovery, according to police, was made in part through social media after the suspect publicized what he had done.

“He was on the Snapchat, and he said he wanted to perform witchcraft,” Officer Tracy Carter with FWPD said. “We were alerted, thank goodness for the people that were on Snapchat that said that he wanted to do this satanic ritual.”

The arrest warrant said they received a call from a person who wished to remain anonymous. The caller claimed they received a “very concerning” photo in a group chat on Snapchat.

The picture allegedly showed a woman on the ground covered in blood.

Police entered the home and found the body of a woman in the primary bedroom. The woman was covered in blood and had "trauma to the face and upper body. Officers also located a deceased dog in the room with the female," according to police.

According to the arrest affidavit, the victim was intentionally hit multiple times with a blunt force object.

Investigators found a broken jewelry box covered in blood and with pieces of the woman's hair wedged into it.

According to police, friends of Valdez warned each other not to open the picture Valdez had sent. At the scene, friends of Valdez showed the picture to police.

“…the photo depicted a deceased individual, along with a deceased dog. Officers observed blood on the wall, carpet, and body of the person in the picture,” the arrest warrant said.

Neighbors in the area said they were in disbelief.

“I just can't even, I can't even (comprehend) what was really going on over there,” LaFrieda Ray said.

Neighbors described the pair as cordial and reserved.

“The family is so quiet, and they've lived in this neighborhood around four years,” Russell Ray said.

Russell and his wife LaFrieda have lived in the neighborhood for about 30 years.

“The mother's always working… they never had any kind of parties, never had a lot of friends over at all. Just very quiet people.”

LaFrieda said they recently saw the suspect and had waved hello.

“We saw him with his car,” LaFrieda said. “The car would not start and he had someone come over and help him start the car. At the time, my son was over visiting. He actually waved at him and said hello. It was cordial.”

Valdez's bond is set at $750,000 however, police said the investigation is still in its early stages.

“Social media will play a huge role in this,” Carter said.

Sayson would have celebrated her 59th birthday this week.